Video Monitor That Bends

Grant's Perspective on ... APG flexible monitor at the Inland AV shows.

I have further reviewed the list of AV manufacturers that will be displaying at  our trade show next week in Winnipeg (January 18) and Edmonton (February 8).  I am excited to see the APG display. It looks to be an impressive booth that will include a bezel-less video wall, outdoor monitor (we are talking for MB, SK and AB Canada) and a video monitor that bends so that it will wrap around pillars.

monitor that is flexible!

video wall without bezels

 Grant

Sharp PNV601 At Digital Signage Expo 2011

Grant's Perspective on ... the Sharp PNV601 video wall monitor bezel mirror.

I was sent a link to a video made on the floor of the Digital Signage Expo 2011. I had earlier posted on how impressive this monitor is for video wall applications with the "world's thinnest" bezel. Sharp has added a mirror bezel which reflects the image from the monitors so that at a distance the bezel is nearly invisible. How cool is that!

Below is a screen capture from the video with a close up of the mirror. Click through to have a look at the entire 1 minute video.

Grant

Sharp PNV601 Video Wall Demo

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Sharp PNV601 monitors in a video wall application

This week I had a SHARP experience. ( www.thesharpexperience.com ) LOL.   I was invited to the Introduction of Sharp’s PNV601 Ultra Slim Bezel LCD Monitor event at Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd. in Mississauga.

Most of the event revolved around creating video walls and was very interesting to a guy like me who has tolerated the older technologies used in video walls.  I’m glad the days of CRT monitors, 3-gun projection cubes, and fluorescent backlit LCD monitors are done.

Sharp is a world leader in LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).  Their LCD panels are used in many products everywhere including the displays in new automobiles.  The reason I mention this is Sharp has been the first to do many things; LED backlighting in LCD monitors.  Sharp arranged LED elements in an array directly behind the LCD to create uniform brightness across the entire panel. In addition, the lens over each LED has been developed to improve light output and increase the dispersion of the light to also improve the brightness uniformity.  Here’s a illustration of a monitor that had the LCD panel cutaway to expose the LED array.

This is very important in video wall applications as the screen brightness of each individual monitor needs to be uniform from edge to edge as the monitors are all butted up against each other.  Otherwise non-uniform brightness will show even more and make the wall look cheap.

For example if you’ve ever seen an LCD type video wall where the brightness isn’t consistent, it’s probably because those monitors use CCFL (Cold cathode fluorescent lamps) – fluorescent tubes basically – they’re notorious for not being able to illuminate from edge to edge.

The Sharp PNV601 monitors used in the wall I saw have the World’s Slimmest Bezel Width of 6.5 mm.  When the monitors are butted up against each other the gap between them is minimal, creating almost seamless display for a more desirable and impressive wall.

Add in the ability of Sharp products to create a fantastic picture. The images are clear and sharp and the scaling of the video is just great.  In fact I’ve designed systems where I utilize the electronics processing inside the Sharp instead of using a 3^rd party controller.

And talk about bright!  Holy crap – everyone was making jokes about needing sunglasses

There are more factors that contribute but these are the main ones.  For any facility that wants to do it up right, this is the way to go.

Grant

Sharp 60" LCD Monitor With The World's Thinnest Bezel

Grant's Perspective on ... InfoComm and the Sharp video wall.

I was really impressed with the Sharp booth that featured a great looking video wall. It featured the new 60" PN-V601 professional LCD monitors.

·         These SHARP monitors contain:

o   the world's thinnest bezel -  making it a great choice for video wall applications.

o   Full array LED-backlighting

§  provides a bright image in virtually any lighting condition

§  uniform colours (the monitors all look the same) and very even brightness across the screen (there isn’t that darker video area near the edges).  Note below the photo provided by SHARP and the photo I took of the display at the SHARP booth.  The proof is there!

§  LED also provides for low power consumption – a must for video walls that run 24/7 as that is a significant power consumption time. 

·   With the 60-inch screen size, a large wall can be created with fewer monitors. The PN-V601 enables a 13’ x 7’ video wall with the use of just nine monitors, while it would require sixteen 46-inch competitive monitors to produce the same 100 square foot video wall.  And the 3x3 configuration that SHARP uses in this example looks better in my opinion as only 9 monitors appear less cluttered.

“As digital signage and display applications continue to evolve, customers are looking for more energy-efficient products and thinner bezel designs that enable nearly seamless images to be displayed in large video wall configurations,” said Ed McLaughlin, president, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. “The introduction of this ultra-slim bezel, LED-backlit LCD monitor rounds out our comprehensive line of professional displays and offers superior image quality and improved compatibility to serve the needs of the commercial market. The large 60-inch class monitor allows larger size video walls to be created utilizing fewer LCD panels, resulting in increased energy efficiency and lower operating costs.”

Grant