One of the new fads sweeping across the gaming industry is the use of video walls. These are simply an assortment of smaller screens arranged to form one large screen. They offer an immersive gaming experience via the large images and great in-game detail. Though the gaming experience is not anywhere near VR, they offer a huge boost in entertainment compared to conventional systems that utilize a single monitor or Television. Though it is highly recommended to seek professional installation services, it is also possible to install one by yourself. However, before switching to gaming on the wall, the following are the procedures to follow.
Planning
As with any project, planning is a key process in ensuring everything goes as planned. Therefore, before you need to adequately make plans on the location, budget and available space. Your wall needs to be located in a location that does not have a lot of lighting that will interfere with viewing. If so make plans on how to limit excessive light. Second, depending on the screen sizes you will use, you need adequate space for the hardware. Another important aspect is the number of screen you need. Larger screens will save you the hassle of having to mount numerous screens and they also limit bezel interference. Remember, the main goal is make the appearance be as close as possible to one large screen.
Purchasing the hardware
While purchasing the hardware, you need to ensure that the screens have a good resolution that would meet your requirements. However, viewing distance will also affect the level of detail a gamer sees on the screen. But generally the higher the resolution the better the experience. So depending on the budget, this is a choice solely based on the gamer’s financial state and gaming preference. The screens should also be of the same size to ensure a uniform gaming wall. Preferably, buy screens of the same make and model. Thin bezel monitors are the best since they will limit bezel interference. You do not want a video wall with thick grids running across.
Your screens should also have high refresh rates typically above 120 Hz, but around 144 Hz would be quite ideal. Screen response time is also an important factor you will need to consider. Video games are highly sensitive to latency; therefore, the screen response time is an important factor to consider. The response time should be less than 2 milliseconds and there are numerous low-budget ones that offer 1ms response. So this will not be much of a problem for a prospective buyer.
Next, you will require multiple top-notch video cards. These are required to deliver the best video quality at good framerates. The most ideal framerates for gamers is 60fps and the most common resolution is 1080p, though 4k gaming is steadily on the rise. But these will depend on the monitor’s native resolution. All these factors combined will put any graphics chip to the test. Therefore, the cards need to provide enough juice for the task. what’s more, you will need multiple cards for each screen as one will likely not handle all the displays effectively.
Finally depending on the desired connection method, you can either purchase a video wall converter, daisy chain or a graphic board. More about these devices will be discussed below.
The setup
Once you have purchased everything it’s now time to get started with the assembly. Most screens have mounts designed for single use. It is quite difficult to find mounts designed for video walls. Therefore, to create the perfect video walls, the available mounts might need some modification or precise configuration. The downside to this process is that you run the risk of damaging the mounts or having an improper alignment. Even a small miscalculation in the level of millimeters can misalign the entire wall. So the best option would be to construct your own mounts to meet the specific need.
Once everything is mounted and all is set, you can go ahead with the connection process. Attach the necessary wiring ensuring that all the cables are of the same type. These can either be VGA, DVI or HDMI. Some monitors support all the three types but ensure the option you take is uniform across all screens. you have three choices of connecting your wall to the gaming device. They are as follows:
The video wall controller
This is the most basic connection method. It typically utilizes a connection box that has one input and multiple outputs. Each screen gets connected to a single output and when the gaming device gets connected on the other end, the video box distributes the signal to the screens. Video connection boxes come in different configurations. Some are 4×1, 3×3, 2×2 and so on. Therefore, the choice of box depends on the number of screens as well as the alignment.
Daisy-chain
This connection method is majorly used in digital ad-board monitors. The principle behind this technique is that a serial connection gets made across all monitors. The main connection is done on the first monitor with a specific connection type. It can either be HDMI or DVI and this process is called daisy-chaining. Thereafter the configuration is automatically done based on the position of each monitor. In this process tiles usually appear on the monitors and each monitor will highlight the corresponding tile.
Graphic boards
Though a bit costly, graphic boards promise the potential of giving the best quality images as well as gaming experiences. A graphic board is composed of multiple graphics cards with each connecting to a specific screen. you can either utilize ordinary screens, but the professional ones would be of greater benefit. Both AMD and NVidia have quality budget and high-end cards. But NVidia cards bead AMD’s in most benchmarks across all budget categories. Some graphic boards can support well up to 12 cards. This method is commonly used by professional gamers or commercial gaming lounges.
Software configuration
After completing all the above steps you now need to configure your software. This will assist in the management and operation of the wall. First you need to configure the desktop and if you are using a windows machine you can go to the Onsign TV windows application. Here the app will guide you through the proper setup procedures. Other similar software includes Eyefinity, and Mosaic as well as a range of third party applications. Both open source and proprietary software exist, but enterprise software promise more stability and less bugs. All in all, this software is generally simple software with user-friendly interfaces.
So, if you are considering setting up a video wall, the above procedures will guarantee the perfect setup and a wonderful experience.
Mia Clarke is part of the content and community team at Userful.com, experts in all things video wall and display solutions. When Mia is not spreading the word about video walls she is often found discovering the great outdoors, walking or cycling.