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Everything You Need to Know About LG’s dvLED

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Exertis Almo’s Pro AV Podcast with LG

In this episode of Exertis Almo’s Pro AV Podcast, Bruce Moses, Senior Account Manager of dvLED Products at LG, discusses everything you need to know about Direct View LED. From pixel pitch and viewing distance to budget considerations and maintenance, this episode provides a detailed introduction into the advanced technology behind LG’s dvLED.

As a top-quality choice for any kind of new build or replacement, dvLED is quickly becoming a go-to product in the Pro AV world. With simple installation and maintenance compared to traditional video walls, dvLED is being rapidly integrated in a variety of spaces.

“It’s a technology that’s been around for decades, but now, with the affordability and flexibility and range in product and pixel sizes we can apply it in almost any application,” explained Moses. “Whether it’s in Times Square or a super high-end home theater, we’re seeing direct view applied.”

Compared to standard video walls and LED displays, dvLED allows for more flexible decisions regarding pixel pitch, which determines the distance between each pixel on a display. While most users prefer a standard 4K resolution, dvLED encourages customers to choose their pixel pitch based on the expected viewing distance of a display. By catering to viewing distance, LG’s dvLED technology ensures that customers do not waste pixels when investing in a display, but instead, take the viewing distance into account.

136″ All-in-One DVLED Display: Bright, Brilliant, Breathtakingly Large Images

Rob Ziv

Along with unique options for pixel pitch, LG’s dvLED comes with a cost-conscious price tag. LG’s all-in-one products are delivered in a single flight case, including the mount, and with simple installation and maintenance, dvLED is now a less expensive investment compared to standard video walls. In the event of a malfunctioning panel on a video wall, this replacement involves a team of people with a full shut-down of the display. With dvLED displays, a panel replacement can be completed by a single person in a matter of minutes.

Moses discusses the impressive web OS technology incorporated into LG’s dvLED, along with the display’s ease-of-use and efficient maintenance. As a convenient built-in operating system, web OS allows users to access applications for menu boarding, digital signage, wayfinding, analytics, and much more.

Want to learn more about the world of dvLED?
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Contact Exertis Almo for product info, inventory availability, or to start a quote.

Samsung’s The WALL All-In-One Display

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Did you know Samsung’s The WALL comes in a 2K or 4K Display?

Check out this interview by Gary Kayye, Director of THE rAVe Agency, featuring Samsung’s Senior Manager, Shari Sentolowitz discussing The WALL All-In-One Display.

Samsung The WALL
The WALL Brochure »

Make a Bold Statement, Faster with The WALL

Power on an awe-inspiring viewing experience with The WALL All-in-One! Simply choose your size and resolution, and you’re assured of a complete, easy-to-install, brilliant solution.

The Wall from Samsung is the epitome of innovation. It constantly delivers new avenues to create unparalleled visual statements. Redefining the LED paradigm once again, The Wall now solves the biggest challenge of industry, drastically improving installation. The Wall, let it transform your business. A deep black background blankets the screen with perfect uniformity, creating a seamless canvas for purer black levels with enhanced depth that delivers unparalleled contrast and immaculate detail. Colors leap to life with spectacular vibrancy to recreate scenes as if you were there in real life. Narrower wavelengths produce RGB colors two times purer and more accurate than conventional LEDs.
Available in 3 sizes.

IAB 110″ 2K

Learn More

IAB 146″ 2K

Learn More

IAB 146″ 4K

Learn More
Contact your Exertis Almo team for more information on Samsung.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? What I’ve learned about dvLED.

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One thing that keeps me interested in my career is that our industry is ever-evolving as technologies are introduced and evolve over time. After 17 years of working in the world of Pro AV distribution, I never stop learning new things. Most recently, I was tasked with learning about dvLED to help support our sales team and customers on projects. While I still have a lot to learn, here are some key takeaways that I can share based on what I have learned thus far.

