Via Debuts SMB-Focused Video Wall Digital Signage Solution

June 12, 2014 by Dave Haynes

VIA Technologies has introduced something it calls the VIA Video Wall Mini, a fanless all-in-one box and software capable of driving up to four displays off a single player.

The product is squarely aimed at retailers, restaurateurs, coffee shop owners, and other small businesses that want more than a single screen but don’t want the whole nine yards of a full video wall solution.

Says the news release from the Taiwan-based manufacturer:

By combining a single fanless player that supports up to four displays at stunning resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080 with the powerful VIA MagicView™ content management platform, the VIA Video Wall Mini not only reduces the cost and complexity of multi-screen installations but also simplifies the broadcasting of a diverse array of high-definition multimedia programming throughout the space. The displays can be deployed in a variety of separate and stitched configurations, including 2 x 2, 1 x 4, and 4 x 1, to provide small business owners with additional flexibility to customize their installations to meet their specific needs.

“As the demand for digital signage grows in retail and other segments, the limitations of single-display systems are becoming increasingly apparent and more and more customers have been asking us for cost-effective multi-display platforms that are easy to deploy and manage,” commented Epan Wu, Head of the VIA Embedded Division. “With the VIA Video Wall Mini, our aim is to address this growing need by providing a highly flexible and affordable all-in-one solution that is ideal for transforming almost any environment with inspiring installations.”

The player is a 1.0GHz VIA QuadCore E-Series processor and VIA VX11PH Media System Processor. It supports two videos running at resolutions of 1080p and four videos running at 720p.

The VIA Video Wall Mini player features four HDMI-out ports that support four displays at resolutions of up to 1920×1080 and can also be configured with optional HDMI and VGA input ports to enable the integration of cameras for security and surveillance applications. Additional I/O features include two USB 3.0 ports, one Gigabit Ethernet port, two audio jacks and one DC-in jack on the front panel, and two USB 2.0 ports, one COM port for RS-232/422/485, and one DIO port for 8-bit GPIO on the rear panel.  

To ensure optimum integration flexibility into a wide range of networked signage environments, the player can also be equipped with a choice of optional USB and PCIe WiFi and 3.75G HSPA/UMT mobile broadband modules.

The walls run off Via’s own  MagicView CMS, which is bundled.