tv wall software

As the industry leader in AV-over-IP video wall control and management, our efficient software-driven approach to video wall design significantly reduces system costs, complexity, space requirements, energy use, and cable clutter.

Designed for video walls of all sizes, our software simplifies video wall management and control while providing uncompromising system customization and security.

Userful works with Smart Displays using just a software app or with any other display by adding an adaptor that is a fraction of the cost of traditional media players or decoders because Userful doesn’t use proprietary chipsets.

Video walls are the perfect choice for displaying impressive multimedia content on extremely large screens. Even though the technology is proven and is getting less expensive, finding a reliable way to provide custom multimedia content on these video walls is still problematic. Most vendors of video wall hardware include special software applications to display content on the video walls, but these applications are often not suitable for professional use or are very limited in regards to functionality and lack flexibility.

No matter whether in industrial plants, situation rooms or master control rooms — a video wall is the best way to show various important information sources simultaneously to everyone who is involved.

Size matters! And in case the size of common LFS (large format screens) is not enough, both LED matrix as well as multi-screen video walls are a very economical way to set up even larger screens.

In shopping malls or in retail stores large screens at the POS are perfect to catch the customers’ attention. Video walls have proven to be a very important marketing instrument in thse locations.

This type of video wall consists of a matrix of LEDs (light emitting diodes) that can light up in red, green, blue or a mixture of these colors. By looking at the matrix from a certain distance, the colored LEDs make up a picture. Usually LED walls are used for very large installations where traditional flat screens cannot be used. Often LED walls are also used for outdoor scenarios where temperature or humidity prevent the use of normal TFT screens. LED video walls use a special LED controller hardware to connect to a normal PC. In most cases, the “screen capturing” method is used to show content from the PC on the video wall. A special software application is configured to “capture” an area from the PC’s screen which is then cloned onto the video wall. Video walls that support a high updating frame rate can even display video content and smooth animations using this method.

The main advantage is that the FrontFace Player Application can not only be used in full screen mode but also supports the so-called “windowed mode.” You can define the location, size and scaling factor of the player window upon application startup to place the window automatically at the correct position on the PC’s desktop so that the video wall driver software can capture the content directly and display it on the video wall. With this setup you can use the full set of features of the FrontFace software to display reliably any kind of content on your video wall — including videos, Web pages, news tickers, pictures and even specialized plugins (e.g. to show schedules or dashboards with live data).

This type of video wall consists of a number of normal screens that are arranged in a way to make up one very large format display (LFD). Typically, so called “low bezel” screens are used for this in order to minimize the border (bezel) that separates the screens from each other. These video walls are either addressed using a special controller device or by a multi-head graphics adapter (from vendors such as Matrox, ATI/Radeon (Eyefininty), nVidia or intel) that has the appropriate number of video output ports. On the software side, a special driver is used to stitch the screens together into one large virtual screen that can then be addressed transparently by the PC to which the screens are connected. So, from the perspective of the controller PC, the video wall appears as a single very large screen.

FrontFace is capable of addressing multiple screens either with different or the same content, but in order to get the best results, it is recommended to address the video wall as one large screen. If you want to be able to address the screens separately or only a subset of the screens with your content, you can use a page layout in the FrontFace software that partitions the virtual screen into segments that resemble the individual screens of the video wall. With this approach you can address the wall as a whole or each screen separately which gives you maximum flexibility!

Download our free PDF case study and learn how ABUS implemented a professional video wall with 6 full HD screen segments using FrontFace to display both general marketing content as well as up to 6 HD camera streams at once for demonstrating ABUS IP surveillance cameras.

Special graphics cards from vendors such as Matrox, ATI and others allow attaching multiple screens to a single PC. These special graphics adapters also include driver software that allows an operator to set up different screen configurations and to stitch multiple screens together into one very large screen.

In order to prevent visual distortion of multi-screen video walls, the use of low-bezel screens is highly recommended. When looking at a video wall with low bezel screens, the bezels almost disappear and the illusion of one single large screen is very effective!