Pixel Pitch & Viewing Distance

The term pixel pitch was new to me, but it is one of the key factors to think about when designing a dvLED display project. Simply put, pixel pitch is the measurement, in mm, between the individual LEDs or pixels, measured from the center of one LED to the center of the LED adjacent to it. Naturally, as the pixel pitch value decreases, the resolution in a fixed size cabinet increases and allows for a closer optimal minimum viewing distance.

For this reason, it is important that you discuss with the client where the closest viewer will be in relation to the display so that you can choose a pixel pitch that is appropriate for the specific application, remembering that as pixel pitch decreases, the equipment cost increases. As a general rule of thumb that has been shared with me, you can multiply the pixel pitch by 10 to give you the approximate closest viewing distance in feet. For example, the recommended minimum viewing distance for a 2.5-pixel pitch wall would be 25 feet.

Absen LED wall

Resolution

If you are like me, then often when you think about display resolution for common applications it is typically 1080p (1920×1080), WUXGA (1920×1200), or 4K (3840×2160), understanding that there are many others, but these are most common. With flat panel displays and projectors, the image size can vary while the resolution remains constant. For example, a 4K display can be 55” in diagonal, 98” in diagonal, or several other sizes, but the resolution will always be 4K. With projection, a native WUXGA projector, whether displaying a 110” diagonal image, a 216” diagonal image, or any size for that matter, the resolution will always be 1920×1200. 

This is not the case with dvLED, as the individual LEDs (or “pixels”) mounted on the surface of the module are a fixed size, so that when the size of a dvLED display changes, so does the resolution. To illustrate this, let’s look at a dvLED panel that is 16:9, 27.5” in diagonal with a pixel pitch of 1.58. The resolution of this panel is 384×216. If you require a 1920×1080 display, you will need 25 panels in a 5×5 array making a 137.5” diagonal display, while if you require a 4K 3840×2160 display, you will need 100 panels in a 10×10 array making a 275” diagonal display, requiring four times the real estate!

Structural Considerations

In many cases, dvLED displays will either be wall-mounted or flown, although sometimes they can be ground stacked with the appropriate stacking hardware. Depending upon the size of the display, they can get quite heavy. For example, a recent 165” diagonal display (6×6 array) I quoted weighed just shy of 500lbs, and a 275” display (10×10 array) weighed over 1300 lbs. It is absolutely crucial that the structure or wall on which you are mounting the dvLED or the structure from which you are rigging can support the load. 

Additionally, in order for a successful installation, the dvLED cabinets need to be perfectly aligned along the x, y, and z axes so there are no visible seams between the individual panels that make up the display. Since most walls will have some imperfections and not be perfectly flat, you will be faced with either using shims or exploring mounting hardware that provides post-installation adjustment of all three axes.

Power and Data

Unlike a traditional flat panel or projector, the display does not have a single power cord with dvLED. Instead, depending upon the size and resolution of the display, multiple AC circuits are required. If we go back to the 165” 6×6 array I referenced earlier, this display required six dedicated 110v/10A outlets. In this case, each AC circuit is powering six panels with a main connection to the first, then daisy-chaining with power jumpers to the next five.

In addition to power, every dvLED display requires multiple data connections between the display and the dvLED controller/processor using data cabling, such as Cat6. The number of data runs will vary based on the overall resolution of the display, but you can expect that the manufacturer will advise you during the proposal stage on the required cabling and power requirements for the specific project.

I am seeing more and more projects come across my desk that involve dvLED, and there has been dramatic growth in overall product sales in the category over this last year. There is no reason to believe that these trends will not continue, and I look forward to continuing my education on the subject.

For more information, visit https://www.exertisalmo.com/products/direct-view-led-displays, and get in touch with your Exertis Almo regional service development manager today.

A New Chapter in dvLED

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Direct-view LED is a fantastic story of concept, evolution, and refinement… but someone needs to tell the tale.

Direct-view LED technology began its story on the biggest stages. Between pixel technology which offered only wide pitches (ergo further away viewers) combined with a cost-of-entry which was prohibitive to many spaces, direct-view technology was only realistically available in arenas, billboards, and certain high-profile spaces. Initial displays had poor power-balancing between their red, green, and blue elements resulting in massive power consumption. Initial dvLED also had limited viewing angles due to the early pixel-shader styles, which created discoloration and loss of image if you looked at a display from an oblique angle.

