Video walls are a collection of screens that are combined/tiled together to create one large display. In this article, you will learn how to set up a Video Wall in the CMS in three easy steps:
- Creating a template for your video wall
- Assigning rows and columns for your video wall layout
- Create your media to add to your template
Before setting up your video wall template, it is important to analyze three important factors for your video wall:
- Determine your needs. Before doing anything else or making any purchases, determine the purpose of your video wall. This ensures your system setup will meet your goals.
- Consider the number of images you want to display. Determine how many images you’ll show at once. This includes whether the video wall will be one single large image across the wall, multiple video sources using one image per screen, or a combination of the two. Also determine the source and type of video images used. These can be Blu-Rays, DVDs, cable/satellite TV, or digital video files from a hard drive.
- Understand the importance of content. Determine the content to be shown and how it’ll look on the video wall. This includes ensuring everything shown is in proper ratios and resolutions.
Note: Media can be expanded to cover all of your screens or each screen can display a different media content to give multiple engagement points for your audience.
What You’ll Need:
- A compatible digital signage player e.g. Mvix, BrightSign, etc.
- Please Note: Due to voltage variations across cables and accessories, we do not recommend using any third party HDMI accessories.
- Mvix CMS Software with a supported feature package to use the template editor.
- Internet Connectivity
Video Tutorial
Connecting Your Video Wall Player To Your Screens
Before you start on your video wall content on Mvix CMS, you should ensure your physical setup is ready. The physical aspects of your Video Wall are the screens, the mounts, & the players. We recommend the following:
Mounts
We recommend using a pop-out mount. These mounts are designed to pop in and out with 8 point tool-less micro adjustments to ensure a clean and quick installation. Screens can be assembled and seamlessly aligned in minutes, with continued access for servicing and maintenance.
Player
Once your displays are mounted, you’ll need to connect your players. Depending on the amount of screens you are using (e.g. 2, 4, or 6 screens). The standard setup is:
- Mount your videowall player in a location close to your displays
- Plug in an HDMI cable to the player
- Connect the other side of the table to the corresponding TV.
- For videowalls, outputs are labeled by a number. This number will correspond to what will be used on Mvix CMS.
- Repeat steps 2 & 3 as necessary for the remaining TVs
- If you are using a wired device, connect a network cable to the back of the digital signage player from your network switch/router.
- Lastly, connect your power adapter to the signage device and the plug to the wall socket.
Important: When connecting your player to your displays, we recommend HDMI cables of 10 feet but no longer than 15 feet. This is to ensure data transfer is not interrupted. You should also NOT use any HDMI extenders as this will severely disrupt the connection.
Once your video wall has been properly setup, you’ll be able to create and manage your content on Mvix CMS by following the steps below.
Creating Your Video Wall Zones
- To access the “Create Template” sub-module, hover over the (1) “Template” module and click “Create Template”.
- From there, you will need to change the templates to Video Wall mode. On the right-side of the module, (2) toggle the “Video Wall” option.
- After changing the layout for video walls, you will see additional options show in the options bar. These are (3) “Rows” & “Columns”. Click the up or down arrows to adjust the amount of zones to your desired setup.
- Once you have selected your desired video wall setup, you will see the template canvas split into numbers. These correspond to each individual screen. (I.e. Zone 2 will be your top-right monitor).
- To add media to your video wall, click the (4) “Add A Zone” CTA at the top-right of your screen. You will see a popup appear to select what media or playlist you’d like to add.
- In the above example, we have added a video to Display 1. This means that only Display 1 will show that media.
- You can also choose to display one large media across multiple zones. In the above example, we have one video but it will play across all 4 monitors at the same time.
Tips & Tricks: The choice between displaying multiple media on multiple screens or one large media across multiple screens depends on the use case and the location of the displays. Generally, internal communication favors multiple media on separate screens, while external communication often benefits from a single, larger media spanning multiple screens. Additionally, if the displays are positioned far from the average viewer (about 20 feet or more), using a larger media format ensures better visibility and clarity for the audience.
Features of the Mvix Video Wall
Because of their size and clarity, this solution has a WOW factor that makes them very effective for marketing messages and branding. It’s important to note that the content displayed is key in reaching messaging goals for the video wall.
The purpose of using video walls varies depending on the industry. Industries that can benefit from video walls include corporates, hospitals, retailers, government offices, churches, schools, casinos, and hotel receptions. This solution encourages interactivity as it engages consumers and employees with visuals and graphics. Indeed, touch screens with large displays offer an increase in engagement. Furthermore, customers feel more engaged when a touch on the screen triggers information. Therefore, it also improves the user experience.
More features of a video wall includes:
- Easy to design and implement multi-screen layouts
- Supports native 4K content for crisp visual quality
- Includes over 150 content apps and data integrations
- Editable elements such as colors fonts, and animations
- Manage remotely over the Internet from anywhere
- Eliminate costs associated with printing new posters
- Show unique content for a more personalized digital experience
- hundred of customizable templates to engage guests and members
- Managed from the same platform as traditional and interactive displays
- Multi-zone screen layouts to multiply content delivery
Let Us Do It For You!
Fresh and relevant content is the cornerstone of a successful digital signage campaign. Don’t have time to manage your Digital Signage System or do you want your screens to look professionally designed? Let us do it for you. We will manage your digital signage screens for a fraction of the cost and minimize downtimes. Learn more about our Managed Service Plans.
