With high resolution LED now available at lower cost and at
lighter weights and in flexible configurations, it can be used on a big scale
and in more creative ways to deliver digital spectaculars.
How do you make content stand out in a world
of screens? Digital screens used to be flat, framed and square
but new flexible LED technologies are freeing designers to get
creative with format and to showcase more artistic content. “With
flexible and freeform LED the creative possibilities are virtually
limitless,” says Michel Buchner from creative technology provider,
Nexxt Technology.
https://www.inavateonthenet.net/features/article/scaling-up-the-opportunities-of-modern-led
“The only problem is that the majority of designers and architects are not aware of this yet. Once they think beyond the frame and more about animated wallpaper, patterns, and textures blended as elements in their designs we expect a large rise in the use of aesthetic media with projection mapping and flexible LED.” Only five years ago, LED technology was best known for large format outdoor installations but in recent years, the miniaturisation of LED components has made it possible to obtain increasingly fine pitch at affordable prices such that it is now replacing LCD inboard rooms.
“We recognised the value of flexible LED a while ago especially because of the work we do in retail,” says Adam Wilson, director of digital media solutions provider Intevi. “We did our first proper digital art in 2014 in Covent Garden for Galleria Mellisa. It was a statement piece more about digital art than a display but they didn’t want just a big TV. The only way to achieve it was with fine pitch LED.
“That said, it’s always been a challenge to get customers to think about screens beyond a 16x9 frame and ultimately to think beyond a TV shape and be a bit more images going around corners.”
The first examples of flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) shown in a ribbon configuration were presented at ISE some years ago.
Arguably, the real shift was the custom fabrication of PCB shapes which permit the design of any cut shape. From circles to complete logos and even domes- all made to spec. Some companies are putting a lot of R&D into refining custom PCB design products. It’s the smaller manufacturers who tend to offer this service rather than the larger manufacturers who are more focused on volume, identifies Buchner.
LED ‘sheets’ exhibited at ISE2020 from Spanish company Flying Screens can be combined to create custom-size screens for installation in unconventional locations such as on curved surfaces. The company claims the technology allows design and features which are currently impossible to reach with traditional LED panels. China’s LianTronics showed an ultra-thin and lightweight LED display for OOH offering 8,000 nits, and 14-bit greyscale.
Its new RM series is for the rental market and weighs 25kg per sq m to be spliced into shapes such as concave, L-shape, curved and dislocation.
Projection versus LED
LED and projection have their own uses, pros and cons. An immersive experience with no daylight where people are close to the image would not make sense with curved LED. An airport with an advertisement column with ambient daylight could work with flexible LED but certainly not with projection.
“Projection still has its place, such as for a transparent image display where projection has no rival,” says Wilson. “Equally, there are certain scenarios where you can’t use projection without problems such as in window displays or areas of high ambient light.”
Jones offers that projection may beat LED if you’re trying to map content onto complex shapes like cars or shoes, but there’s no beating LED when it comes to using video as an architectural feature. “If you want to put a ring on top of a skyscraper, build around about on the outside of an arena or wrap a stage in video then LED is your product of choice.”
Flexible LED can easily be manipulated into simple curved shapes, but they aren’t flexible enough (yet) to accommodate the compound curves of three-dimensional shapes. As Peter Jones, Anna Valley MD puts it, “We can easily build a cylinder but not a pear shape. ”The main issues limiting LED’s flexibility are long lead times and batch mixing at a distribution level, which can impact colour consistency of the final installation,” according to Tom Fenton, senior business development manager, Peerless-AV.
“There’s also no standard LED sizing because every manufacturer has their own cabinet size and dedicated mounting pattern. Typically, this means the mounting structure required to support the LED is almost always custom.” But if you design around the limits of the products then almost anything is possible.“
Organic curves can be created by combining irregularly shaped LED modules and including some faceted curves to achieve the desired effect,” says Jones. “In any industry there are those that challenge the norm and push the boundaries of what is possible, we’re fortunate that the designers who think in organic and creative ways tend to come to us.”
According to Buchner, most installers will just do what their clients, architects and designers ask of them within their product portfolio. “The bulk of their work is to deliver a standard aspect ratio solution where the creative process in design language and content design is not an intrinsic motivation and has most of the time already happened,” he says.
“In general, installers tend to stick to the proven portfolio with straight lines and flat surfaces.”Outside of the corporate market, designers, installers and architects are being far more artistic and imaginative in their LED designs.
“Architects have a very creative spirit,” says Julien Perie, project manager at French LED provider Pekason. “They generally have no difficulty in designing original screens."
Nonetheless a central question is how to make designers aware of all the creative possibilities and remove the fear of working with visual technology. “The physical design and content production processes need to be completely in sync for complex LED installations,” says Jones. “Pre-visualisation is important for content designers so we produce a detailed pixel map of the physical design and then translate that into a digital 3D model so they can see exactly how their content will land on the screen.”