LED matrix video walls come with special controller devices that are used to connect the video wall to a PC. The included driver software lets you capture a certain area of the PC’s screen and then replicates this onto the video wall.

Please understand that operation is not guaranteed if this software application is used in a system environment other than that specified above or on a home-built computer.

"2015 Summer of PiWall" was our last main update on this site, and at the time we were planning a hardware based kickstarter, and got involved with a very cool PiWall deployment by a team of creative artists and tech people in the U.S.   So - what"s happened in the meantime ?

- Firstly, we helped deploy a 70 screen CRT based wall at the Eaux Claires Festival 2015.   This arts festival in Wisconsin is pretty big, and the creative team from New York helped put together a live PiWall that supported some live onstage shows there.

We"re still actively working on new ideas, but our focus is now heading more towards the arts market and implementing really cool stuff, rather than trying to compete more head to head with general video walls and digitial signaage applications.   To this end, we"ve recently agreed a joint project that is aiming at our largest PiWall yet - well in excess of 200 screens.   This will be in conjunction with a very capable creative/technical team in London.

"Is the PiWall project still alive ?"    Yes it is ! And Kicking.    We"ve been busy behind the scenes and it"s time to update everyone on where we are.     Although we"d like to think we"re pretty good at innovative software and hardware, it"s clear that our creative web and communication skills are lagging way behind the times.   So - doing something about that is high on the agenda.    We"re actively helping a couple of really creative projects which we think will help show what can be achieved with our system.   Here"s what you should start to see over the next 8 weeks or so, leading up, we hope, to a Kickstarter where you can see the hardware we"ve been designing:

The PiWall software package makes it possible to build video walls of arbitrary size by combining a collection of screens, adding one Pi per screen to drive the relevant portion of the wall, and a master Pi to rule them all.

We developed this solution in 2013 for our own needs since professional and commercial video walls were too expensive to allow us to buy.    In the spirit of sharing, and to give back to the Raspberry Pi community, we

have documented and released a free version of our code from this site, and since we launched, a large number of groups around the world have made their own Video Walls for a remarkable range of projects.

The following videos show what can be achieved with the free software.    We"d really like to showcase some of the creativity that other PiWall users have shown, so if you"d like us to link to, or promote your project,please get in touch.

Our capabilities include hardware and electronics design as well as software, and we have designed and built a custom case which neatly holds a set of Pi modules and the network switch required to allow them to work together.

benefit from our work.    Hardware is not so easy to scale as software, but we"re hoping to launch a Kickstarter project later this summer to make this solution available.

The VuWall ecosystem of interoperable products is built on a unique standards-based architecture that provides the most effective distribution of visual information, from any source to any display or video wall throughout organizations.

In a video surveillance deployment, especially with hundreds or thousands of cameras monitoring vast areas, it is ideal for the control center to employ a TV Wall display system. ACTi TV Wall offers the control center with excellent overview monitoring and provides high video quality with finest details.With the help of ACTi TV Wall, the system operator no longer needs to scale down video resolution or switch between layouts on one screen. ACTi TV Wall enables multiple views to be displayed on different monitors at the same time, supporting up to unlimited channels. ACTi TV Wall helps drive higher operational efficiency and does not let any critical moment go out of sight.You can use one or multiple TV Wall servers that are connected to an unlimited number of NVR servers and cameras, all managed by CMS server.

Free and user-friendly ios app. It can be easily downloaded free from Apple App store and provides users with the interface needed to quickly and effectively manage video walls of any size in real-time.

A video wall is a display design consisting of multiple screens or TVs that tile together to form one large image. While the display is undoubtedly the most visible, its just one piece of the spine. The backbone to a video wall system is a video wall controller. Projection screens, laser phosphor displays, LCD and LED panels are standard displays useful for video walls.

If you’ve ever questioned the technology behind a video wall, how each screen communicates to act as a single display. Basically, how it all works together? That’s precisely what we’ll be covering today.

