ATLANTA—The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (RICE) has deployed four 86-inch LG televisions and the Key Digital KD-VW4x4ProK video wall processor as the fundamental technologies in a new video wall system dedicated to delivering the “wow” factor needed to advance the mission of the center, the companies reported.
RICE, part incubator, part accelerator, part innovation lab and part Black entrepreneurship museum, is a not-for-profit facility dedicated exclusively to helping Black entrepreneurs grow their early-stage businesses by offering a place and space, mentorship, educational opportunities and other resources to help them succeed.
The new video wall was installed in a space known as the Pitch Deck as part of the larger RICE AV infrastructure by AV, security and automation firm INEX Systems and Designs.
Calling the previous setup “underwhelming,” RICE stakeholder and INEX Systems owner Zebadiah Henry said the Pitch Deck plays and instrumental role in helping entrepreneurs succeed. “They bring the venture capitalists back here to try to get funding as part of the business development process,” he said. “We need to ‘Wow’ everybody.”
While the original intention was to deploy a full LED wall, the cost of that approach was beyond the available budget, he said.
INEX Systems, rather, relied on the LG televisions and Key Digital. Henry’s company has more than 10 years of experience working with Key Digital on digital connectivity and control solutions, many of which are present throughout the RICE building. They are used for applications ranging from digital signage and conferencing to AV-over-IP content distribution.
Based on his knowledge of Key Digital, Henry outfitted the Pitch Deck with the 4K KD-VW4x4ProK, specially engineered to cost-effectively create high-impact video walls using consumer panels and monitors.
The installation relies on four HDMI inputs with four outputs mirrored to HDMI outputs and to RJ45 jacks for CAT5e/6 extension transmission via UHDoTP (UHD over Twisted Pair). The four AV-over-IP extender receivers that come bundled with the KD-VW4x4ProK are powered over the CAT links. In the Pitch Deck, they are located behind the screens where they feed HDMI to the monitors.
The KD-VW4x4ProK additionally features seamless 4x4 matrix switching, two-channel analog and digital multichannel surround audio de-embedding and independent audio routing. The solution supports 4K / UHD content up to 3840 x 2160p 4:2:0 at 60fps.
Henry’s company took advantage of the 180-degree rotate function of the Key Digital processors to maintain optimum aesthetic appeal for the video wall.
With the panel flip processor function engaged, the processors electronically flip the images fed to the top two monitors 180 degrees. Doing so enabled INEX Systems to sidestep an aesthetic issue raised by the monitors’, in Henry’s words, “ugly” protrusions that extend from the lower bezels.
“It made it simple to just flip the top TVs in the web UI interface,” said Henry. “I dialed in the IP addresses, flipped the two TVs, adjusted the bezels and it took me all of two minutes.”
The Pitch Deck system also incorporates two Key Digital KD-XWPS HDMI/USB-C wall plate switcher/extenders for source input and a KD-BYOD4K wireless presentation gateway that allows presenters to cast content easily into the system via Wi-Fi from computers, tablets and smart phones. Demonstrating how Key Digital gear can integrate with various system control platforms, the Pitch Deck gear is interfaced with an IP-based URC Total Control system for touchscreen management of window shades, lighting and presentation setup preset toggling. The system communicates with the KD-VW4x4ProK to control the video wall for display of one overall image or simultaneous showing of multiple sources, such as a video conference display alongside a presentation.
Elsewhere in the building, Compass Control Pro – Key Digital’s integrated iOS control system for its products and over 120 brands of third-party AV and facility infrastructure gear – is used for AV-over-IP distribution management.
More information is available on the Key Digital and INEX Systems websites.
