Massive Scale Monday, August 31, 2009 High-resolution LED screen technology is evolving at a seemingly constant rate, and designers are leveraging them at shows and events in increasingly creative presentations. Huge LED walls are replacing traditional architecture in some applications, and the flexibility and custom-friendly products out there mean the sky is the limit when it comes to creating new looks. LED experts and designers who leveraged these screens to perfection this summer at E3 weigh in on things to keep in mind in order to pull it off right. Rigging. Ignited’s exhibit for Activision at E3 leveraged huge floor-mounted LED screens flanking the booth’s main presentation stage, as well as a gigantic screen used as a stage backdrop. Rigging the screens wasn’t possible due to venue restrictions. “Everything needed to be ground-supported, as opposed to rigged. Size and weight are key concerns from the outset. When you know you’re going that route, you need to consider engineering and fabricating the ground supports,” says Ignited project manager Todd Kenman. Rigging the screens is significantly easier than floor mounting, but it all boils down to what the ceiling above is capable of supporting. Get on board with venues early to make sure the ceiling can handle the load for rigging. Viewing. Upstage Video ceo Doug Murray says designers should first determine all of the content on the screen, then determine how big of a screen is needed. “Size, resolution, and viewing distance all play a part in the decision. The viewing angle is important, but the viewing angles from most top-tier products are so good now it’s almost a non-issue,” Murray says. For the Activision project, Kenman and his team were a little concerned over viewing angles for the floor-mounted screens. “That’s a pretty unusual application because you usually don’t see an LED that low. The 12-foot tall LED walls on the ground created sightline challenges, so we tried to keep in mind that you need to be a certain distance away for it to make sense when coming up with content,” Kenman says. Blending Media and Structure. Play­station’s booth at E3 featured three large LED boards set at an angle atop the corner of the footprint. Blending the huge screens into the architectural look and feel of the rest of the space was challenging, but critical, according to Pinnacle senior designer Steve Cook. “We put a bezel around the entire perimeter of the screen to hide what’s behind it and blend it into the architecture. We wanted to make sure the architecture did not compete with what was going on the screen, and we didn’t want to take away from video messaging with structure. The most elegant solution was to keep everything as clean and simple as possible because we felt that marketing the games was foremost,” Cook says. What’s Next? LED solutions that are increasingly customizable and flexible will be the next wave in this realm, Murray says. For example, DigiLED’s DigiFLEX product mounts LEDs in a flexible rubberized backing with magnetic mounts—allowing it to easily attach to any metal surface. “It rolls up, it’s much lighter;  they just need to figure out how to make it a little more durable. That’s what everyone’s looking for—no frame, no giant power supplies, it’s pretty cool,” Murray says. Stay tuned.
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