Based purely on outward appearances, it may not seem like there’s much difference between a consumer-grade television screen and a commercial-grade large-format display. When it comes to creating a video wall, however, their functionality has huge differences.
Key Differences Between Consumer and Commercial-Grade Display Panels:
Resolution
A television is a consumer-grade product that typically supports a limited amount of standard video resolutions (SD, HD, and UHD). On the other hand, a professional-grade display supports a broader range of video resolutions. This greater range of supported resolutions also means that professional displays can support a wider variety of inputs such as PCs, video conferencing hardware, television tuners, surveillance systems, and more.
Brightness
Operators in an operations center must be able to view the video wall display under all kinds of lighting conditions, including brightly lit rooms. Consumer-grade televisions have much lower brightness output in comparison to commercial-grade displays. Commercial displays have a brightness output which means the data being displayed is easily readable regardless of light conditions.
Reflection
In addition to having sufficient brightness to view the data on an operations center video wall, it’s also important to have sufficient reduction of surface reflection. Commercial-grade displays use anti-reflection surface treatments so that the data displayed will be visible in a wide variety of ambient lighting levels.
Color Accuracy
Commercial-grade displays have pre-calibrated factory settings that guarantee color accuracy. By contrast, consumer-grade displays do not have the same level of pre-calibration, and colors may be less accurate.
Heat Protection
The displays in an operations center need to be able to run 24 hours a day without losing image quality or causing damage to the components. This calls for more advanced heat protection than what can be found with consumer-grade displays.
Electronic Components
Professional grade products offer options for off-board electronics, meaning the display video processing systems and power supplies are located in a nearby equipment room. This minimizes the amount of electrical infrastructure needed at the display location.
Long-term operation and display lifetime
High-quality components and technologies ensure that professional-grade displays can withstand being used 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a long period of time. Consumer-grade displays are created to decrease cost, meaning that they lack critical components that would allow for round-the-clock, continuous use. When sourcing for a video wall, it’s vital to choose display technology that is rugged enough to endure the constant use required in mission-critical.
Connection and control capabilities
In an operations center environment, analysts need to be able to display numerous sources at the same time and have simple control over everything that’s displayed. The connectivity options for professional large-format displays are much greater, including more than just standard consumer input signals like HDMI and USB. In addition, the sources displayed on a professional display at any point can be simply controlled via a user-friendly control system.
Difference in standard means a more secure investment
Put simply, commercial-grade large format displays are produced at a much higher standard of quality than a display made for average consumption. That means less time — and money– spent on repairing and replacing the technology in your operations center.
Create a mission-critical video wall with Constant Technologies
For a video wall that will be on 24/7, it pays to work with an expert who knows the best commercial-grade display technology for your applications. With over 30 years in the industry, Constant knows the demands of mission-critical better than anyone else. We integrate custom video wall systems from the best technology on the market.
If you’d like to learn more about our mission-critical video walls, contact us today for a free design and budget consultation.
About Constant:
Constant Technologies, Inc. provides AV integration for 24/7 video walls and custom operation center furniture. With 30+ years of experience, we can work with sensitive environments in the public and private sectors. Constant designs and installs projects of all scopes and sizes around the world. We also offer long-term service and support. We create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics, and functionality in mind.
