You may think that mounting LCD displays on the wall is the only way to build a video wall. But there is a better alternative, and that’s a 12” deep freestanding cabinet that contains the displays and all supporting electronic components. It’s a simple approach that costs less and is more flexible than wall mounted displays. I should add that our company mounts displays on the wall, so it’s not as if we can’t and therefore advocate cabinet products instead. That said, after many years in the business and many video walls later, we have settled on the cabinet system as the best all-around solution. To that end, Americon has designed a series of LCD cabinet video walls under the Visionmaster label.

Let’s start with an important fact. LCD video walls are not complicated. That is they have basically the same components; at a minimum, they have large displays with steel mount, signal processor, and the keyboard and mouse that control the system. Here are the pros and cons of both wall and cabinet mounting.

Typical Wall Mounted LCD Video Wall Systems

• The wall mounted system requires that the wall be modified to accept the displays, which can be problematic if the video wall is in a commercial building that does not allow it. Nonetheless, modifications can be expensive and disruptive.
• The wall mounted displays are separate from the other components. This requires either a separate cabinet or another location within the room to store the supporting electronics. The cabinet costs extra plus the labor and material costs to run lines from the cabinet to the displays.
• The wall mounted system takes significant time to install. This also adds to cost and is disruptive.
• The wall mounted system requires that the audio speaker system be installed on the wall where it’s clearly visible, or in the ceiling requiring additional treatment and cost.
• Some wall mounted systems require that the mounting apparatus and displays be mounted at least 12” from the ceiling so that the displays can be lifted upward and out during removal.

Americon Visionmaster LCD Video Wall Cabinet Systems

• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system, although requiring slightly more floor space, is modular, freestanding and has space for all equipment in the base. True, the wall mounted system is about 4” deep versus the 12” depth of the cabinet system, but should the 8” difference be a deal breaker given the following advantages.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet is a true system in the sense that it is consolidated at the factory and tested so that when it is brought into the control room, it’s simply assembled, tested and training conducted same day in many cases.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system is manufactured to custom heights with the cabinet raised to within 1” of the ceiling. This is important in control rooms where the ceiling height is near 8’ and there are console operators facing the video wall. The operators need the lower edge of the displays to be at least 4’ from the floor and when operators are in rows behind each other, more than 4’ is required in order for the operators to see the lower portion of the displays over the heads of operators sitting in front. So, in control rooms with low ceiling heights, every inch counts.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system is expandable and movable which makes it advantageous when the initial installation is a temporary placement, or the video wall will expand when more funding is available.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system has all electronic components installed in the same place; no additional cabinetry is required and no space needed in the room behind it.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system comes with space for optional built in speakers and audio processor. Except for large rooms, this audio is more than adequate; no ceiling or wall speakers required.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system has space in the base for storage of items other than electronics, and in larger video walls, the cabinet base can double for a book case, or be customized to accept printers and larger electronics.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system is priced as a total system and simply installed without surprises; this means no change orders that add to costs. The packaged system reduces our design and travel costs that are reflected in the lower overall cost of our product. In fact, our video wall cabinet systems can be tested at our factory then shipped in modular components to a qualified electronics installer who can then complete the installation without our participation on site. In these cases, we provide detailed instructions to the installer and work closely by email and phone to ensure the installation goes smoothly.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system is a custom cabinet made of the same ultra durable material as our control room consoles; this means the cabinet will look newer and last longer than cabinets made of conventional laminates.
• The Visionmaster video wall cabinet system is a complete enclosure; not simply a basic black base that does nothing more than supports the screens. Our cabinet can be permanently placed with its back against the wall; all electronics equipment including the displays can be serviced and easy to remove from the front.
• The Visionmaster video cabinet comes in a variety of colors to match our console furniture or your furniture, and is attractively priced when purchased as a package with both our video wall display system and control room furniture.

I could probably go on with more advantages, however I should just close by saying our Visionmaster LCD cabinet systems take less time with less disruption to install, and cost less overall for both materials and installation when compared to wall mounted alternatives. However, if you are still sold on a wall mount solution, don’t rule us out. We can do wall mounting just as well. Either way, if you are interested in purchasing a Visionmaster LCD video wall system, please contact me by email or at 707.539.3321 to discuss your options.

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A Practical Approach to Video Wall Design

About Jerryh

Jerry Herrington is Senior Project Consultant with Americon. He has over 20 years experience helping people design and outfit their control rooms. Visit Americon at Controlroomsusa.com for technical furniture and video wall manufacturing ideas and practical solutions that capture the imagination. Contact me direct for more information.