Located near downtown Atlanta, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, or the King Center, was established by the civil rights leader's wife, Coretta Scott King, in 1968. What began in the basement of the King home eventually moved to its current location in 1981. In the spirit of changing for the betterment of all, the King Center recently went through a technological upgrade, with a new BLOX LED video wall and a FlatPanel audio system powered by LEA Professional.
Scott King had said the King Center is not simply a monument, but "a living memorial, filled with all the vitality that was [King Jr.'s], a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” While guests can see his birth home and historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached, the center also educates visitors in King Jr.'s Nonviolence365 philosophy.
According to William Collins, account manager for Atlanta-based S&L Integrated, which was awarded the project, prior to the new video wall, King Jr.'s speeches and other videos were simply displayed on a portable screen from an ultra-short throw projector. The installation took five days on site, with four additional days of pre-deployment shop and post deployment commissioning.
The large video wall was installed in the main lobby at the King Center to serve as the central visual element, ideal for digital signage and video content. It is a challenging space, with brick walls, large glass windows, and a tiled floor. Glares and acoustics were certainly a large consideration.
Per Collins, S&L Integrated went with a 160-inch diagonal BLOX LED dvLED video wall above the bookstore entrance in the lobby. The wall includes a NovaStar video processor for signal input and LED mapping. The system is powered by a LynTec power relay panel with four 20-amp relays. A Lumens LC200 video processor functions as a system switcher to handle multiple video inputs and enables the ability to have several multi-window options, as well as the ability to record or stream events in real time.
The content source for the video wall is a BrightSign XD235 PoE+ digital signage player, which was selected because of its ability to deliver 4K video content. The system also includes an HDBaseT receiver capable of 4K transmission up to 230 feet and a 12x optical zoom PTZ camera for live video capture. Control is driven by the Q-SYS Core 8 Flex and accessed by two Q-SYS touchscreen controllers. A NETGEAR M4250-26G4F-PoE+ serves as a managed switch.
The video wall is being used for event replays, seminars, sponsor videos, calendar, and announcements—essentially, everything from digital signage to pre-produced and live content. That meant not only was it important for the visuals to be lag-free and sharp, but the audio needed to be clear and concise as well.
With the many reflective surfaces presenting a challenge, Collins and the S&L Integrated team went with a FlatPanel Audio System and amplifier from LEA Professional. Collins said the reflective surfaces were the primary reason these were his choice. The only problem? "There were no issues with the audio other than the sub working too well at first," he joked. "One minor adjustment was all that was required."
S&L installed two FlatPanel Audio DML500 loudspeakers paired with a FlatPanel Audio LS118 subwoofer in the beautiful, but tricky, lobby. Their 165-degree conical coverage and sound waves transparently deliver FPA's signal path. The center's employees told Collins the speakers paired with the LEA amplifier yield a "significant sound quality improvement" over the previous system.
Both visitors and the King Center's staff have been overwhelmingly pleased with both the video wall and audio system supporting it. "They have been very impressed with the functionality," Collins concluded. "It was quite a change from the previous equipment, but I have been there along with our service and support team to onboard them, especially with the video scheduling. They are now very confidently using the integrated systems well on their own."
Learn more about video walls: Download the SCN Integration Guide to Video Walls.
