2020 has been a tough year for pro AV installations, with integrators forced to work around COVID-19 restrictions while crafting personalized experiences for their clients. This year, SCN once again celebrates the firms that went above and beyond to create ultimate user experiences.

Watch the video below to see all of SCN's 2020 Installs of the Year.

Thrivent Financial Corporate HQ

Minneapolis, MN

AVI Systems partnered with Thrivent Financial on its eight-story, 264,000-square-foot headquarters in Minneapolis. With a capacity for more than 1,000 employees, the new building includes a café and bank, over 200 meeting rooms, and several common areas, boardrooms, and presentation rooms. AVI helped Thrivent transform its approach to audiovisual equipment, particularly for its collaboration spaces and meeting rooms. With a focus on enabling workflows, both remote and on-site, AVI aligned technology with employees’ expectations and use cases. AVI used products by Crestron, Logitech, Shure and others. 

911 Emergency Operations Center

Peoria, IL

IAS Technology was called in to upgrade the failing AV system and related technology at a 911 Emergency Operations Center in Peoria. The IAS team installed two Barco 4K Laser projectors with edge-blending driven by a tvONE CORIOmaster2 in a process that resulted in less than one hour of downtime for the center’s operations over a two-day period. The upgrade allows employees to see GPS mapping/tracking, call data, and other critical information at each individual workstation and on the high-resolution video wall.

Read more: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/tvone-coriomaster2-makes-us-debut-in-critical-display-application

Dubai International Airport

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai International’s new Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) houses several teams managing airport operations 24/7. Integrator Aesthetix was appointed to design and integrate a state-of-the-art audiovisual solution for the AOCC control room. The objective was to provide a user-friendly, flexible video wall solution for operators to view live visuals and data for monitoring and collaborative decision-making. Aesthetix selected RGB Spectrum’s MediaWall V 4K display processor to power the AOCC’s 55-screen video wall. The AOCC MediaWall-based video wall centralizes an extensive volume of visuals and data to enhance situational awareness. Operators can collaboratively view information for daily management and planning.

Read more: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/dubai-international-airport-manages-operations-with-rgb-spectrum-mediawall-v

Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center

Detroit, MI

Seeking to encourage a community-oriented space as part of the City of Detroit’s revitalization efforts, the Detroit Pistons moved their training facility and headquarters to downtown Detroit and selected New Era Technology as the AV integrator for the project. The 185,000-square-foot, four-story facility houses indoor and outdoor spaces for public and private events. New Era ensured state-of-the-art systems that fit within budget constraints and a limited timeline. New Era’s contributions included audiovisual solutions for spaces including the draft room, practice gym, team room, locker room, hydrotherapy space, conference rooms, executive and administrative offices, and a broadcast media studio. The solutions help contribute to pre-season, mid-season, playoffs, and post-season, and further the city’s mission of bringing the Detroit community together.

Wells Fargo, Hudson Yards

New York, NY

HB helped Wells Fargo develop and install an engaging video wall experience at its new Hudson Yards office that brings beauty, peace, and a sense of calm to those who work there. Working together with the Wells Fargo team and architects, the integration firm set out to bring nature and serenity into the workplace with the video installation. HB installed a 30-foot-tall by 6-foot-wide Planar DirectLight X LED video wall with a 1.5mm pixel pitch and sent a video production team to picturesque locales in New York, San Francisco, Yosemite State Park, California’s Big Sur, and several other locations to capture custom 8K content that would suit the unique size and aspect ratio of the wall. The end result exceeded expectations and truly brought the magnificence of our world into Wells Fargo’s office.

University of Pennsylvania - Law School/Silverman Hall

Philadelphia, PA

Penn Law’s premier building, Lewis Hall (now Silverman Hall), opened in February of 1900. The building initially had formal “reading rooms” at opposite ends of its second floor where generations of Penn Law students studied. Over time, the students contributed to the growing collection of reading materials—an undertaking that eventually resulted in the creation of the Biddle Law Library. The library was moved in 1994, and the reading rooms were repurposed as large classrooms (renovations completed in 1998). Twenty-two years later, these classrooms have been renovated again. AV integrator Solutionz and AV consultancy firm KMK Technologies brought new life to these spaces through a balance of restored architectural elements and innovative audio-video technologies from companies including Audio-Technica, Christie Digital, Extron, JBL Pro, and Mersive.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood

Hollywood, CA

Designed by OpenEye Global, the Jimmy Kimmel Experience at Madame Tussauds is a fully immersive film set that transports guests to Jimmy Kimmel Live to become part of the magic of television. Kimmel stands front and center to greet guests, who usually stop to get a selfie with him. As fans move through the experience, they are able to participate in a taped “Pedestrian Question” interview, and then it’s showtime! Each guest becomes the star of the show, enjoying 15 seconds of fame as their interview is broadcast on the big screen for all to see. Following their on-screen debut, guests make their way through the set for more interactive photo opportunities, including taking a seat in the coveted director’s chair, getting a feel for what it’s like behind the scenes as they head backstage, and more.

Akamai Technologies World Headquarters

Cambridge, MA

The largest cybersecurity company in Massachusetts has consolidated multiple campus locations into a 19-story, 453,000-square-foot headquarters bursting with audiovisual technology integrated by McCann Systems. Opened in late 2019, Akamai’s headquarters features architectural details such as high ceilings and an abundance of natural light. McCann Systems was the perfect AV partner in its willingness to echo these details in the integration of the unified communication systems for Akamai. In addition to building, installing, and commissioning the audiovisual systems, McCann Systems offered on-site managed services. The conference room technology and digital signage were designed through a partnership between ACT Associates and the AV team at 145 Broadway, with help from McCann Systems.

Helios Education Foundation

Phoenix, AZ

Helios Education Foundation, an organization that helps foster advanced student preparedness and academic advancement, recently built a 30,000-square-foot headquarters in Phoenix with the goal of enhancing community involvement and education by outfitting the facility with advanced technologies. Teaming with The Sextant Group, now called NV5, Spinitar worked with Helios to build a modern architectural space with integrated cutting-edge technologies. The AV infrastructure was built using various products from key manufacturers including Crestron and NEC Display. Sextant created a culturally relevant architectural technology design that encourages collaboration, information sharing, and educational growth. Using technology as the highway between building and community, Helios has established an educational presence in the community to help pave the way for future generations.

Globe Life Field – Home of the Texas Rangers

Arlington, TX

Diversified partnered with the Texas Rangers to outfit their new stadium, Globe Life Field, and deliver an enhanced fan experience. The stadium’s seating bowl features the first surround sound system installed in a ballpark, which delivers an energizing concert-level sound experience. Twenty-two AV closets throughout the massive stadium support several hundred AV devices and IPTV endpoints in the concourses and suites, keeping fans engaged in the excitement no matter where they are in the stadium. To transport the action on the field to fans, Diversified installed a comprehensive broadcast system complete with a SMPTE ST 2110 video production control room. The install features loudspeakers from JBL, Fulcrum, Community Loudspeakers, and Electro-Voice; a DSP from QSC; control by Crestron, QSC, and Apple iPads; and an audio console by Yamaha.

Foreign Affairs Security Training Center

Virginia

The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Security Training Center, built to integrate 11 disparate facilities, is a multipurpose complex dedicated to the ongoing training of 2,000 special agents—plus 10,000 additional State Department and U.S. foreign service community engineers, technicians, and security professionals. The construction phase lasted three years, during which time Bridges SI engineered and implemented an enterprise IP system for the entire facility. The install included hundreds of networked audio and camera distribution components mounted throughout multiple areas, all connected via a secure fiber infrastructure. Types of spaces included a smokehouse, rappelling wall, live-fire shoot house, explosives range, tactical maze, and mock urban environment. Innovations from AtlasIED, Middle Atlantic, QSC, and Samsung were used in the installation.

Color Trail at 44 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA

In this San Francisco office tower, Color Trail—a reactive light installation by ESI Design, an NBBJ studio—turns the lobby into a canvas, with passersby serving as the paintbrushes. Spanning the length of the lobby, the installation reacts to the movement of people, filling the space with watercolor-esque light. As people walk through the lobby, they become digital paintbrushes, trailing a colored path across the display. As more people enter the lobby, the media surface fills with brushstrokes, becoming more colorful and dynamic. When two people cross paths, the colors mix and swirl around each other, creating new colors and unexpected patterns. The media supports two different “brush” types: a soft-edged, fluid Organic Brush and a hard-edged, tightly bound Geometric Brush.

