A New Chapter in dvLED

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.

LESS IS MORE. ONE SECRET TO ALMO PRO AV’S SUCCESSFUL 10 YEARS.

As Almo Professional AV prepares to celebrate 10 years in operation as business unit of Almo Corporation I feel grateful and proud to be part of this great organization. Looking back to 2009, at the origination of the division we had no vendor partners and no customers while today we have thousands of loyal customers and amazing partnerships with approximately 50 of the most desired manufacturers in the industry.

While many key factors have contributed to our mutual success with our customers and vendor partners, one key driver is our intentional strategy to keep our line card relatively narrow and focused compared to other distribution companies. When it comes to displays and projectors we aim to partner with a wide range of vendors to support the demand in the marketplace, however in other product categories we have chosen to partner with only a small number of manufacturers that we feel to be the best in class. This strategy has helped Almo to remain important to our existing partners as well as enabled us to better support a more narrow set of vendors.

With this, you won’t see very many new vendor partnerships announced by Almo each year.   However, when it makes sense for a new partnership in the eyes of Almo and the potential vendor and we feel the partnership will bring value to our loyal customers then we will move forward with a new product offering.   The last six to nine months we have found ourselves in a situation where there were several new partnerships taking place including D-Link, Ecler, VDO360, and Vivitek.

If you have had the opportunity to attend any of our recent E4 Experience events you likely heard our keynote speaker Gary Kayye talking about the emergence of AV over IP solutions. If you think about it, all sorts of professional A/V products now have a network port and can live on an IP network. The addition of D-Link now gives our customers the ability to include the networking solutions (i.e. switches, wireless routers, etc.) along with the rest of the gear they are sourcing from Almo for their given project.

Ecler, while probably not a familiar name to you here in the United States has been providing high quality commercial audio solutions in Europe for over 50 years. Through our partnership as the exclusive distributor in the United States Almo can offer our customers high quality proven products including loudspeakers, amplifiers, DSP, mixers & more at competitive pricing all while helping dealers to maintain healthy margins on their projects.

When it comes to soft codec based video conferencing, Zoom has taken the world by storm so it’s only natural that manufacturers are offering products that integrate with soft codec platforms. One of the challenges is including different components from different vendors that may or may not be tested or certified by Zoom potentially leading to support issues post installation.   One of the things that attracted us to VDO360 was their single SKU, single box ZoomRoom kit that includes the camera, audio conferencing, PC, tablet controller and all required cabling, leaving out only the display.

While we were already well served with our existing projector manufacturer relationships, the addition of Vivitek adds a little more depth to our line up and will provide our customers with quality projector hardware at price points that may have not been previously available, with strong programs to enhance dealer’s margins.

Please visit www.almoproav.com or contact your Almo Account Manager for additional details on these solutions. Next stop, InfoComm 19.  Register with code ALM123 for a free pass.

The “10-Foot Rule” and Other Viewing Distance Considerations

I was recently asked my opinion on guiding principles for content prepared for close-up viewing versus long distance.  My immediate response was that there was a category missing there.  The Almo Content Design team looks at viewing distance as three different categories, not two.  We design for 3 feet/1 meter for close up viewing screens, such as wayfinders, 10 feet/3 meters on informational screens and greater than that for retail/outdoor.

The “10-Foot Rule” demands legibility and clarity to ensure content at a distance is delivered accurately within the moments it takes for a simple glance.  When my team works on informational screens such as menu boards or employee communication screens this is an important consideration that will drive font and icon sizing, color contrast and animation principles.  We are careful to use timelines instead of cramming the screen with too much at once.  In fact, our mantra is “less is always more when it comes to design on informational screens.”

When you’re working on content for touchscreens, design principles follow mobile app design guidelines.  Consistency within the overall user interface (UI) becomes extremely important.  Every day we all interact with a touch screen UI that breaks consistency rules.  For example, an ATM where the “OK” button changes location from prompt to prompt not only confuses the viewer, it slows the interaction.

For larger screens, especially outdoor, the rule tightens.  The message must be legible, of course, but more importantly it must be concise.  The “5-Second Rule” isn’t really five seconds anymore – it’s less.  Color, contrast and concise messaging become key.

Do you have any “rules” you follow when determining your digital signage designs?  

Leave me a comment and let’s start a conversation.  And stay tuned for more of my expert advice as I come back each month with a brief thought on a single aspect of digital signage.

Big Things Come in Thin Packages

by LG Commercial Display

It’s only fitting that the world’s largest shopping mall should have the world’s largest LG OLED video wall.

The mall is the Dubai Mall, the city’s shining landmark. Home to 1200 shops, the multi-million-dollar mall contains the area of 50 football fields filled with rows upon rows of opulent spaces and stores.

The Dubai Mall also hosts the world’s largest acrylic panel aquarium, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, which is 107.8 ft. wide x 27.2 ft. high x 29.5 in. thick, and weighs 245 tons.

Sitting atop the aquarium is the world’s largest LG OLED video wall, and it has officially received three Guinness World Record titles. Thanks to the partnership with LG, the screen has set the record for being the world’s largest high definition video wall, the world’s largest OLED screen, and the world’s highest resolution video wall.

The LG OLED video wall has 820 ultra-thin 55-inch panels and 1.7 billion pixels that emit their own light; no backlighting required. Taking advantage of LG OLED’s flexibility, the mammoth video wall is also beautifully curved, mimicking the curve of the aquarium below it.

Now imagine LG OLED at a mall near you.

Have a look at the triple record maker in action.

Did You Experience the Samsung Showcase Experience?

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

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?

$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!

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