As direct-view technology has refined, so have the needs to implement it. The newest direct-view models boast fine pixel pitches, with robust and ruggedized pixel technology. Displays can run 24/7, while not emitting enough heat to require costly HVAC. Displays are light-weight, often requiring nothing more than a plywood backing for mounting, and a small handful of standard 110V circuits to power. This once mysterious and complex technology is now so modular and stable that many manufacturers now offer mobile cart options which sport full HD resolution, plugging into standard wall outlets.

In order to realize the full benefits which dvLED has over alternative display technologies, the conversation will need to eventually change. Direct-view technology deserves a new narrative from spokes-people familiar with the ease at which a variety of parts can quickly become a beautifully uniform and truly seamless display.

The best avenue to creating these technology evangelists is a simple certification, which can be earned in as little as three days. For many manufacturers, becoming certified requires an understanding of how data and power works with the technology, often including hands-on exercises. There are educational offerings out there to help installers get comfortable with the technology before jumping into a certification course. Almo Pro AV is offering a full dvLED installer education track at each stop of their 2020 E4 Experience. Certification in dvLED can be a powerful tool to becoming an ambassador, telling the story of a technology that does not require extraordinary mounting needs, complicated site-surveys, or extreme power handling capabilities.

Learn more about dvLED education opportunities at Almo Pro AV.

dvLED. Oh yes it is affordable.

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Image by Absen via Absen Website

Absen’s Senior Director of Sales, Mitch Rosenberg, recently had a podcast interview with MarketScale about the history and future of direct-view LED technology. Mitch paints an exciting picture of where the industry is heading, explaining in detail how we got here.

Full-spectrum direct-view LED initially came out the gates in the late 90’s, with a pixel pitch and cost that made it available only to very large venues where the audience was 50-100 feet away. As the technology has evolved, it’s now becoming the dominant digital display technology with no signs of slowing down.

Direct-view LED was once a very expensive display, requiring special content and engineers to get running. It’s now light-weight, easily configured, easily serviced, and has fine pixel pitches. Mini-LED and micro-LED technology will bring those pixel pitches down to around the same as a laptop monitor, with a durability that fine pixel pitches have never before had. Building on the same robust backbone, direct-view LED displays will continue to thrive where they’ve already been adopted, and will enter new markets previously not appropriate for dvLED.

Image by Absen via Absen Website

Where other technologies have reached their optimization, dvLED will continue to advance into the future. Hear Mitch’s thoughts on the industry, the evolution of direct-view LED, and why anyone wanting a display should only be looking at one solution.

Click here to listen now

Did You Experience the Samsung Showcase Experience?

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Interview with Shari Sentlowitz 

Senior Manager New Product Launch
Samsung Business

On October 3, Almo Pro A/V hosted its final E4 AV Tour of the year in Irvine, CA.  It was a great location to wrap up our year-long traveling training and networking event, which also stopped in Chicago, San Jose and New York in 2017.

QUIZ: The first FIVE to respond win a $5 Starbucks gift card!

How well do you know Almo Pro A/V? Answer this question in the comments.

The VERY FIRST Almo Pro A/V E4 AV Tour took place in New York City in December of what year?

  1. 2008
  2. 2009
  3. 2010
  4. 2011

Almo has a growing number of channel partners on the west coast so it is only appropriate that we held TWO E4s in the Cali area this year.

We’ve hosted tens of thousands of industry professionals at our E4 events over the years. We’ve also issued hundreds upon hundreds of InfoComm (AVIXA) Renewal Units during E4! E4 day is a whirlwind of educational sessions, hands-on workshops and an exhibit hall filled with the newest products from 40+ of the top manufacturers in the industry. No doubt, it is an energy-filled day that can easily change the course of a reseller or integrator’s career for the better. Permanently.

This is how a Pro AV Princess starts her day!

 

Side note: I was given the nickname by some of my dealer partners a few years back and the name just stuck! So I just make the best of it, using my magical powers to give resellers and integrators the best products, pricing and promotions available!