Our team created a video of the top four video wall controllers in the BZB Express line. The video is below if you’re more inclined to watch, otherwise, keep reading. We’ll break down each product in detail.

Let’s start with the Avenview HDM2-PROWALL-T4K. One of the first video wall processors to accept TRUE [email protected] from a source device, the HDM2-PROWALL-T4K has 4 HDMI outputs. This unit can process the input signal pixel to pixel with a vivid, bright and crisp picture without resolution loss onto Full HD displays.

This unit is capable of [email protected] or 1080p with rotation, different presets, and custom layouts. The HDM2-PROWALL-T4K has its own control software for configuration of modes such as 1×3, 1×4, 2×2 and mosaic. The control software will also allow users to resize, position, zoom output video, choose a resolution, and adjust bezel correction. Besides the control software, the unit is controllable via front panel buttons, or its IR remote.

Now, if you wanted a more significant video wall, you can cascade this unit through software with multiple units to create a bigger video wall. For a larger videowall than a 2×2, the SPLIT-HDM2-T4K-4 is required to duplicate the source to be inputted into many HDM2-PROWALL-T4K units. Note, UHD [email protected] input resolution can only support 2×2 Mode, unless using multiple units.

The HDM2-PROWALL-T4K works great for retail digital signage, education facilities, commercial applications like broadcasting, and even surveillance systems. In addition, it’s one of the more compact units.

Up to bat is Gefen’s EXT-UHD600A-VWC-14 video wall controller. This device can accept a single 4K60 4:4:4 HDMI source and send it to four equally-sized 1080p full HD displays. It can also create multiple display configurations using predefined row or column layouts. Also, a maximum of four displays installed vertically or horizontally with complete customization of how the input is cropped and outputted to each screen is conceivable.

The 4K Ultra HD Video Wall Controller’s versatile bezel compensation ability can accommodate any display bezel width. The picture on each display can rotate in 90-degree increments, individually or simultaneously. For an impactful presentation, analog audio can separate from the HDMI source to route to a sound system.

The unit is controllable via front panel buttons, IR on the front or back, RS-232, and IP. The IR remote is convenient and includes the User Presets, Quad, and Full-screen buttons. Also, you can access the unit’s easy-to-use Graphical User Interface for simple system configuration. Gefen’s Syner-G Software Suite is a free downloadable application providing useful tools, including automatic download and installation of firmware upgrades for the EXT-UHD600A-VWC-14.

The Gefen EXT-UHD600A-VWC-14 Video Wall Controller operates quietly. It’s the perfect solution for entertainment, digital signage, retail, nightclubs, trade shows and any venue requiring a high-quality 4K picture.

The 3rd video wall controller that ranks up in our list is the Shinybow SB-3403. The SB-3403 is a dynamic device with next level video wall configurations. Coupling predefined playback modes, friendly OSD operation, and unlimited cascades, it can produce all sets of playback modes for regular, portrait and unique video walls with various sizes, bezels, and resolutions at any angle and location without a PC or software.

The remote that comes with the unit includes many intuitive buttons and functions to allow the user to manipulate what shows up on the video wall. A feature we were very impressed with is the SB-3403’s PIP/POP (Picture in Picture / Picture on Picture) feature. From the remote control, the user can create a video wall while using the PIP/POP feature to overlay another source including DVI, VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort devices. This is great for anyone watching and working on their laptop or for simultaneous viewing of two different channels. Also, the remote allows the user to move, scale, and resize the PIP/POP to any quadrant depending on the mode they are in.

The SB-3403 is a versatile device with an HDMI input plus loop out, DVI, VGA, and DisplayPort. Of course, there are four HDMI outputs for 4 displays. Multiple SB-3403’s can cascade up to 15×15, allowing users to build a large-scale high-resolution video wall. Also, users can use the PIP/PoP function to add more display content in each display zone for large video walls.

Standard TVs and monitors can be useful display devices, allowing users to benefit from its ease-of-use and flexibility. The SB-3403 is a pure hardware standalone system. It can connect with various video sources and provide a reliable and straightforward solution for professional creative video walls.

