18th Dec 25

Why do I need a video wall and how do they work?

Video walls are large screen displays, normally comprising multiple video wall display screens, that allow you to display a whole range of different information from a variety of data sources, simultaneously, and in stunningly clear and large formats.

They are used in a variety of applications, with one of the main ones being in control rooms for things such as security, traffic monitoring and system management and interaction, providing operational staff with important live operational data.

They can also be used for advertising and to create impressive information displays in reception areas and interactive displays in meeting spaces.

How do video walls work?

Video walls comprise three main components: the video wall controller, the video wall control software and the video wall display.

The video wall controller is at the heart of any video wall system. It is connected in various ways to all the different data sources that you wish to display. These data sources can comprise different types but typically they might include:

• Physically connected sources, such as a computer/workstation, laptop or TV tuner HDMI type sources, so that the content of a PC screen or a TV feed can be displayed on the video wall, typically in a larger format than a single display.
• Network connected web pages and URLs are becoming increasingly common as a requirement to be displayed on a video wall, as more and more data becomes cloud based and dashboards are provided as monitoring tools for corporations.
• Network connected CCTV and other IP video streams, to monitor property, business premises, city centres and/or transport conditions.
• RSS feeds and message box data, to allow up-to-date status and important message information to be relayed to operational staff via the video wall.
• Network connected remote workstations and virtual machines. Increasingly companies are utilising virtual machines to increase their processing capabilities and need to have the data generated on those machines available to the video wall for displaying important operational data.

Connecting with video wall controller software

The video wall controller has access to all the different data sources you wish to display, and using video wall control software, you can select which sources are output on the video wall controller graphic output cards to the video wall screens.

The video wall controller software provides the real magic to allow you to quickly display the sources that you need to see, where you need to see them and at the required size. It allows a single data source (for example, a CCTV feed monitoring a traffic incident), to be displayed large-scale across multiple screens, providing more detail to control room operators who are monitoring and coordinating the response to the incident.

Equally, multiple data sources, of different types, can be displayed in single screen areas for overview monitoring of applications. Any layout can be stored as a ‘preset’ and quickly recalled from an associated desk-mounted touch panel at the press of a single button. Specific changes required to any launched preset can then be made very quickly, if needed, from the control software application.

High level video wall controllers, such as the UVS Lucidity range, also allow integration to external systems to allow the video wall layouts to automatically change based on external events or alarms.

The video wall control software is ‘the glue’ that connects the video wall controller inputs to the video wall controller outputs, so that you can manipulate and display the pixels from a data source onto any pixel area of the video wall. The video wall is in effect the desktop of the video wall controller.

The video wall display. We work with a wide range of manufacturers so that we can offer the perfect displays to meet your needs, taking into account factors such as cost, size and the ability to offer seamless, 24/7 mission-critical operation.

Speak to Ultimate Visual Solutions

More information on the type of solutions we can offer, such as LCD, LED, ultra-thin bezel and displays of up to 65-inch, which can be used to create a much large video wall, is available here

As always, all of the above can be discussed in detail by contacting UVS via our website or calling 01282 606525.