With so many possibilities, from fixed to wall and pop-out, ceiling suspended, recessed, moveable on track system, and even concave and convex, content needs to be adapted according to the structural design.
“A key consideration is where the content is being viewed from and does it need to be in a specific aspect ratio as this will impact which pixel pitch should be used,” advises Fenton. Wilson finds some videowall screen suppliers haven’t taken the time investment to learn this technology. “We spend time and money to research the tech and train our pre-install and design teams, our technicians, whether for standard LED or curved.
“The minute we talk about screens not being standard shaped or oriented then content creation becomes a challenge, even though the procedure is largely the same as before. There has to be more consideration about the media playback and a lot more thought about content than ever before. You can spend a million quid on the most amazing LED screen but it’s worthless if you don’t invest in the content.
“The product is more reliable than it has been, fine pitches are decreasing all the time. But people still feel as if it’s a black art – that it’s still quite complicated – which it is not.”
Budgets will be restrictive, since it is still a higher-priced niche product. A flexible LED tile, for example, needs a metal supporting back structure to bring it into shape and attach the tiles magnetically. This adds cost and custom engineering.
Cylinders and one-directional ribbons are fairly straight forward but the challenge begins when doing more intricate designs.
“For unique cut out shapes, you will need custom-designed PCB’s from the manufacturer,” Buchner advises.
“An ellipse shape has standard square tiles in the middle, so that is standard fabrication. All the curved edges on the ellipse will need to be custom designed.
Design
The biggest challenge is to approach design with a spatial mindset. Buchner explains: “In the early days with events, we had talented screen designers that made the most beautiful things for TV screens within a frame. It took time, discussions and numerous visits to the venues to explain the impact and workings of their images in a large layered space like an arena show.
In any industry there are those that challenge the norm and push the boundaries of what is possible, we’re fortunate that the designers who think in organic and creative ways tend to come to us - Peter Jones, Anna Valley
“The only problem is that the majority of designers and architects are not aware of this yet. Once they think beyond the frame and more about animated wallpaper, patterns, and textures blended as elements in their designs we expect a large rise in the use of aesthetic media with projection mapping and flexible LED.” Only five years ago, LED technology was best known for large format outdoor installations but in recent years, the miniaturisation of LED components has made it possible to obtain increasingly fine pitch at affordable prices such that it is now replacing LCD inboard rooms.
“We recognised the value of flexible LED a while ago especially because of the work we do in retail,” says Adam Wilson, director of digital media solutions provider Intevi. “We did our first proper digital art in 2014 in Covent Garden for Galleria Mellisa. It was a statement piece more about digital art than a display but they didn’t want just a big TV. The only way to achieve it was with fine pitch LED.
“That said, it’s always been a challenge to get customers to think about screens beyond a 16x9 frame and ultimately to think beyond a TV shape and be a bit more images going around corners.”
The first examples of flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) shown in a ribbon configuration were presented at ISE some years ago.
Arguably, the real shift was the custom fabrication of PCB shapes which permit the design of any cut shape. From circles to complete logos and even domes- all made to spec. Some companies are putting a lot of R&D into refining custom PCB design products. It’s the smaller manufacturers who tend to offer this service rather than the larger manufacturers who are more focused on volume, identifies Buchner.
LED ‘sheets’ exhibited at ISE2020 from Spanish company Flying Screens can be combined to create custom-size screens for installation in unconventional locations such as on curved surfaces. The company claims the technology allows design and features which are currently impossible to reach with traditional LED panels. China’s LianTronics showed an ultra-thin and lightweight LED display for OOH offering 8,000 nits, and 14-bit greyscale.
Its new RM series is for the rental market and weighs 25kg per sq m to be spliced into shapes such as concave, L-shape, curved and dislocation.
Projection versus LED
LED and projection have their own uses, pros and cons. An immersive experience with no daylight where people are close to the image would not make sense with curved LED. An airport with an advertisement column with ambient daylight could work with flexible LED but certainly not with projection.
“Projection still has its place, such as for a transparent image display where projection has no rival,” says Wilson. “Equally, there are certain scenarios where you can’t use projection without problems such as in window displays or areas of high ambient light.”
Jones offers that projection may beat LED if you’re trying to map content onto complex shapes like cars or shoes, but there’s no beating LED when it comes to using video as an architectural feature. “If you want to put a ring on top of a skyscraper, build around about on the outside of an arena or wrap a stage in video then LED is your product of choice.”
Flexible LED can easily be manipulated into simple curved shapes, but they aren’t flexible enough (yet) to accommodate the compound curves of three-dimensional shapes. As Peter Jones, Anna Valley MD puts it, “We can easily build a cylinder but not a pear shape. ”The main issues limiting LED’s flexibility are long lead times and batch mixing at a distribution level, which can impact colour consistency of the final installation,” according to Tom Fenton, senior business development manager, Peerless-AV.