Last, but certainly not least is Key Digital’s KD-VW4x4Pro. The KD-VW4x4Pro stands on its own with its video wall processing and seamless presentation matrix switching capabilities. The unit features 8 video wall modes and is packed with advanced features.

The KD-VW4x4Pro can transform consumer and professional TVs into a video wall with 8 different modes. Horizontal (1×4 Rotated, 1×4, 1×3, and two sets of 1×2), vertical (4×1, 3×1, and two sets of 2×1) and full-screen 2×2. The unit allows fluid screen transition by removing pixels from the top, bottom, left, and right border independently using its bezel control feature. Users are also able to flip the picture, which is great for consumer TVs that have thick bottom bezels. This is critical for a clean looking video wall. It allows users to keep the narrow sides together to form a beautiful image with TVs that have thicker bottom bezels.

Key Digital’s KD-VW4x4Pro is controllable via the front panel buttons, Serial and Optical IR, RS-232, and IP. It is also compatible with Key Digital’s Compass Control while supporting the big name 3rd party control systems such as AMX®, Control4®, Crestron®, KNX®, RTI®, Savant, URC®, Leviton®, etc. Combine all this with the KD-VW4x4Pro’s video wall and seamless matrix switching capabilities, and we get a powerful, yet flexible device that can create many configurations. The KD-VW4x4Pro is ideal for digital signage, retail, commercial, or any setting requiring you to create a live screen. Retaining a professional look with low-cost monitors and different size bezels has never been more simple.

The products mentioned above all offer eye-catching and engaging video wall displays. When video walls were first introduced in the ’80s, the cost of video walls limited their use to a few environments. Today, modern video wall technology is far more advanced and cost-efficient. They are ideal for digital signage, control rooms, command centers, art installations, airports, hospitals, museums, live events, and any venue looking to deliver ads or messages quickly and effectively. Video walls are also useful in providing critical safety and directional information in the case of an emergency. The value of communicating important messages to many people makes them ideal for many industries and large venues. All the products above are currently available on our online store, bzbexpress.com.

Powerful stand-alone 4RU video wall processor for expansive 1080p installations with up to 56 inputs, which can also display up to five 4K video windows, and up to 56 outputs in 4RU.

A video wall is a special multi-monitor setup that consists of multiple computer monitors, video projectors, or television sets tiled together contiguously or overlapped in order to form one large screen. Typical display technologies include LCD panels, Direct View LED arrays, blended projection screens, Laser Phosphor Displays, and rear projection cubes. Jumbotron technology was also previously used. Diamond Vision was historically similar to Jumbotron in that they both used cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology, but with slight differences between the two. Early Diamond vision displays used separate flood gun CRTs, one per subpixel. Later Diamond vision displays and all Jumbotrons used field-replaceable modules containing several flood gun CRTs each, one per subpixel, that had common connections shared across all CRTs in a module; the module was connected through a single weather-sealed connector.

Screens specifically designed for use in video walls usually have narrow bezels in order to minimize the gap between active display areas, and are built with long-term serviceability in mind.daisy chain power, video, and command signals between screens.

Reasons for using a video wall instead of a single large screen can include the ability to customize tile layouts, greater screen area per unit cost, and greater pixel density per unit cost, due to the economics of manufacturing single screens which are unusual in shape, size, or resolution.

Video walls are sometimes found in control rooms, stadiums, and other large public venues. Examples include the video wall in Oakland International Airport"s baggage claim,McCarran International Airport, which serves as an advertising platform for the 40 million passengers passing through airport annually.Lafayette Library and Learning Center has enough size for the distant passerby to view photos while also providing the nearby observer enough resolution to read about upcoming events.

Simple video walls can be driven from multi-monitor video cards, however more complex arrangements may require specialized video processors, specifically designed to manage and drive large video walls.

The largest video wall as of 2013 was located at the backstretch of the Charlotte Motor Speedway motorsport track. Developed by Panasonic, it measures 200 by 80 feet (61 by 24 m) and uses LED technology. The Texas Motor Speedway installed an even larger screen in 2014, measuring 218 by 125 feet (66 by 38 m).