One of the major highlights of our 2017 tour has been the Samsung Experience Showcase. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience the Experience, let me tell you, it’s a mini trade show on its own. The Samsung team sets up a tent in a separate space within the same venue as our E4. This area is filled with the latest Samsung displays and other products, all of which are in use.

From there…you know what? Rather than having me go on about the Samsung Experience, I’ll let Shari Sentlowitz, senior manager new product launch, Samsung Business give you the details:

Liz:   

Shari:

Why does Samsung like to participate in the Almo E4 AV Tour?

Let me start by saying, we LOVE the Almo E4 AV Tour. This event gives us the opportunity to meet with our channel partners near and far, and introduce them to all the great things about Samsung signage. It also gives us a forum to meet with the channel partners we do regular business with to show some of the latest and greatest technology in our lineup at an event that is both exclusive and comfortable.

Liz:   

Shari:

Thank you! So tell me about the Samsung Experience Showcase.

So the Samsung Experience Showcase featured 12 of our newest displays. It was great to introduce our NEW QH55H, the first commercial QLED display of its kind that delivers exceptional picture quality through quantum dot composition.

We included our full HD lineup, including our new DC49H cost-effective SMART signage for a range of business needs. This line was introduced about a month ago – it’s an entry level digital signage display.

We also had the PM43H displays on hand. This is a premium full HD series, which is built to handle any business need with 24/7 durability. In addition, we showed different types of LCD video wall options ranging from a 1.7mm bezel for a slim depth to a 5.5mm bezel for a range of options. And we showed the first SMART LED video wall signage for indoors with high dynamic range technology.

To view a video of Shari walking around the Samsung Experience Showcase, click here.

Liz:   

Shari:

So what’s the buzz at Samsung right now?

Something you’re going to hear a lot about from Samsung is huddle spaces! In about 30 days, you’ll see some great opportunities to outfit and modernize the workplace a little differently than what you’ve seen in the past. In the very near future, we’ll have some great huddle space packages to share with you.

If you missed the Samsung Experience Showcase, it’s ok…because it will be back on the tour in 2018! Stay tuned for Spring 2018 E4 AV Tour dates and locations, which will be announced soon!

In the meantime, if you need more information about any of the Samsung displays available through Almo Pro A/V, please reach out to me at [email protected]!

3 Ways LG Commercial Displays Compare to Major League Baseball

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Everyone wants to hit their business opportunities out of the park – and LG’s newest commercial displays can help make this possible! Given that we are in the midst of summer, it only makes sense to compare how LG displays are like one of greatest games on Earth…you guessed it! Major League Baseball.

#1 There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the ballpark

Going to a baseball game is enjoyable for all ages with so much to do beyond just watching the actual ball game. There’s the food and beverage vendors, people watching, pre-game activity and post-game fireworks. Each team has its own unique chant, song or something special to make the overall experience fun and satisfying for everyone.

Much the same, LG provides a major league experience with a wide array of commercial displays. From flat to curved OLED, to Wallpaper OLED, Videowalls, 4K product and LED offerings to high bright, transparent and easily installed “run and done” outdoor solutions.  The cutting edge 88-Inch LG Ultra stretch (86BH5C) and 55-in LG Ultra Bright Video Wall Displays (55VH1D) were also part of the entirely new line of products for the U.S. Market, showcased at INFOCOMM 2017.

For the most important locations, LG’s OLED displays provide the best brightness and contrast. Viewers get a broad viewing angle without loss of color. The displays are amazingly thin, so they can fit almost anywhere. OLED displays can even come in double-sided form, so people walking by on both sides can read it. Or you can throw the customers a curve they’ll love, with a curved display to get notice from all sides. They’ll make a hit every time.

 

LG Curved OLED

LG OLED

 

Backlit LED displays fill out the lineup. LG LED monitors are available in a broad range of sizes, so high-resolution displays can go anywhere and everywhere.

And don’t forget LG’s key differentiator: IPS Technology. IPS Technology provides color accuracy beyond compare and the “stable panel” provides for zero image distortion. IPS wide viewing angels are not only technologically important, but provide you opportunity for more time to deliver a message to customers.

