THIS IS A PROMOTED POST 

By: David Naranjo
ViewSonic 

We are, as an industry, how many years into innovating on direct-view LED now?

For context, this technology is — for all the people out there reading this who geek out about display technology, like me — nothing less than beautiful. And, to be sure, it has come such a long way. One of the beauties of dvLED is that it allows display specialists to offer customers what they’re often always seeking in the end: bigger, better and brighter.

But dvLED has also been, let’s face it, sort of a pain for the AV industry. That’s because (and this should not come as a surprise to anyone) it’s just more complex. We know that, to get to a great product in the field of technology, we have to go through some pain, right?

ViewSonic’s new dvLED — an “all-in-one” solution (we’ll explain what we mean by that later) — addresses, head-on, some of the most common pains still faced with dvLED. Pointing out why this launch is special, but also making this read worth your while, we’ll offer our insights on the future of dvLED technology. We’ll revisit the core challenges we continue to face with direct-view LED, still, years and years into innovating on it.

On the topic of dvLED, there’s a lot to dig into. So whether you’re reading this from home, the office or both (“hybrid” is, after all, the buzzword of 2020, no?), take note and dig in.

The State of dvLED & Two Core Complexities

What continues to be one of the biggest headaches for ProAV and its customers when specifying and installing direct-view LED? Complexity — regarding both system integration (including maintenance) and the actual install. Imagine if we could eliminate some of the key pains still faced by AV/IT and just focus on the beauty of the LED itself; how many more fantastic experiences could we bring to our customers around the world?

When designing its new line, ViewSonic’s set this challenge as its purpose.

Any producer of this technology should attempt to simplify these two elements of the dvLED experience — core complexities still nagging on AV and IT teams today:

1. THE INSTALLATION: ViewSonic’s new line starts with a multi-panel modular design. The LED includes one main cabinet and multiple pre-assembled panels. When installed, each individual panel auto-configures and calibrates its location within the display as a whole. Why does this matter? Because it completely eradicates what’s typically a very complicated setup process with dvLED — all technicians in the field need to do is, after setup, turn on the display. You need only two people and two hours to install it (a quick look at how that works), saving major time and labor costs.
2. SYSTEM INTEGRATION: A lot of dvLED displays require at least 10 SKUs (those exact numbers can fluctuate, but we know we have a SKU for the processor, a SKU for each LED panel, a few more SKUs for all the cables and adapters; and don’t forget the software license), if not more. With ViewSonic’s solution, it’s one SKU and one SKU only. With an out-of-the-box solution, direct-view LED becomes much easier to integrate into the whole AV system.

All-in-one dvLED is the future. It better serves the customer and makes direct-view LED a reality in ways we only previously imagined. What makes ViewSonic’s all-in-one dvLED go a step further than the others? Credit goes to the displays’ features hidden in the background, the features not asking for glory but deserving all the recognition.

All In One Means All In One — And More

Backing up, in case you missed it, ViewSonic dropped its new All-in-One Direct View LED displays in the fall of 2020. We’ll start with key specs: The first two models of the launch, already shipping, are the LD135-151 (135 inches with a 1.5-millimeter pixel pitch) and LD163-181 (163 inches with a 1.8-millimeter pixel pitch). Both models offer 600 nits of adjustable brightness, come with a 4,440-hertz refresh rate and can achieve 120% Rec.709 color accuracy with a wider-than-average color gamut.

Now, to give credit where credit is due — here’s what stands out: When ViewSonic says its new dvLED is all in one, it means its new dvLED is all in one. As opposed to LCD video walls and other displays requiring separate, external devices and software, everything in this dvLED is self-contained in the unit.

What makes this possible? The ViewSonic EMBEDDED Signage Platform, more colloquially known as VESP. It’s the key to all this. VESP, the displays’ built-in SoC (system on chip) digital signage platform, is what makes this seamless dvLED actually, well, seamless — how it’s therefore classified as “all in one,” and one unit instead of numerous. VESP is a Linux-based kernel operating system, the heart of the ViewSonic solution, that simplifies installation and maintenance. With VESP, external devices (like external media players, employed in many digital signage systems) are not needed to communicate with the server or play digital media.

In other words, this dvLED integrates power, display and control. Watch the video below to see how it all comes together:

What else makes this dvLED special? There are a few things to note:

• Color. Proprietary SuperColor technology (trademarked, if you were curious) delivers an exclusive wide color gamut of 120% Rec.709 color accuracy. The quick translation there is incredibly lifelike color output.
• Refresh rate. SuperColor technology also gives us an ultra-fast 4,440-hertz refresh rate along with the high brightness and superior contrast ratio, which is the reason these displays’ images come through so crisp and smooth.
• Control. ViewSonic’s all-in-one dvLED is Crestron-, Extron- and AMX-compatible — because the control system is an essential component of an integrated AV system, impacting the effectiveness of the entire deployment.
• 24/7 operation but low TCO. With an extremely robust product, you should expect 24/7 operation — reliable for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This product’s long life span means low TCO (total cost of ownership), which comes natural to any ViewSonic dvLED. If a module goes, it’s easily swapped out. You won’t need to replace the full display, as you would with a traditional video wall.
• Mounting ease. Whether on the wall, on a cart, or on the ground with alloy floor stands, visual impact should not suffer. See how simple and efficient ViewSonic has made the install for a product that, typically, mandates a very complex setup for everything from the power supply to the control system to stitching. Two people and two hours, and it’s done.
• Warranty. ViewSonic prides itself on warranties that are “best in the business,” even though the products wouldn’t deem it. This new dvLED comes with one of the industry’s most reliable: an impressive five-year limited warranty with onsite service.

More to Come

What makes a product or experience special, often, is what the naked eye does not see. In the case of ViewSonic’s new All-in-One Direct View LED, it’s the hero features working in the background to make the experience better, from design to maintenance to completion. An all-in-one solution eliminates core complexities we’re still facing with dvLED today. And this simplicity is a huge win for all of the industry as AV, inevitably, moves to doing more LED anywhere and everywhere. When dvLED continues to come down in cost and installation complexity, it can be offered in places only previously left to the imagination — think indoor and outdoor applications in corporate, retail, hospitality and even higher education. Anywhere customers can and want to make an impression.

In addition to the 135- and 163-inch sizes already shipping, there’s more to come from ViewSonic; even larger All-in-One Direct View LED is on the way. Rewatch the video above to see the size-to-pixel-pitch matchups (preview: you’ll be seeing 200+ inches with a 2.5-millimeter fine pixel pitch soon).

ViewSonic’s all-in-one Direct View LED displays, like the LD135-151 and LD163-181 models already live on ViewSonic’s website, are shipping now. Find more information about them here.