NYC Hotel Hosting Billboard That Ate Times Square Now Sports Pair Of 50-Ft LED Walls In Lobby

October 31, 2022 by Dave Haynes

The Marriott Marquis in New York’s tourist mecca of Times Square has one of the larger LED video walls on the planet lining a full block of the hotel, and now that building also has two jumbo LED video walls inside, aimed at guests.

The hotel – owned by Host Hotels & Resorts – factored a pair of 50-foot wide, eight-foot-tall 1.8mm fine pitch LED video walls in its renovated lobby, on bulkheads that flank that bisects a split-floor walkway.

The project was pulled together by Florida-based systems integrator LG Fulfillment, powered by MDM Commercial, using LG’s indoor LED product.

“LG has provided Host Hotels & Resorts with cutting-edge display technologies for properties all over the country, but these two are the largest displays, by far,” says Jake Benner, LG’s Director of Sales for Hospitality, Cruise & Fitness. “Based on our existing relationship, they knew we could deliver virtually any solution they needed. When they asked what options existed to provide a huge digital canvas on both ends of a split-floor walkway that’s visible from both above and below, we connected them with the expert integrators at LG Fulfillment to provide assistance in product selection, system design and installation.”

LG Fulfillment is wholly separate from the manufacturer, and “powered” by a company called MDM Commercial.

“Of course, we could have put up a standard type of video wall with multiple panels and visible bezels between screens, but we knew that wasn’t bold enough for the Times Square location, and a DVLED display would blow away a multi-panel installation in terms of wow factor and usage flexibility,” says Cheryl McGinty Weiland, Vice President – Hospitality for LG Fulfillment. “Now they can split up the 50-foot-wide display however they want, show live TV flanked by marketing messages or even have a schedule of pre-programmed content pieces that use the display in various configurations throughout the day.”

Says the PR:

The content delivery system includes a media player for digital advertisements, a video resolution processor that scales traditional content to fit the displays’ unique aspect ratios, and a media player that connects to Blackdove’s digital art subscription service to display captivating animated visuals. Using a tablet, staff can quickly make adjustments to the display setup and alternate between live TV, artwork and promotional content, so it’s easy to switch from showing four TV channels to showing a single piece of ultra-wide digital art.

The identical displays feature a 1.8mm pixel pitch and 800 nits of brightness, making them excellent for viewing up close or from 100 feet away.

“Another benefit for the property is that we didn’t use any proprietary content management software, so they can use any platform they choose,” McGinty Weiland said. “This way they aren’t locked into something that only we can operate or service, and ensures they can stay flexible as their needs change, or as digital media continues to evolve.”

LG and Host Hotels & Resorts also collaborated to create immersive and captivating anamorphic content specifically suited to the unique aspect ratio of these displays. In one content scenario, the displays present a ‘room’, a three-dimensional space on the screen, in which textured 3D animations appear and interact.

It begins with the Invitation to the Space of Light, which shows a shimmering golden banner flowing freely to fill the 3D space and create new textures on the ‘walls’, energizing viewers with feelings of excitement. That leads into The City Dream and Fantasy, a golden-colored space that transforms into different colors and moods to reflect the unique elements of New York City. Finally, the experience culminates in World Full of Glitters, which transitions to a blue-tinged scene that mixes the city skyline with fanciful animations including a glittering virtual character that appears through a hole in the ceiling and attracts another character.

“This eye-catching content leverages the distinct shape of the DVLED displays to present visitors with an unforgettable visual experience that’s unique to this spectacular hotel,” said Benner. “That’s the promise of custom DVLED displays. Requiring no standard format or aspect ratio, displays of this type enable owners and creatives to reimagine what visual content can convey.”

Impressive, and another example of how LED is now mainstream display tech. Five years ago, somebody would have been ready with a defibrillator when the customer was handed the cost estimate. But costs have come down, while both the quality and awareness of the tech has come up.

That said, this is the sort of thing that seems kind of appropriate, given where it is. I’m not sure we’ll see this in a Courtyard By Marriott in Hartford, CT anytime soon.