A video wall controller (sometimes called “processor”) is a device that splits a single image into parts to be displayed on individual screens. Video wall controllers can be divided into groups:

Hardware-based controllers are electronic devices built for specific purpose. They usually are built on array of video processing chipsets and do not have an operating system. The advantage of using a hardware video wall controller is high performance and reliability. Disadvantages include high cost and the lack of flexibility.

The most simple example of video wall controller is single input multiple outputs scaler. It accepts one video input and splits the image into parts corresponding to displays in the video wall.

Most of professional video wall displays also have built-in controller (sometimes called an integrated video matrix processor or splitter). This matrix splitter allows to “stretch” the image from a single video input across all the displays within the whole video wall (typically arranged in a linear matrix, e.g., 2x2, 4x4, etc.). These types of displays typically have loop-through output (usually DVI) that allows installers to daisy-chain all displays and feed them with the same input. Typically setup is done via the remote control and the on-screen display. It is a fairly simple method to build a video wall but it has some disadvantages. First of all, it is impossible to use full pixel resolution of the video wall because the resolution cannot be bigger than the resolution of the input signal. It is also not possible to display multiple inputs at the same time.

Software-based PC & video-card controllers is a computer running an operating system (e.g., Windows, Linux, Mac) in a PC or server equipped with special multiple-output graphic cards and optionally with video capture input cards. These video wall controllers are often built on industrial-grade chassis due to the reliability requirements of control rooms and situational centers. Though this approach is typically more expensive, the advantage of a software-based video wall controller vs the hardware splitter is that it can launch applications like maps, VoIP client (to display IP cameras), SCADA clients, Digital Signage software that can directly utilize the full resolution of the video wall. That is why software-based controllers are widely used in control rooms and high-end Digital Signage.Matrox Graphics, Jupiter Systems).

The integrated video wall scalers are often limited to matrix grid layouts (e.g., 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, etc.) of identical displays. Here the aspect ratio remains the same but the source-image is scaled across the number of displays in the matrix. More advanced controllers enable grid layouts of any configuration (e.g., 1x5, 2x8, etc.) where the aspect ratio of the video wall can be very different from that of individual displays. Others enable displays to be placed anywhere within the canvas, but are limited to portrait or landscape orientation. The most advanced video wall controllers enable full artistic control of the displays, enabling a heterogeneous mix of different displays as well as 360deg multi-angle rotation of any individual display within the video wall canvas.

Advanced video wall controllers will allow you to output multiple sources to groups of displays within the video wall and change these zones at will even during live playback.

Some video wall controllers can reside in the server room and communicate with their "graphics cards" over the network. This configuration offers advantages in terms of flexibility. Often this is achieved via a traditional video wall controller (with multiple graphics cards) in the server room with a "sender" device attached to each graphics output and a "receiver" attached to each display. These sender/receiver devices are either via Cat5e/Cat6 cable extension or via a more flexible and powerful "video over IP" that can be routed through traditional network switches. Even more advanced is a pure network video wall where the server does not require any video cards and communicates directly over the network with the receiver devices.

A network configuration allows video walls to be synchronized with individual digital signs. This means that video walls of different sizes and configurations, as well as individual digital displays

Transparent video walls combine transparent LCD screens with a video wall controller to display video and still images on a large transparent surface. Transparent displays are available from a variety of companies and are common in retail and other environments that want to add digital signage to their window displays or in store promotions. Bezel-less transparent displays can be combined using certain video wall controllers to turn the individual displays into a video wall to cover a significantly larger surface.

Jason Leigh and others at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois, Chicago, developed SAGE, the Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment, allowing the seamless display of various networked applications over a large display wall (LDW) system. Different visualization applications such as 3D rendering, remote desktop, video streams, and 2D maps, stream their rendered pixels to a virtual high-resolution frame buffer on the LDW. Using a high-bandwidth network, remote visualization applications can feed the streams of the data into SAGE. The user interface of SAGE, which works as a separate display node, allows users to relocate and resize the visualization stream in a form of window, which can be found in a conventional graphical user interface. Depending on the location and size of the visualization stream window on the LDW, SAGE reroutes the stream to respective display nodes.