The Cove @ UCI

Irvine, CA

The Cove @ UCI, home to UCI Beall Applied Innovation, is a 100,000-plus-square-foot facility in UCI Research Park. The university teamed up with Digital Networks Group, an Avidex Company, for the design-build audiovisual integration project. Every aspect of the facility was constructed with technology, collaboration, and innovation in mind. The cornerstone of the integration project is the 180-degree, 134-foot-long Planar/Leyard dvLED video wall that provides high-impact, seamless content driven by Hiperwall. The Beach is a purpose-built event space complemented by cutting-edge audio systems, confidence monitors, cameras, and systems for recording and live event streaming, videoconferencing, and room controls.

Ron Clark Academy

Atlanta, GA

The Middle Ages meets Harry Potter with a 52-foot-diameter, circular NanoLumens LED screen installed on the ceiling at the Ron Clark Academy by Baker Audio Visual. The system is a performance and educational aid for the school’s students and educators, who come from all over the world to participate in events and trainings. When not being used as an educational tool, the screen displays scenes of dragons flying overhead and landing on the rim and looking down into the room. A robust QSC sound system is hidden discreetly within the space’s Gothic columns to supply voice and program audio reinforcement. The backbone of the system consists of a Show Stage 4x4k display processor, Crestron Control processor, QSC amplifiers/DSP, Datapath server, and more.

The first debate of the 2020 Presidential campaign cycle is now in the books, with over 15 million people tuning into the two-night event across NBC, Telemundo, and MSNBC. 

The Knight Concert Hall inside the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami was transformed into a television-ready environment for the event by the team at experiential firm Clickspring Design, which has also collaborated with NBC News on scenic design projects for NBC Nightly Newsand the Today Show. The stage design was lit by The Lighting Design Group with fabrication and engineering from Mystic Scenic Studios and LED from Leyard's CarbonLight line.

"Stage design for the debates is challenging due to the many shot requirements as well as variability in the number of candidates and show format," said Emmett Aiello, VP of design at Clickspring. "In addition, the set has to work for different venues, unknown at the time of the initial design, and be installed and show-ready in a three-day period. That being said, the energy and pressure of the live event are what make it a special experience."

With 20 Democratic Party hopefuls taking the stage across the two-night event, the design team had to balance flexibility with creating a unique sense of place. 

"The White House, and in particular the architectural front elevation of the building, gives the set an iconic quality while reminding us of the stakes for the campaign," said Aiello. "Trends dictate that the set has to be contemporary both in style and technology, but it was important to us to infuse the concept with a bit of tradition and class, while touching on the theme of transparency."

To create this sense of transparency, clear acrylic panels etched with architectural and Presidential details are woven throughout the design. Starting downstage at the peacock sculpture, the edge-lit acrylic language continues through the lecterns and contextual elements around the LED. All the way upstage, a surround of LED pinstripes and blue cloth add the final layer of depth to the scene.

"Our goal with the design was to provide NBC maximum flexibility of background content, by using LED tile, without the set becoming just a big boring video screen," Aiello said. 

The LED backdrop was used to display not only the traditional debate backdrop of an American flag and network logo branding but also a 3D illustration of the White House.

"Design is a collective process, and NBC put together a great team for this one,” Aiello said. “Senior design director Kendra James collaborated closely with me on the design, with myriad contributions from our entire Clickspring Design team. Steve and Niel’s lighting really gave the set its depth and richness, and Ben Jacobsen’s engineering of the build was both smart and true to our design intent.”

Bigger, brighter, and blending better into their environments, today’s video walls are transforming the way we look at everything from entertainment to critical data.

Of course, video walls are nothing new; they have been around for several decades, and for the most part, in two basic form factors. For spaces like control rooms, you had multiple bulky monitors stacked together. And for a select few locations—like scoreboards at the biggest stadiums and advertising spaces in the highest traffic areas like Times Square—early CRT-based, large-screen video boards gave a glimpse of the future, albeit at sub-VGA resolutions and extremely hefty price tags.

As time passed, tube TVs gave way to LCD panels for multi-monitor video walls, and LED technology expanded the possibilities of seamless, expansive walls. Today, the bezels of the former have become so miniscule, and the pixel pitches of the latter so fine, that both form factors have converged on the ideal experience: a pure, unencumbered expanse of digital video.

OFF THE WALL

“The display industry is advancing because customers are realizing a digital video wall is a more efficient way to communicate with large audiences,” said Gary Feather, chief technology officer at NanoLumens. “Airports, stadiums, convention centers, and other similar venues have found commercial video walls give them much more control over their spaces and the crowds within them.”