“There’s also no standard LED sizing because every manufacturer has their own cabinet size and dedicated mounting pattern. Typically, this means the mounting structure required to support the LED is almost always custom.” But if you design around the limits of the products then almost anything is possible.“
Organic curves can be created by combining irregularly shaped LED modules and including some faceted curves to achieve the desired effect,” says Jones. “In any industry there are those that challenge the norm and push the boundaries of what is possible, we’re fortunate that the designers who think in organic and creative ways tend to come to us.”
According to Buchner, most installers will just do what their clients, architects and designers ask of them within their product portfolio. “The bulk of their work is to deliver a standard aspect ratio solution where the creative process in design language and content design is not an intrinsic motivation and has most of the time already happened,” he says.
“In general, installers tend to stick to the proven portfolio with straight lines and flat surfaces.”Outside of the corporate market, designers, installers and architects are being far more artistic and imaginative in their LED designs.
“Architects have a very creative spirit,” says Julien Perie, project manager at French LED provider Pekason. “They generally have no difficulty in designing original screens."
Nonetheless a central question is how to make designers aware of all the creative possibilities and remove the fear of working with visual technology. “The physical design and content production processes need to be completely in sync for complex LED installations,” says Jones. “Pre-visualisation is important for content designers so we produce a detailed pixel map of the physical design and then translate that into a digital 3D model so they can see exactly how their content will land on the screen.”
With so many possibilities, from fixed to wall and pop-out, ceiling suspended, recessed, moveable on track system, and even concave and convex, content needs to be adapted according to the structural design.
“A key consideration is where the content is being viewed from and does it need to be in a specific aspect ratio as this will impact which pixel pitch should be used,” advises Fenton. Wilson finds some videowall screen suppliers haven’t taken the time investment to learn this technology. “We spend time and money to research the tech and train our pre-install and design teams, our technicians, whether for standard LED or curved.
“The minute we talk about screens not being standard shaped or oriented then content creation becomes a challenge, even though the procedure is largely the same as before. There has to be more consideration about the media playback and a lot more thought about content than ever before. You can spend a million quid on the most amazing LED screen but it’s worthless if you don’t invest in the content.
“The product is more reliable than it has been, fine pitches are decreasing all the time. But people still feel as if it’s a black art – that it’s still quite complicated – which it is not.”
Budgets will be restrictive, since it is still a higher-priced niche product. A flexible LED tile, for example, needs a metal supporting back structure to bring it into shape and attach the tiles magnetically. This adds cost and custom engineering.
Cylinders and one-directional ribbons are fairly straight forward but the challenge begins when doing more intricate designs.
“For unique cut out shapes, you will need custom-designed PCB’s from the manufacturer,” Buchner advises.
“An ellipse shape has standard square tiles in the middle, so that is standard fabrication. All the curved edges on the ellipse will need to be custom designed.
Design
The biggest challenge is to approach design with a spatial mindset. Buchner explains: “In the early days with events, we had talented screen designers that made the most beautiful things for TV screens within a frame. It took time, discussions and numerous visits to the venues to explain the impact and workings of their images in a large layered space like an arena show.
In any industry there are those that challenge the norm and push the boundaries of what is possible, we’re fortunate that the designers who think in organic and creative ways tend to come to us - Peter Jones, Anna Valley
“The same challenge will apply for those designing in
the public space. The upside is that today we have better
visualisation tools, like VR and 3D CAD, to validate designs and
create a digital spatial experience upfront.
There’s also a large 3D mapping design crowd that has the experience to think spatially and knows the tricks to bring a space to life.” The most important factor is analysing the space and purpose you are designing for and thinking in content from the start - without the boundaries of hardware. Questions like ‘Is it a commercial or primarily artistic design?’ and ‘What should your spectator experience?’ are paramount.
Do you want active attention or does it complement the space in an artistic way like a wallpaper or light sculpture?
“Every space or building has its own approach with visual media, but with numerous solutions and financial ramifications,” Buchner says. “It’s is absolutely vital to drop the convention of the regular screen as most people look at it today.
”Nexxt has an in house trial with a young classical educated architect, “with zest and knowledge of motion video design,” to see how he approaches the design challenges.
Despite this, Buchner’s hunch is that it will take many years before ‘thinking outside the frame’ becomes a widely accepted design methodology.
There’s also a large 3D mapping design crowd that has the experience to think spatially and knows the tricks to bring a space to life.” The most important factor is analysing the space and purpose you are designing for and thinking in content from the start - without the boundaries of hardware. Questions like ‘Is it a commercial or primarily artistic design?’ and ‘What should your spectator experience?’ are paramount.
Do you want active attention or does it complement the space in an artistic way like a wallpaper or light sculpture?
“Every space or building has its own approach with visual media, but with numerous solutions and financial ramifications,” Buchner says. “It’s is absolutely vital to drop the convention of the regular screen as most people look at it today.
”Nexxt has an in house trial with a young classical educated architect, “with zest and knowledge of motion video design,” to see how he approaches the design challenges.
Despite this, Buchner’s hunch is that it will take many years before ‘thinking outside the frame’ becomes a widely accepted design methodology.
No comments:
Post a Comment