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HiperWall 3.0 Brings New Features to Multiscreen Content Control

Last week I had a web-based demonstration of the newest release of Hiperwall 3.0, which is a control software package for controlling content over a variety of screens. This new version adds animation capabilities to content that can be displayed on multi-screen display solutions. That doesn’t sound like such a great innovation, but when you see what it adds to the visual impact, you clearly understand the value. And, more importantly, Hiperwall 3.0 allows users to do this very quickly and in real-time — a major change from the pre-rendered approach used today. As far as we (and Hiperwall) know, this is the first time such a capability has been demonstrated.

Hiperwall was founded by Jeff Greenberg and launched about four years ago. It is a completely PC-based solution for managing content on multiple screen solutions. These multiple screens can be configured as video walls, as a series of discrete displays, as blended projectors or even combinations of these. The key to using the Hiperwall software, however, is that each display must have its own PC embedded in it. In this way, the control computer can send a very large scale image to each display using standard LAN-based equipment and cabling. No costly image processors or scalers are needed.

Samsung and NEC already offer flat panel video wall monitors with embedded PC to support the Hiperwall solution.

Greenberg took us through a demo using Go-To-Meeting. Two images were visible on my monitor, as shown in the photo. On the right side is a screen capture of the control monitor showing the Hiperwall 3.0 software. On the left side is a video image of a 4×5 Samsung video wall at Greenberg’s offices in Irvine, California.

Greenberg initially showed the capabilities of the 2.0 version of the package, highlighting the manipulation of static jpeg images. For example, the 2.0 version allows an image to be scaled using a mouse to cover the full 4×5 video wall, or just a part of one monitor. Images can have their transparency varied and be rotated about an axis. New in the 3.0 version is the ability to convert color images to black and white and to add a mosaic filter to these images.

The 2.0 version also allows multiple sources of content to be manipulated in this way over the full display surface. For example, Greenberg was able to show a live data feed from a Microsoft site, a live video feed of himself in his office, a video of an aquarium and a series of static jpeg images – all which can be manipulated.

The 3.0 version now allows the features described above to be animated. To illustrate this, Greenberg took a static image, placed it in the top left corner of the 4×5 wall. Then he moved it to the bottom right and up popped a control screen that gave him options for how this image was to transition between these two positions. He selected a 720 degree rotation and applied a mosaic filter. This was tested immediately and displayed on the video wall. I then asked him to add a 3 second hold time in this spot, which he was easily able to accomplish. Several other moves were added to the animation and the whole task was completed in a couple of minutes. On screen, the movement added a lot to an otherwise static display.

What is particularly compelling about this capability is that to do this simple animation today typically requires a program like Final Cut, and it requires a script, a rendering step and review, with modification to this process to get the animation just right. Hiperwall 3.0 allows real-time animation using the defined features of the program.

And just as importantly, the animation uses elements that are object based. That means that it is easy to change the images used in the animation.

Greenberg also says they have also developed an API for Hiperwall 3.0 that allows external programs to control the screens. He demonstrated this with a giant version of the game Pong (see photo), with the Moon as the ball and the Earth centered over the screen with a star field background. So, imagine sitting in a sports bar or arcade sharing a beer and playing a game of Pong, watching the results on a giant 4×5 video wall with 6830×3072 resolution. Cheers!

Chris Chinnock is a senior analyst and editor for Insight Media. Reach him at chris@insightmedia.info

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