July 21, 2022 - We have all been there while designing a space. You have measured and done your site visit and you get back to your workspace and begin to canvas what you will do. You look at the room depth, and horizontal width and figure out the best 16x9 display to use, just to find that the best won't fit the space. This could be because of an obstacle or even limitations on height. In the days of standard format displays this has led to you using a smaller display than you should or having to be off center from where you want to be or even having to change space totally. Avixa's formula for calculating screen size for ADM (Analytic Decision Making) is:
Screen Height= (Vertical Image Resolution × Distance to Furthest Viewer) / 3438
It is certainly the "format box" you have been stuck in. You are now lucky enough to live in a time where you can start to move away from this unique design constraint by using more custom and configurable display products. One such technology is the Direct View LED Video Wall.
Hardware: Intelligent and Flexible Design
It is not fair to talk about DVLED without mentioning its predecessor, the LCD Video Wall. This product filled the niche for a long time due to its scalability and the ability to use a combination of mounting structures. The biggest complaints when it comes to this technology is the bezels between the displays and the stock 16x9 form factor. Even though many companies in the LED industry have a preconfigured 16x9 offering, most are built on the same principle, smaller and more configurable cabinets to be able to build out custom sizes with zero separation between the cabinets. The only separation within the image is the pixel pitch itself.
DVLED Technology is comprised of a cabinet that houses a series of LED modules that contain many pixels of actual RGB+ LEDs. These modules can be placed directly next to each other, ensuring no gaps in your image. The distance between these LED pixels is known as the pixel pitch. Pixel pitch is normally selected based on the distance of the participant to where they can no longer discern pixels. With this micro modular design, many factories can custom cut and fit LED modules and cabinets to your exact dimensions to fill an entire space.
Content
I know what you are thinking: "What about my already formatted content?" This is always a concern as you design your project, but the second major component set of a DVLED Wall helps you answer this question. Every LED wall is driven by either onboard or offboard controller and can be easily paired with video processing units. Some even have windowing and video processing built in to the unit.
Just as the display market has advanced in large ways in recent years, so has the world of video processing. Every LED Wall needs a component to take the video information and translate it into the LED Language. Using a series of data, we take the video information and control each LED to be the correct color and brightness to equal the visual content we see before our eyes. This allows to fill every pixel on the wall with content. By using video processing we can also window the content, fill in negative space with backgrounds, or even tile our image to create the most optimal content layout for our visual technologies.
Aesthetics: The Artsy Side
Another advantage of DVLED that adds to its customizability is the ability to achieve beautiful curves and seamless corners. Coming to the edge of a wall doesn't mean that the video data needs to stop. By using the video processing and small LED modules DVLED is able to bend very tight radiuses to be able to create smooth curves or conform perfectly to an already curved surface. This can allow the participants to be completely surrounded by video. Many of them have already gotten used to this format at home. Curved and extra wide video monitors have become the staple for the home office thru the pandemic and now with DVLED technology we are able to bring that into our spaces. With flexible mounting and seamless modules DVLED can also achieve perfect 90 degree corners, in both a concave (with 45 degree cabinets) and convex configuration, adding an additional way to surround your participants as well use all available wall real estate.
Video Gymnastics. Finding the Flexible Mount
Creating these curves and corners can often require some extra help from the structures world. DVLED has always had its roots in the rental and staging market. Because of this, unique mounting has always been at the forefront of DVLED product design. This design allows many types of mounting structures to be used in a single product. You are no longer limited by the wall, floor, or ceiling but can easily use a hybrid of all solutions to be able to mount your display however and wherever you want. Mounting also solidifies the other benefits of DVLED. With Z-Axis adjustment you can ensure there are no spaces or visible seams between modules as well as help- engineer curves and corners. With all these features, engineering your space for DVLED has never been easier.
Shine Brighter
DVLED has for the longest time been a more boutique item, but as the technology has advanced the cost has dropped. We now find DVLED able to fit into many budgets with a wide variety of products to fit your fiscal needs. DVLED Has many optical advantages over its predecessors that should also be weighed in on these decisions. I recommend learning from many of the great resources and experts in the industry more about this technology and work DVLED into your next design. With DVLED your only limitations are your budget and your imagination. Every LED we add in our spaces just does that much more to make the world shine a little brighter!
By Jeremy Hall
