NYC High-Rise Eyes 18-Source Video Wall

[admin]

The pictures say it all. Three 65-inch Panasonic plasma HDTVs, flush-mounted side-by-side, form a video wall that can display content from 18 different sources. Look even more closely, and you’ll find that all the TVs in this Manhattan apartment are not only flush-mounted in the walls, the walls even cover the TVs’ bezels so only the screens remain visible. The skyline views out of the windows are pretty nice, as well.


Discuss "NYC High-Rise Eyes 18-Source Video Wall" here. Read the article.

[zhimbo]

This is great for pretending that you're Ozymandias in Antarctica at the end of Watchmen.

[highfigh]

"Installation of the TVs had to take place before the Sheetrock went up EDG had to make sure the wiring and all the connections were perfect as well, because servicing would require making holes or disassembling a wall."

One of the worst things that can be done in an installation. No piece of equipment should be considered 'permanent' and some way to replace it should ALWAYS be designed into the system. I went to school for architecture and IMO, one of the worst traits of people in that field (including interior detonators) is the arrogance in thinking that everything they do is 'art' and must remain as they envision it. If the client wants something, the architect shouldn't resist for personal reasons and they need to look forward to consider "What if ______ happens and the display needs to be replaced and the dimensions for the replacement are different?" or if a more convenient way exists. I have a client with Kef 107 speakers, with nice walnut veneer. A designer came in and asked if they could be painted white. I think I said "Physically, yes, but it probably won't happen".

[BMXTRIX]

There is a lot of good with this system, but I do agree that any system put together without full access to the equipment is stupid. Just plain lousy design and selling. If you need to hide gear, then give it rear access. If you don't have it, then put up a way to hide it on the wall. Like the motorized art pieces, or behind one-way mirrors. There are tons of options which allow for both service, and a clean installation.

Worse, and somewhat confusing, is the RGB Spectrum products, to my knowledge, don't allow for HDMI or digital switching and matrixing. The Extron products don't allow for true matrixing of digital content either.

This means the entire system was based around analog component video connectivity, perhaps without a clear upgrade path to digital. With the digital sunset coming in the next few years, how was this allowed to happen? I mean, that video wall processor likely ran $50,000 or so. This is not a cheap installation, and I'm sure the quality is all top notch, but there are some glaring errors which were made that really would frustrate me. Especially if I was that homeowner who is finding out that come 2011 I may get caught in the death of analog on my very expensive system.

Personally, I probably would have shot for a 2x2 setup of the micro bezel Samsung video wall LCD displays which have basically no bezel and could have been on articulating mounts and allowed for a single image to fill the entire screen, in proper aspect ratio, while still providing the capability to show 16 sources (or more depending on setup) easily.

Definitely not the way I would have done it, but for the money spent, actual reliability is probably not the first concern.

Well, until that day when the RGB spectrum fails or the analog switch is flipped.

[jostenmeat]

Perhaps the owner is an alien who is planning to return home shortly.

j/k, I'm glad highfigh and BMX are here to point out the serious issues with the install.

[ragged]

But it was the eye candy inside this 2,400-square-foot spread that was of most concern to the homeowners - or at least the tech-savvy man of the house, whose living room man cave with its video multiplex of sources is the envy of any audio/video enthusiast.

“He had a set-up in his previous home with 12 tube TVs and a video matrix so he could watch all these different shows on them,” says John Montgomery of custom electronics (CE) pro EDG of Piscataway, N.J. Needless to say, this video matrix is a huge upgrade.

Ha! Maybe it's just me, but tech savy and tube tv's don't go hand in hand.

[highfigh]

But it was the eye candy inside this 2,400-square-foot spread that was of most concern to the homeowners - or at least the tech-savvy man of the house, whose living room man cave with its video multiplex of sources is the envy of any audio/video enthusiast.

“He had a set-up in his previous home with 12 tube TVs and a video matrix so he could watch all these different shows on them,” says John Montgomery of custom electronics (CE) pro EDG of Piscataway, N.J. Needless to say, this video matrix is a huge upgrade.

Ha! Maybe it's just me, but tech savy and tube tv's don't go hand in hand.

Actually, CRT monitors produce some of the best video quality but they don't get any press now, so people don't hear about it.

If he's so tech savvy, why isn't he using cutting edge equipment? Other than the fact that the design phase probably began more than a couple of years ago, I can't see why any designer would limit the installation to avoid repair at a later date.

[jenas]

Vdeo wall processor is very creatively connected to the data wall and functions very logically.