Many businesses and nonprofits are thinking about installing a video wall processor. Yet remain sceptical about whether it’s necessary or cost-effective. Some businesses are still having this discussion as video walls become more common in a variety of settings. Such as boardrooms of businesses, sports arenas, classrooms, control rooms, and lobby signage.
A video wall controller can be either hardware or software that allows access across several displays. Whether it is a video wall or multi-monitor display as a single canvas. Users have the freedom to visualise any piece of content over many screens or the complete video wall, thanks to a video wall processor.
Additionally, it enables the simultaneous viewing of many pieces of content. Content on a single screen, a section of the video wall, or the full wall in any of the possible permutations. Each display can be independently or collectively controlled. Thus creating a dynamic display solution that might be used to meet various display requirements. A multi-monitor system may contain as few as two displays or as many as 200. The intended audience’s needs decide the size and design of the video wall.
When is a video wall controller necessary?
There are many methods for controlling video walls. Each has benefits and drawbacks. When a customer requires more power and flexibility for their video wall, video wall controllers are necessary. They used to be a significant part of the video wall’s cost. But recently their prices have decreased to the point that they are now much more accessible.
First, we must distinguish between a video wall scaler and a controller. A controller offers total control over a large number of screens. The output is flawlessly synced content in a variety of arrangements.
A scaler divides a single video stream into a grid. It offers fewer resolution and layout possibilities. Many expensive, zero-bezel displays come with a built-in scaler. But users are only allowed to use those screens in supported configurations.
Technology is necessary for visualisation solutions to regulate what viewers may see. Take an air traffic management centre as an example. The more complex and developed the framework, the more reliable the control system needs to be. A video wall controller is required to get the most out of a multi-monitor configuration. It works by increasing performance, picture quality, security, and automation.
But not every video wall controller is made equal. The finest ones provide improved usability. Thus placing the resources required by an organisation’s audio-visual team or video wall operators at their fingertips to make the most of the technology.
Advantages of Video Wall Controller
Resolution Restrictions Do Not Exist
The idea of resolution is well-liked. It all comes down to the available pixels. The more pixels there are on a screen, the higher the pixel density. So better and more precise the image quality you will receive. It is easy to understand why video wall controllers are effective at creating an impact. The resolution rises when you create a video wall from several high-definition screens. Only with a video wall processor, can a video wall display high-resolution content.
Signal Processing: A Wide Range of Sources and Formats
There are restrictions on the connectivity and capability to display many sources on a single screen. Only a small number of devices can be interfaced. Each screen can only show one source at once. To overcome these limitations, a video wall controller is required. It simultaneously displays several streams from various sources. The source can be in any size, configuration, or aspect ratio.
Performance and processing capacity
Professional high-end controllers have many more features. Such as:
- The ability to provide internet connectivity
- Allowing for the simultaneous display of live web sources on the video wall
- Allowing other apps such as clocks, dashboards, or emergency messaging.
Furthermore, they may blend baseband and IP inputs and display them wherever on the wall. Some even have control panel designers, which allow you to create buttons on any computer or tablet. This allows users to alter layouts on the video wall with the push of a button. The correct video wall controller may provide a great amount of freedom. While also achieving exceptional processing performance. This results in an unlimited number of customised configurations for video walls. It will give the most effective visualisation.
Types of video wall controllers
You can choose the type of video wall controller you need based on your specifications.
Video Wall Controller(hardware-based)
This type of video wall controller is an appliance-based processor. They are constructed on a proprietary FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) hardware platform. It includes a dedicated CPU, a high-speed cross-point video bus, and a specialised and integrated operating system.
Hardware-based controllers are electronic devices designed specifically for this purpose. They are constructed on an array of video processing chipsets. They lack an operating system. The use of a hardware-based video wall controller provides high performance and dependability. The disadvantages include expensive costs and a lack of flexibility.
Video Wall Controller for PC (Software):
PC or Windows-based video wall controllers are other popular forms. Instead of proprietary hardware, this controller uses conventional or industrial PCs.
A software-based PC is a computer that runs an operating system (such as Windows, Linux, or Mac) on a PC or server. It is outfitted with special multiple-output graphic cards and, video capture input cards. These video wall controllers are constructed on industrial-grade chassis. Due to the need for control rooms and situational centres. They are more expensive. A software-based video wall controller can launch programmes like maps, VoIP clients (to display IP cameras), Digital Signage, and SCADA clients. This software can exploit the full resolution of the display.
Software-based controllers continue to be employed in control rooms and high-end Digital Signage. The performance of the software controller is determined by the quality of the graphic cards and the management software. There are several commercially available multi-head (many outputs) graphic cards. Most AMD (Eyefinity technology) and NVidia (Mosaic technology) general purpose multi-output cards. They handle up to 6-12 genlocked outputs. General-purpose cards lack optimisation for showing many video streams from capture cards. A hardware-based video wall controller is required for bigger numbers of screens.
Daisy-chain display based:
Most commercial-grade video wall screens also include controls. This matrix splitter enables the user to “stretch” an image from a single video input across all of the displays in the video wall (typically arranged in a linear matrix, e.g., 2×2, 4×4, etc.). These displays offer loop-through outputs (typically DP). Thus allowing installers to daisy-chain all the displays. Thus feeding them with the same input. The remote control and the on-screen display are typically used during setup. It is a straightforward approach to constructing a video wall. But it has some significant drawbacks.
To begin with, using the video wall’s full pixel resolution is impossible. Since the resolution cannot be greater than the resolution of the input signal. It is also not possible to display many inputs at the same time.