There are a number of factors driving the growth of direct-view LED for video wall applications, and form is one of them: the surface they attach to need not be a flat wall at all. “The defining advantage that customers capture when working with NanoLumens products is the level of customization they are able to dictate,” Feather said. “NanoLumens displays can be built in any size, shape, or curvature and can be integrated into almost any architecture for any purpose.”

For example, the Suria KLCC Shoping Mall in Kuala Lumur, Malaysia recently installed the world’s largest double-sided LED display, according to NanoLumens. Hanging in its center court area, the 19-foot-wide by 33-foothigh Performance Series 4.7mm double-sided display rotates, showcasing many of the mall’s upscale consumer brands.

WINNING WITH ‘WOW’

While displays like the aforementioned might have come across as an ostentatious gimmick a few years ago, today, such visual statements are increasingly becoming a competitive necessity. “There is an irreversible wave of competition of visual presence,” said Andy Fliss, vice president of sales and marketing at tvONE. “The ‘wow factor’ of video walls has become a representation of market prowess. Whether it’s top brands competing for customers, universities competing for top students, or churches drawing larger congregations, the presence of big video is front and center in the race. Today, nearly every market is now being impacted by dramatic video.”

Powering these screens requires equally impressive hardware. “tvONE video processors provide high-quality format conversion, scaling, and dynamic window transitions where other processors do not,” Fliss said. “We also have the most versatile, intuitive software on the market. More than just the products, tvONE provides a level of service on these very complex systems that is difficult to match anywhere.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE

When it comes to more detail-intensive uses, the video wall category has been dominated by grids of LCD panels for the past couple decades due to their advantage in resolution over LED. However, the competitive balance is shifting quickly in favor of the latter technology.

“Advancements in performance—which include higher pixel pitch, expanded color gamut, higher refresh rates, lighter weight mechanics, intuitive user interface, and ease of installation and serviceability—coupled with major refinements in manufacturing and global component sourcing make LED products of today attainable to more markets than ever before,” said Paul Johnston, CTS, vice president of technical services operations at Absen.

Absen only makes direct-view LED displays, and has a range of solutions for a variety of applications, from outdoors to meeting rooms. “Absen continues to push the envelope on new emerging technologies such as IMD, Macro, and Micro LED,” Johnston said. “As the convergence of technology meets the performance and price point requirements, Absen introduces these emerging technologies into our portfolio.” An example of the company’s flexibility is its A27 series, which comes in varying models to accommodate use cases ranging from digital signage displays in transportation centers to presentation screens in meeting rooms.

TRADITIONAL REFINEMENT

As LED marches forward, manufacturers of LCD video walls are innovating with equal fervor. One company that is pushing this category to the limit is Barco, which launched its UniSee video wall line in 2017. Touted by the company as “bezelless,” these 55-inch LCD panels have a mere 1.09-millimeter gap between the display units. But, the slimness of these walls’ seams is just one selling point.

“Key aspects driving the advancement of this video wall category were reliability for 24/7 applications, ergonomic improvements, and specifically for resellers, improvements in terms of install-ability and serviceability,” said Inez Schoels, go-to-market program manager of LCD operator experience at Barco. “With Barco UniSee, Barco created a revolution in the LCD video wall market tackling all these issues and built a video wall platform on three pillars: UniSee View, UniSee Mount, and UniSee Connect.”

The “View” tenet refers to the narrowness of the seams, as well as improvements in inter-tile uniformity, brightness, and reliability. “Mount” is—you guessed it—the line’s mounting structure, which is designed to ensure and maintain precise alignment, while also allowing for easier diagnostics and service. Lastly, UniSee Connect software allows for the control and management of the wall “as if it would be one single screen,” according to Schoels.

MAKING A CHOICE

With a plethora of choices, what factors should organizations consider when looking to install or upgrade their video wall?

“For LED video walls, pixel pitch and viewing distance are always a key factor; for LCD video walls, the key factors are bezel size and price,” said Steve Seminario, vice president of product marketing for Leyard and Planar. “Across both technologies, mechanical design, video capabilities, and power considerations are key trends that impact video wall performance, reliability, and cost of ownership over time.”

