LG Launches Training Academy Aimed At Boosting Awareness, Expertise For Direct View LED
March 9, 2023 by Dave Haynes
One of the reasons many LED manufacturers market fixed-size all-in-one LED displays is that their partner ecosystems include a lot of companies and people who don’t fully have their heads around how these kinds of display projects come together. The challenge with that approach is that bundled solutions can limit what might get pitched and specified for jobs.
So a 150-inch ready-to-go unit might get deployed in a space that could have used a much larger display or worked more with architecture that might be more than a big, otherwise empty rectangle.
I suspect pro AV knowledge levels are rising, as LED gets mainstreamed and integrators get involved in more of these kinds of projects. But another way to improve knowledge and probably boost product and services sales is to do more education – which brings me to news about Korean electronics giant LG launching a training academy offering product and installation classes for integration partners, starting with in-person accredited courses on direct-view LED tech.
LG | U will operate from the company’s U.S. headquarters for LG Business Solutions in suburban Chicago. LG will also have virtual courses and do a U.S. tour for in-person classes in 2023.
“Technology advances every day, offering new opportunities for businesses and integration firms that design and install AV solutions,” says James Pfenning, Technical Sales Director at LG Business Solutions. “Technicians who are properly trained and certified to install, integrate and service the latest products are best prepared to capitalize on these opportunities. Without this education, firms limit their ability to bid on many projects. We want our partners to enjoy continued success and growth, and by opening LG | U programs to the professional integration community, we are providing easy access to valuable training with both in-person and virtual options.”
From PR:
The inaugural LG | U course, DVLED Installation, provides integrators with extensive hands-on training that prepares them to install and maintain both pre-packaged and customizable displays that come in a variety of pixel pitches, sizes, shapes and even curvatures. The company chose to start with this course based on current market demand and the major installation differences for DVLED displays compared with other large-format display options, including fine-pitch DVLED’s more delicate components that require greater care to install.
Pfenning said the DVLED curriculum will soon expand to include more courses, starting with DVLED Basics that explains terminology, how diodes work, what components are in a DVLED display and what the ingress protection rating means, while delivering a full understanding of LG’s growing DVLED product catalog. DVLED System Design will launch at about the same time, offering designers, architects, specifiers and integrators detailed instructions on how to select and specify the right DVLED product for each unique need, covering topics such as pixel pitch, viewing distance, room size, power requirements, brightness, and mounting options, as well as compatibility and use in rental and staging projects.
To maximize value for participants, LG worked to achieve course accreditation from AVIXA, the premier trade association representing the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. The two-day installation course provides up to 32 total renewal units (RUs), including 16 standard Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credits and 16 CTS-I (Installation) credits. The upcoming DVLED courses will provide RUs as well, in addition to future courses later in the year focusing on CLOi robots and CreateBoard interactive digital displays.
Gearing up for the official launch of LG | U, the company hosted seven DVLED course sessions to date, with initial feedback from the 70-plus attendees suggesting that presentations and hands-on instruction are invaluable to integrators who are new to DVLED, or new to LG’s DVLED products specifically.
LG | U is also developing live webinar and online recording options for each course to ensure every integration partner can access training when they need it. Most online courses will not involve hands-on experience with products and will subsequently require less time and offer fewer RU credits. In addition to the new interactive digital displays and robotics courses launching later this year, the DVLED course list will expand to include specific product trainings for LG’s DVLED transparent film, MAGNIT Micro-LED displays, and exciting yet-to-be announced products.
Training is not an area I pay a bunch of attention, so I can’t really say if LG’s efforts are unique, late to the game or something else. I do know Samsung has a business academy and announced some LED-focused courses last year.
New or not, training is inarguably a good thing – PARTICULARLY with a rapid evolving technology like LED.
Thanks for shedding more light on this topic. As you know education and training are front and center for me. I have now written 6 articles and 4 white papers under the concept of knowing the unknowns. All are vendor neutral since this falls under an industry issue and not propriety to a single brand. Let our collective voices be heard to raise the level of knowledge about what can be a confusing topic. Thanks again!