InAVate: Steve Montgomery uncovers rapidly growing demand for videowall mounting solutions driven by narrow bezels and increasingly efficient processing electronics for creating multi display walls from flat panels. As flat panel displays become ever cheaper, larger and brighter their appeal to end users for use in large video walls increases. Manufacturers have responded by decreasing, and in some cases eliminating bezels around the display modules, to enable uninterrupted screens to be created. Video processing and image splitting circuits and signal buffering has been integrated within the units to greatly simplify installation and set up, thereby minimising the need for additional equipment. It is now possible to construct a video wall of significant size with no more than the screens themselves and a handful of cables. As a consequence, the demands on mounting bracketry have escalated: in terms of installation flexibility, cost, maintenance access and safety. Installers now have three viable choices when specifying a video wall. They can elect to design and manufacture a framework themselves from an independent sheet metal worker; use a modular system from a specialist supplier or commission a bespoke unit, again from a specialist supplier. Robin Newbury, of system integrator Tecknowledge provides an installer’s perspective: “We have looked at all the main mounting systems to find the best one for our customers. The key features are that it must provide good ongoing maintenance access so that cable connection ports can be reached and full units removed and replaced easily, even when working at height. It is also critical that there is very fine mounting adjustment in all mounting planes so that we can ensure every screen in a video wall is level and the whole surface is perfectly flat even when the mounting wall is not true. This makes a significant difference to the overall picture quality.” Speed of installation is an important feature. “There are two elements: what the installer needs and what the end user wants,” says Simon Pilcher, general manager of B-Tech. “The common requirement is for a high-quality, reliable and secure product, which offers value for money. The installer’s primary desire is for a product that is quick and easy to install, whilst end users need an installation that is aesthetically pleasing.” Read Full: InAVate - The great (video) wall