To meet the ranging requirements of clients, Leyard and Planar offer an array of choices of pixel pitch for LED displays and bezel sizes of LCDs. “And we offer different form factors, mechanical designs, and architectures that allow customers to get the optimal video wall solution based the needs of the installation,” Seminario said.

Two premier options in its catalog are the Leyard DirectLight X LED Video Wall System and Clarity Matrix G3 LCD Video Wall System, which each incorporate adjustable wall mounts, off-board video and power, web-based control applications, and full front-service installation and service access.

THE BIG PICTURE

NEC’s product manager Ben Hardy urges decision-makers to consider the overall functionality and the complete experience for end users in the space. “It’s not enough to simply make a lobby or common area look pretty; the video wall needs to enhance the space while delivering smart content,” he said. “NEC goes beyond simply arranging large displays in a video wall configuration and adds video-wall specific features like TileMatrix for image expansion across the entire wall, TileCut to ensure an image doesn’t get cut off when displaying non-16:9 content, and FrameComp to compensate for content lag in large video walls.”

In addition to its wide range of LCD video wall options, NEC recently unveiled several new lines of direct-view LED modules, notably the Q Series. Available in pixel pitches from 7.8 to 2.8mm, the Q Series features improved heat dissipation, lower power consumption, and greater contrast, and is suited for use in applications from digital signage and arenas to museums and corporate settings.

CUSTOMIZED, SIMPLIFIED

Finally, consideration should be given not just to the wall itself, but what it’s capable of doing—and what it will be able to do years from now.

“Consumers are used to having experiences that are tailored to their individual interests and preferences: they have smartphones, smart homes, smart cars, and smart devices that personalize activities that used to be mundane,” said Mark D’Addio, senior vice president, sales and marketing at VITEC. “As they interact with the proliferation of video displays in a venue, their expectation of a personalized experience is not going away.

“Of course, it will be very difficult to deliver a truly personalized experience on a video wall at a sporting event or retail environment, but the video wall delivery platform should be flexible enough to make dynamic changes to lean toward personalization. This platform flexibility must be able to respond to data inputs—either from the system or as an external recommendation—to adjust content and advertising that will appeal to viewers with shifting preferences.”

To make these changes easier, VITEC developed the 100-percent hardware-based EZ TV line of video wall processors to simplify the deployment and management of projects, and deliver low-latency playback of IPTV streams, even in 4K, with support for interactive content, video, and images.

The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC professional soccer clubs have selected Leyard and Lighthouse Technologies for five video screens in their transformed Providence Park stadium in downtown Portland. The installation is the first resulting from the new partnership between Leyard and Lighthouse formed in late 2018. 

The installation encompasses five video screens aimed at heightening the fan experience when Providence Park reopens this summer, highlighted by a signature new LED board/scoreboard behind the south goal that features more than 150 percent additional display area. The home venue for both the Timbers of Major League Soccer and Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League is in the final stages of a multiphase, $85-million transformation that includes extensive enhancements to the entire stadium. Notably, the project includes the addition of approximately 4,000 new seats as part of a new three-tiered seating structure constructed on the east side of the stadium. 

“From the moment fans enter a stadium on game day, to the time they leave once the game is over, in-house video capabilities play an important part in the overall in-game experience at any sports venue,” said Mike Golub, president of business for the Timbers and Thorns FC. “We are thrilled to be working with the local partnership of Leyard and Planar on this substantial investment that will greatly enhance the already unique and immersive experience at Providence Park.”

The installation is the first resulting from the new Leyard and Planar, a Leyard company-Lighthouse partnership announced in December 2018. By combining Leyard’s fine-pitch LED and Planar’s LCD offerings with Lighthouse’s LED solutions designed for the sports market, the goal is to offer new innovations to sports and entertainment customers across North America.

“We are pleased that the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC chose us for this first important installation right in our own backyard,” said Douglas Moss, general manager for sports and entertainment at Leyard and Planar. “The project is an example of the transformative experiences that can be achieved in the sports and entertainment market when two major LED companies work together. We believe it will be the first of many innovative installations to come.”

“We are excited to be working with Leyard and Planar on this first project,” said Peter Chan, managing director of Lighthouse. “The strengths of our two companies will ensure that exceptional LED video screens experience will be delivered to the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC.”

Leyard (Stand 12-F80) has announced the wide range of display technologies it will showcase at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2019 this week in Amsterdam. This marks the first time Leyard and its companies—Planar, eyevis, and Teracue—are attending ISE together, demonstrating its full portfolio of LED, LCD, rear projection, and image processing solutions. 