#2 Baseball is not a fast game

Baseball games take time. Extra innings, rain delays, recalled plays – yep, we all watched Game 7 in the 2016 World Series…all 4.5 hours…a nail-biter that lasted well past our bedtimes.

Not every hit has to be a home run. Wouldn’t you like to “walk” your customer and give them an additional five seconds to retain your messaging?

According to Time Trade State of Retail 2017,

$150 BILLION IS LOST

in retail revenue alone

Customer experience can

BOOST REVENUE BY OVER 5%

Research has indicated that today’s

MILLENNIALS

who are driving decisions

WOULD PAY UP TO
20% MORE

for a better retail experience

Are you enjoying your virtual baseball analogy within the world of digital signage?  While enjoying the game, we all want to enhance the experience. “Peanuts, Popcorn, Cracker Jack, Content Management Software (CMS)?”

Enhance your digital signage opportunities with an essential component of digital signage.  You may find that CMS can not only influence, but dictate the hardware selection of your customers in the same manner as the smell of popcorn may influence your decision to purchase a snack.

#3 Understanding the rules of the game

Not everyone is an MVP but together we are all an important part of the team.   With ALMO PRO AV and LG in your “dugout” you have everything you need all the players you need to have a winning team.

“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”

Frederick B. Wilcox

You’re in the major league now. Don’t bunt – Aim out of the ballpark with LG.   Take advantage of LG’s “Best in Class” 3% discount for government, education, medial and house of worship sales on select commercial grade displays now through the end of 2017.

And as the dedicated business development manager at LG, I welcome an opportunity to become a part of your team.  Contact me at [email protected] to learn more about LG’s state of the art products, programs and promotions.

Share in the comments how you’ve incorporated LG displays into your installations and you could earn a $5 Starbucks gift card!

Louisville Airport Gets Makeover in Time for Derby, Except One Terrible Video Wall

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As a proud Kentucky native, I look forward to the Kentucky Derby every year. The hats, the pageantry, the mint juleps, the horses – it’s all just an incredible spectacle for the best 2:30 (approx.) seconds in sports. For your information Secretariat ran it in less than 2 minutes and that record has never been broken. This year, the Louisville Airport unveiled its newly renovated space with EVERYTHING you think of when you think Kentucky including:

Race Horses

Sluggers

The original celebrity chef himself Colonel Sanders

And finally Bourbon (I’m not sure what the book is all about….)

As a point of interest, Jack Daniels is not technically Bourbon, its made in Tennessee. “Bourbon needs to be produced in America and made from 51 percent corn, and whisky does not,” says Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Greg Davis. Bourbon also needs to be stored in new charred-oak barrels, whereas whiskey barrels do need to be oak but not new or charred. “Lastly, to be called bourbon, the liquid needs to be distilled to no more than 160 proof and entered into the barrel at 125.” For other whiskies the liquid must be distilled to no more than 190 proof. David notes that this isn’t just common practice — “it’s actual bourbon law.”

Now that you’ve had your bourbon lesson, now you are wondering what this has to do with audio visual or digital signage? Well they have installed some beautiful looking LED displays that replaced a hideous burned out bunch of Pioneer plasmas (sorry Pioneer I loved you very much). And oh yes, Muhammed Ali is from Kentucky.

However, leering in the shadows of the exit to the main terminal past security is a long forgotten video wall that is in dire need of calibration, new panels or something. I’m not a technical person so I would love for someone to propose a solution because it drives me CRAZY every time I go to visit my mother.

After a multi-million dollar renovation, why would they leave this eye sore, especially since they are getting ad revenue? Would someone please go pitch them a new video wall? Here’s a blog from our own John Wills about video wall refresh projects.

Tune into the Derby the first Saturday in May! I will be watching at home in my fancy hat and mint julep in hand -with real bourbon of course!

Invest in Real Estate

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INVEST IN REAL ESTATE

Three Reasons Why Moving to 4K Makes Sense on Your Desktop

Conventional wisdom (and maybe your parents or grandparents) tells us to “invest in real estate.” While this is an adage about acquiring financial wealth, the same tenets hold true for pixel count on monitors. More pixels offer flexibility in numerous ways.

