Interactive Corp LED video

Overview

IAC’s lobby contains two separate video walls. One marks the east side and rests above the security reception desk, spanning 20 feet wide by 10 feet high. The other nearly spans the entire city block that the Frank Gehry architectural landmark rests on, approximately 120 feet wide by 10 feet high, 1,200 square feet. This west wall overlooks Manhattan’s West Side Highway where passersby can admire the view from the open glass windows. Due to the west wall’s impressive scale, one might even catch a glimpse from across the Hudson River.

Challenges

The client had simple goals: deliver the ultimate quality with cutting edge technology that was both simple and familiar to operate. “They wanted to build a system that would be state-of-the-art for a long time,” according to Craig Tepke, CTO, VCA.

While the goals may have been simple, the engineering was highly complex. They knew they wanted to continue using the space as they had been for years, renting it to corporate clients for high-end live events. They had a flow going with established clients who were comfortable using pre-defined shows and elements. IAC wanted to maintain that experience while updating the technology. They wanted to increase the video resolution to display content at 4K 60, 12-bit color depth, supporting HDR and 12G SDI—all routed by an IP system transported over 10G Ethernet.

The first challenge approached in this large venue installation was selecting the LED solution. As there are many large-format, Direct View LED providers to choose from today, VCA led IAC to a range of solutions. IAC ultimately landed on Christie’s CorePlus Series, 1.4mm pixel pitch, paired with Christie’s brand new Spyder X80 processors​. This is the third generation of Spyders at IAC.

At this scale, the combination of high resolution, advanced processing, and routing required VCA to perform extensive testing of the system. The result is truly state of the art, and as such, there were many instances where these components were being integrated together as industry firsts.

Technical Solutions

The west wall is comprised of 77 CorePlus LED cabinets in length while the east wall is comprised of 13; both walls rise 6 cabinets high. The CorePlus LEDs feature Macroblock driver integrated circuits. They are designed for high image uniformity, efficient power usage and precise output control with onboard surge protection. Each CorePlus solution is UL 60950 certified, ensuring that all the components have been tested to work together.

Christie’s Spyder X80 processors are purpose built for managing large amounts of video content. A single X80 can handle the 53 million pixels required for IAC’s west wall. In the interest of fully protecting their investment, IAC opted for two additional X80s for complete redundancy of each video wall. Since the Spyder X80 is modular, IAC and VCA were able to choose the amount of inputs and outputs required for the project with the ability to add more in the future if required. Since every channel is 4K capable, a larger amount of inputs and outputs were not required. The Christie solution also includes E600 LED controllers, 7 for the west wall, 2 for the east.

IAC’s desire to display content at 4K60 with 12-bit color is unique for this type of installation. The choice adds complexity with significant bandwidth consumption, yet, “It’s going for the ultimate quality,” Tepke notes.

Outcomes

IAC now has one of the most advanced video wall systems ever built, serving to entice high end clients for unmatched live event experiences. Both video walls boast an extremely tight LED pixel pitch, IP routing, complete redundancy for any failure mitigation, and precisely aligned structural support.