“We are extremely proud to showcase our wide portfolio of display solutions from Leyard, Planar, eyevis, and Teracue to the European AV community,” said Thorsten Lipp, general manager for Leyard EMEA. “The combined expertise and industry leadership of our brand companies allows us to deliver solutions that meet the diverse and growing needs of any European customer.”

Fine-Pitch LED Solutions

Expanding its LED portfolio to enable customers to deploy seamless LED video walls in a wider range of environments, Leyard will launch its new Leyard ERO-LED (Extended Ruggedness and Optics) technology at ISE 2019.

Leyard ERO-LED protects fine-pitch LED displays from dust, electrostatic discharge, humidity, casual human contact and impact at both the front and edges, and enhances visual performance by significantly increasing contrast in ambient light. At varying levels of ambient light, Leyard ERO-LED delivers three times the contrast compared to LED video walls without this protective coating. Customers can order a range of Leyard video wall products with optional Leyard ERO-LED technology. 

In addition to Leyard ERO-LED, Leyard will demonstrate the high contrast ratio and color accuracy of high dynamic range (HDR) content on the Leyard TWA Series, taking advantage of the performance characteristics of Leyard LED displays. Further, the following fine-pitch LED product lines will be on display: the next-generation Leyard DirectLight X LED Video Wall System, Leyard TWS Series, Leyard TVF Series, and Leyard LED MultiTouch.

Standard-Pitch LED Displays

Leyard will demonstrate its standard-pitch LED product lines including new Leyard CarbonLight Rental and Staging Accessories designed to enhance Leyard CarbonLight LED video wall systems, a comprehensive set of lightweight, versatile, easy-to-deploy LED video wall displays suited for indoor rental, staging, and fixed-flexible applications. The accessories help reduce setup and teardown time and include rental frames, modular ground support, Leyard ERO-LED rugged surface protection, and side-access flight cases. 

Leyard will also showcase its new Leyard VVR Series, a family of indoor and outdoor LED video wall displays designed to meet the fast-paced needs of the rental and staging industry. Launched in fall 2018, the Leyard VVR Series features magnetically-attachable cabinets for fast assembly, easy access to electronics for simple maintenance, and a quick-lock system to support single-person installation and handling. Leyard will also feature the Leyard VersaLight Series, a highly versatile family of LED video wall displays for even the most challenging indoor or outdoor environments.

LCD Solutions

Leyard's complete portfolio of Planar LCD video wall and 4K LCD displays encompass a wide range of sizes and resolutions. Planar’s LCD solutions at ISE 2019 include the Clarity Matrix G3 LCD Video Wall System and the new Planar EPX Series. 

Clarity Matrix G3 now takes built-in video wall processing to a new level with the off-board Clarity Matrix G3 Video Controller, becoming the first LCD video wall solution on the market to embed advanced video processing directly into the product, according to the company, delivering beyond 8K resolution with a single 1U Controller. 

The Planar EPX Series is a 100-inch 4K LCD display with Ultra HD resolution (3840x2160) that offers high brightness of 700 nits and a wide color gamut. Designed with commercial-grade features, the Planar EPX Series meets the demanding requirements of retail and corporate digital signage applications. The Planar EPX Series is also available in a precise and responsive multi-touch version.

Rear Projection Video Wall Solutions

Leyard will also feature eyevis rear projection video wall solutions at ISE 2019, including debuting the new eyevis 3004 Series. The eyevis 3004 Series is a line of premium DLP rear projection video wall displays that deliver high brightness for bright room control, designed for 24x7 operation and available in 70-inch and 80-inch sizes. eyevis rear projection video wall displays are an well suited for large-scale video systems in a variety of demanding applications, including control rooms and security centers. 

The company will also showcase the eyevis TRP Series, a DLP rear-projection video wall line based on Texas Instruments’ Tilt & Roll architecture, and the eyevis SLIM Series, a line of DLP rear-projection video wall displays with the slimmest profile for space-constrained environments.

Processing Solutions

Leyard and its companies provide a full range of video wall, image processing, and media player solutions, including the eyevis netPIX Video Wall Controller Series, featuring eyevis eyeUNIFY Video Wall Management Software; the Clarity VCS Video Wall Processor; Leyard WallDirector Software; and Teracue flexible and high-performance video over IP products. 