Recently the creative team here at Almo Pro AV installed NEC MultiSync 27-inch 4K monitors. It was important to us to establish a common viewing platform so that each designer could pick up someone else’s work and share assets being confident that we were seeing the work as originally intended. Packing full 4K UHD resolution and a robust, simple-to-use color calibration solution, I was very excited to get my hands on this display and put it to use.

 

The other members of the team have offered their impressions of the monitor already. You can read Jeff’s thoughts here, and Diana’s perspectives here.

 

 

Modern graphic design (and nearly every other industry in the free world), is computer-based, and at its core is a visual medium. As you are all well aware, visuals on a monitor are made up of pixels and more pixels simply equals better. Apple popularized this movement with the Retina Display. Starting on IOS devices, they quickly scaled their efforts up and brought them to their notebook line and subsequently to the desktop. Other manufacturers were quick to follow and the HiDPI boom was born.

Here are three reasons why moving to 4K desktop monitors just makes sense:

First, and maybe most obviously, you can place and view numerous windows next to each other for viewing and multi-tasking – perfect for the modern power user.

Second, when paired with a capable OS and graphics card, ‘retina display’ experiences are possible. This is where (granted this is a loose example, but go with me here… ) an object will be rendered at approximately the same size on screens of the same size but different resolutions, but the one rendered on the higher pixel count screen will appear sharper to the eye given the density.

Third, and most valuable to me as a designer, becomes apparent when working in the Adobe Creative Suite. With this 4K NEC monitor, I can see more of my work at 100% magnification than ever before. Just take a look at this side-by-side photo comparing the NEC to my old Apple Cinema display.

Both images are shown in Photoshop, on the same MacBook Pro at 100% magnification. As you can see, with the additional pixel space of the NEC display I’m able to see my work completely in context, without the need for excessive zooming in and out.

The same is true of Illustrator. I can view multiple layouts in InDesign at once, and I can now view true 4K video in Premier and After Effects.

The benefits of 4K (and higher!) resolution displays is clear in design, the same can be said for any user. Imagine the number of rows of a spreadsheet that can be displayed on this type of display! Even if that’s not attractive to a customer, the increased clarity of HiDPI monitors makes them a great option.

Have any of you seen the demand for 4K on the desktop yet?

 Let us know your experiences in the comments.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series where we’ll take a look at color calibration with NEC’s SpectraView II solution.

 

A Video Wall Should Aim to Show “The Big Picture”

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IncheonAirport_OLEDSignage_02 (1)The popularity of video walls in in the Pro/AV industry is exploding.  The market is competitive and selecting the best video wall solution may feel overwhelming.  Video walls can be configured in an infinite range of shapes, sizes and technology.  With LG’s Commercial Display Portfolio that targets all vertical markets you can create stunning video walls that are easily installed, maintained and managed.  LG offers a Commercial Display Portfolio that targets all vertical markets.

Most of us are comfortable talking about LCD (liquid crystal display) flat panels.   We see this technology every day in computer monitors, smart phones and TVs.  They are cost effective and high resolution.  This makes displaying text images and video aesthetically pleasing. Typically though, their bezel width is visible, so when you are creating a video wall, the “big picture” is far from seamless.

Direct view LED panels are bezel free, so you can create different configurations for a seamless video wall.  They are great for large scale digital signage solutions due to their efficiency, reliability, refresh rates and color accuracy.

CommDisplay_OLED_v1_300x250 BannerOLED or “Organic Light Emitting Diod’s” are solid state devices made up of thin films of organic molecules that glow when an electric current is introduced.  When the light passes through the layers, it produces spectacular high definition images.   LG’s perfect OLED design has only two layers, making their digital signage display unbelievably light-weight and incredibly thin; 4.5 mm at its thinnest point.

Image Gap reduction from LG provides a beautiful, crisp clear picture… without image distortion.

As the content moves from one screen to another, and the picture is shared across multiple screens, look to LG for the distortion-free “BIG PICTURE” every time.

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