The Rise Of Led Video Walls

By Author: Jamie Eliott
Total Articles: 2

Up till 80's, multi-image displays consisted of sets of slide projectors synchronized to an audio track. While it was an effective and creative way of projecting multiple pictures on a single screen, it was very cumbersome and expensive. Animation or virtual movement could be achieved by using so many slides and clever programming, but still the results were not that great. However, this was the only concrete and affordable means to get a big, dynamic image at that time.

Video projection was based on cathode ray tube (CRT) technology and was in its embryonic stage in early 90’s. CRT technology was also used for television sets and monitors. The main challenge at then was to deal with the brightness. Projected images were limited only to 4 meters, and required a darkened room. To overcome these issues, industry innovators started lacing monitors and projectors together to get larger images.

In the early 90's Video Graphics Array (VGA) came as a computer graphic standard in the display world and soon graphic video wall processors followed. This 640 x 480 pixels high resolution standard opened the whole new market for graphic or video walls. New applications included monitoring facilities and control rooms, which characteristically displayed graphical illustrations of processing plants, telephone or computer networks.

Video Graphics Array rapidly developed into SVGA, XGA and so forth (at present, video wall processors can exhibit images of up to 4k).

Video projectors quickly adopted new technologies, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) & later digital light processing (DLP). These innovative technologies allowed for brighter and higher resolution images. In a little while, this technology was introduced into video wall cubes. The issue with these technologies was the cost of ownership (particularly the expense of replacing lamp).

Projection cubes are being used even today, although the favored illumination source today is light-emitting diode (LED). LEDs are favored because they have long lamp life, which leads to the reduction of the overall cost of ownership.

In 1995, flat panel TV sets based on plasma technology were introduced, but they were fragile and more appropriate for the fixed installations.

In 2003, LCD flat panel with a 46" screen was launched. The introduction of LED direct-lit and edge-lit LCD displays made this the most popular display technology up to the present time.

Today's LED video walls

In the second decade of the 21st century, the most advanced video wall processors are driven by powerful computers. They can be customized for a number of displays and different types of sources. Most sophisticated LED video wall displays comprise scalers and daisy chain inputs. For multiple images to be displayed, a software based distributed system is also there. LED Video wall is an important medium for digital signage. They are most frequently found in advertising, military, and communication & surveillance applications.

The popularity of LED video walls is exploding in the AV (Audiovisual) industry. This market is highly competitive and choosing the best LED video wall solution for your business can be a demanding job. An LED video wall can deliver a high return on investment both in the short term and for many years to come. Get stunning video walls that are easy to install, maintain and manage at The LED Studio. These displays ruled the past and will rule the future as well.