Americans travel for work, pleasure, and adventure—and we’re traveling in record numbers. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport welcomed an astonishing number of passengers in 2016—more than 104 million—according to Airports Council International. Global passenger traffic is expected to grow 4.5 percent every year through 2040. However, as options increase and consumers become more demanding, transportation hubs need to stay relevant and competitive. Today’s passengers want personalized travel that is tech centric, app enabled, and stress free. It’s a tall order, but audiovisual technologies are playing vital roles in improving transit experiences. Interactive video walls, IoT-connected signage, and immersive AV experiences are helping to refresh transit hubs and bring some good, old-fashioned comfort into the modern journey.

IOT INSIGHTS REDUCE BOTTLENECKS

For Al Lyons, HOK’s senior director of IT and communication engineering—and an expert in 21st century transportation design—Bluetooth low-energy beacons and IoT are proving to be valuable implementations, even before an airport or rail station are open.

“Beacons and IoT can monitor and provide a good record of how people use facilities before construction starts,” Lyons said, “and then throughout the construction process, you can see how people’s experiences are connected and affected.” Real-time metrics on passenger flow, asset movement, and occupancy can become tangible evidence that AV/IT and facilities managers can leverage during planning and performance reviews.

IoT-connected digital signage systems—for wayfinding and revenue-generating advertising—are other elements of a smarter transit design.

INFORMED WAYFINDING, ENHANCED UX

Transportation hubs are ecosystems with many moving parts: restaurants, stores, spas, and hospitality services are all vying for passenger attention. The growing complexity necessitates more dynamic digital wayfinding.

Eduardo Valencia, vice president and chief information officer of Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), the organization that provides coordinated aviation services throughout the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Twin Cities metropolitan area, agrees.

“We invest heavily in what matters the most to our passengers, and that includes wayfinding,” Valencia said. Any static signage must be crystal clear, and digital signage must be “dynamic, with the ability to change quickly, related to optimized flow, and optimization of potential escalators, elevator banks, or exits.” Valencia explained that AV continues to be a powerful tool of engagement and enhancing the user experience (UX).

SMARTER HUBS SAVE MONEY AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES

A smarter transit infrastructure with connected AV can also save money beyond revenue streams from advertising. Technology managers would need to collaborate with operators to embrace the technology, and then agree on creative means of deployment, but insights gleaned from IoT and IP cameras, for example, can encourage agencies like the TSA to adjust their staffing based on real-time needs.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR STREAMLINING LINES

According to Paul Redding of NEC Display Solutions, AV in customer-centric transport environments should remove guesswork and take the anxiety out of traveling.

“AV should make the overall customer journey more satisfying,” he said. To that end, NEC offers a suite of enterprise-grade and touch-enabled digital signage solutions to display flight information and enrich the waiting experience with high-resolution entertainment.

NEC also believes that artificial intelligence (AI) can help streamline operations, and it’s invested in advanced facial recognition software that can help move people through passport control lines more efficiently and securely.

AI-enabled, mobile-connected asset tracking solutions are growing in popularity, as well as the interest in self-service baggage options, another area where NEC is innovating. There are more than 100 integrations of self-baggage solutions and self-boarding units deployed around the world, according to the International Air Transport Association. In 2017, JetBlue worked with United States Customs and Border Protection and SITA, an IT company serving the airline industry, to test a cutting-edge, automated self-boarding process based on biometric information.

Efficient movement is critical in transportation, and every second counts. The pressing question is, “How can we move people in and out of lines faster?” Redding said. “How can we help travelers get where they need to go, as well as spend their free time enjoying retail options?” In this regard, duty free digital signage and other digital merchandising tools add value for commercial tenants and help point passengers to areas of interest.

AV COHESION

Future-forward, AI-enhanced technologies, synced with displays that can be updated on the fly, can provide a cohesive experience as passengers navigate a transit hub. Electronic visual information display systems (EVIDS) are deployed at many airports and train stations with the goal of keeping people safe and updated.

“When we interface EVIDS with what we call an airport operational database, or a station operational database,” Al Lyons explained, “one can coordinate updates of visual information with audible information so that the public address and EVIDS coordinate with each other.”

ACCESSIBILITY

The passengers of tomorrow will be increasingly mobile, so it’s important to build into a 21st-century hub the capabilities to push content to peripheral devices of every make and model. This requires a broader strategy, with input from IT, AV, facilities, and security. Lyons argued that there is value in a more “universal design” with accessibility benefits.