"Terminal 2 Baggage Claim Building Opens In July" (PDF). Oakland International Travel Planner. Port of Oakland. 2006. p. 12. Retrieved 2017-12-05. An 8-foot by 21-foot video wall featuring finished works by local artists commissioned by the Port of Oakland

The Raspberry Pi is arguably the best Linux minicomputer on the market, and it is useful for a variety of applications. One of these applications for a Raspberry Pi is using the device to support a Raspberry Pi video wall. A video wall displays - you guessed it - video content for commercial promotion and advertising, personal DIY projects, educational purposes, and more. Below we detail how you and your team can use this device for your video wall needs.

There are a couple of reasons that the Raspberry Pi computer-on-a-chip is a great device for a video wall. One source of savings is the Raspberry Pi’s low power draw. The device only draws 3 watts of electricity. This number is quite impressive considering the Raspberry Pi can display full 1080p HD content. This low energy draw makes the electricity costs of a Raspberry Pi video wall deployment very low. This low cost can result in thousands of dollars in savings when compared to the electricity costs of other media players.

Another important feature of the Raspberry Pi is the availability of digital signage management software. After setting up your Raspberry Pi video wall displays, you will need to manage your video content. Management tasks include uploading and storing video assets, organizing videos into playlists, and scheduling video content. Fortunately, there are useful open source and professional, paid software solutions to assist with digital sign content management. Professional digital signage software is useful for video wall deployments with multiple screens. The software is helpful as it allows users to change video content directly from their computer. With this software, users do not have to physically access their Raspberry Pi and video wall for each content change.

To get started with your Raspberry Pi video wall, you will need both hardware and software. For hardware, we recommend the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. While you can use other models, the Model B+ will provide optimal performance for your video display. Next, you will need an official Raspberry Pi power source. This proper power supply will ensure you do not run into several common issues associated with the minicomputer. You will also need an HDMI cable to connect your Raspberry Pi media player to your display. Additionally, you will need a microSD card to store the required video wall software for your Raspberry Pi and your video wall content.

The Screenly Box 0 comes with all needed Raspberry Pi components bundled together. We designed the Screenly Box 0 for customers who are just getting started with their Raspberry Pi video wall deployment. While you can connect to WiFi with most Raspberry Pis, we recommend you connect to the internet via ethernet cable. Connecting via ethernet will help you avoid any wireless connectivity issues. If you do not already have an ethernet cable, be sure to purchase one separately. The Screenly Box 0 does not include an ethernet cable.

For software, you can use free digital signage management software such as Screenly OSE (Open Source Edition). You can also use a paid, professional software solution such as Screenly’s paid version (referred to simply as “Screenly”). As mentioned, Screenly has a variety of useful features that users will not find in Screenly OSE. These features include the ability to manage the content of multiple screens from a central interface. Learn more about the differences between Screenly OSE and Screenly in our article on Screenly OSE vs. Screenly (Paid Version).

Users may want to make a larger display by splitting the same video across multiple screens. This requirement is more challenging than showing a video on a single screen. However, users can still fulfill this requirement with the Raspberry Pi. To create a 2x2 video wall with 1080p HD resolution, a user will need to purchase a video wall controller. A video wall controller accepts video input from a Raspberry Pi and then splits the video as output to a multiple screens. There are several video wall controllers on the market. While we do not officially endorse any third party product, we have run successful tests with this video wall controller from RIJER. Note that the video wall controller does get a bit hot with continued use.

We hope this article has provided a useful overview of how to deploy a video wall with the Raspberry Pi. Whether your business needs a video wall with a single screen or a video wall that displays a single video that is split across multiple screens, the Raspberry Pi can handle your needs. If you have any questions on how Screenly can be used in your deployment, reach out to Screenly support.