LED Allows Drapes To Be Drawn Open At Renovated Conference Center

February 22, 2023 by Dave Haynes

Not sure I’d call this digital signage, but it’s a compelling example of how fine-pitch LED screens are being designed in to new or renovated corporate spaces.

This is the renovated executive conference center for Edwards Lifesciences, a medical tech company based in the LA area. With construction done, the 126-seat center now sports a pair of 16-by-9-foot 1.2mm video walls supplied by Christie.

The AV side of the project was specified and integrated by Sound Image, and designed in collaboration with PLANNET, the impressive new space can seat 126 people.

The project is also a good visual reminder of a core benefit of fine pitch LED in spaces like this. With projection or LCD video walls, those windows to the right would have the blinds down and drapes pulled together, as a hedge against glare. With LED, ambient light is not really an issue.

Christie, in PR, says Edwards was looking for a fully redundant space that included a full video production suite as well as self-serviceability.

Two 16-by-9-foot Christie 1.2mm LED video walls were installed with redundant Christie E600 controllers and driven by a Christie Spyder X80 image processor. With seating to accommodate 126 people, microphones were installed at each spot. Six cameras are used at the front and two in the rear of the room, in conjunction with the Spyder X80, which enables multi-window and self-configurable full auto-tracking during video calls.

The selection of Christie LED video walls was driven by budget and the unique requirements for the space. “We looked at a couple other Christie products and solutions as well as other manufacturers, but the customer likes Christie, and I like supporting Christie,” says Jared Shapiro, account executive, Sound Image. “The customer wanted an off-board power supply because of heat concerns they had in this space. This allowed us to move all those BTUs into the rack room where they can be better controlled.”

The Christie LED video wall is front-serviceable and features an optional remote power supply for installation flexibility, efficient heat management and redundancies. This premium LED video wall solution delivers 4K@60Hz resolution, HDR10 compatibility, built-in Clearview™ technology, and low-brightness enhancements for incredible visual experiences.

The use of a Christie Spyder X80 image processor in the boardroom was in part to standardize the technology across Edwards’ campus and to take advantage of its multi-windowing capabilities. “Spyder has been established across multiple projects throughout this campus, and what I like to do is standardize some of the technologies that we’re using,” says Shapiro. “Spyder is driving the multi-window and auto-tracking functionality, which helped us create clean transitions and multi-window presets.”

The requirement to create a fully redundant space was unique to the project. While it added complexity to the system, and required significantly more rack space, Sound Image was well-prepared to take on the challenge. “Sound Image is a touring company by heart, and we’ve been in the audio industry for decades. The show must go on, and we could never cancel a concert because we have technical difficulties. We have that same mindset when we do permanent installations,” says Shapiro.

Additionally, the condensed installation timeline meant that Sound Image was working concurrently in the space with construction crews and carpenters, but care was taken to ensure the project went smoothly.