“It is about the ability to integrate different systems so you can support people carrying everything,” Lyons said, “or you can focus on using mobile technology to help people find places and if they cannot hear.”

AV CAPTURES ATTENTION

It’s hard to capture someone’s attention when they are staring down at their phone. Tying large-scale, dazzling LED and LCD walls to content on mobile devices is helping commercial tech managers address the attention challenge.

Lyons shared an anecdote from a recent stadium project with relevance in the transportation vertical. “In that stadium, you have an amazing amount of data that people are putting through on their mobile phones or tablets,” he said. “There are also huge multimedia boards—more than a thousand visual displays. It’s incredible AV technology, but there’s more, in numbers, of tablets and peripherals. These tech-enabled user experiences—the ‘fan experience’ in sports—will migrate over to transit because as people become more familiar with the technology and comfortable using their handheld devices coordinated with installed displays, we will find new ways to bring them together.”

FIBER WILL HELP FUTURE HUBS SOAR

To support the growing appetite for bandwidth-intensive AV content, IP cameras, networked entertainment feeds, and real-time data flows, Al Lyons urged AV/IT managers to invest in fiber.

“Go with fiber everywhere and get rid of the Cat-6 cables,” he said. “Think about the passive optical network or D-PON, and you can get rid of a whole lot of infrastructure. It takes significantly less energy and space to go with passive optical network technology.”

ELEVATED EXPERIENCES

It’s a tricky balance: technology should not distract or impede movement, but it should also make an impression. This is the driving force behind DOOH (digital out-of-home advertising), but it relates to a newer trend in transportation: elevated experiences.

Experience designers are working closely with AV installers to bring more meaning to folks on the go. A compelling example of this is “The Long March,” a 27-tile Planar Mosaic array installed at the recently renovated Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. The Planar Mosaic video wall incorporates depictions of movement, migration, and marching from different eras in Alabama history, such as the Civil War and Selma Marches.

The long horizontal row of Planar Mosaic video tiles track to the center of the wall where they form a dazzling kaleidoscope the shape of a camellia, the Alabama state flower. The digital camellia acts as a “repository of past and present motion that represents the flowering that grows out of movement,” according to a Planar statement. The kaleidoscopic installation, made in collaboration with the CAUSE COLLECTIVE, illustrates how AV can enrich the traveler’s journey, explore identity, and honor history in new, interactive ways.

REMOVE PRESSURE POINTS

For MAC, which oversees the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, the ideal passenger experience is one with exceptional customer service and a seamless feel—not fraught with conflict.

“We strive to create positive and memorable experiences,” Valencia said. A pleasant journey is one that is “free of the pressure points” and negativity often associated with travel. “From the time a passenger enters our facility, perhaps from a mass transit environment, there are a number of steps that we have to assist them,” Valencia said. Those passenger steps include offering pre-book parking options, knowing exactly where to find the ticket lobby, learning accurate wait times, and ordering your favorite caramel macchiato for which you received a digital coupon because you parked on the facility. It also includes access to entertainment you can enjoy on a mobile device that your boarding zone announced on the airport’s paging system.

“We do everything that we can do to create a cohesive, seamless experience with technology throughout the passenger journey—even before you visit us,” Valencia said.

Embrace the Passenger-centric Model
“Capacity constraints coupled with unprecedented growth in aircraft and passenger traffic, as well as competition and the promise of new non-aeronautical revenue streams necessitate a transformation in airports’ value proposition, by leveraging emerging technologies and transitioning from a process-centric to a passenger-centric business model.”
—Renjit Benjamin, Senior Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan

Airports Join the Blockchain
“Blockchain, which functions as an online recordkeeping system maintained by a group of peers rather than a central agency or authority, also offers new business opportunities in tracking bags and flight delays.”

More Online

AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL: STATS ON GLOBAL AIR TRAFFIC
aci.aero

CAUSE COLLECTIVE
causecollective.com

GENSLER RESEARCH INSTITUTE REPORT: AIRPORTS WITHOUT WAITING?
gensler.com/research-insight/gensler-research-institute/near-future-airport

HOK: GLOBAL DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, AND PLANNING FIRM
hok.com

LEYARD
leyard.com

METROPOLITAN AIRPORTS COMMISSION
metroairports.org

NEC
necdisplay.com