Video Wall Troubleshooting

Who is Monitoring Your Monitoring Center Displays?

While video walls are increasingly seen in public spaces, corporate lobbies and retail environments, their origins lie primarily in command & control/security environments.  These mission-critical video walls often monitor assets and personnel in remote locations, and are required to run 24/7/365.  Emergency Operations Centers, for example, constantly monitor first responders and the constantly evolving circumstances on the ground.  However, the very display hardware used in this surveillance is rarely monitored to the same extent. 

Auto Condition Reporting (ACR)

GPO US’ Auto Condition Reporting (ACR) program allows users to keep tabs on video walls in remote locations and reduces the need for on-site diagnostics and troubleshooting.   GPO US’ “Superior” video wall series features compatibility with our SM100 “Smart Controller”, which provides an LED status readout showing the condition of inputs, power supply, and panel on a particular monitor.  Each Smart Controller connects to a given video wall array via RS-232 daisy-chain, so only one Smart Controller is required per video wall.  The Smart Controller also features a LAN port, which connects to a router and offers remote monitoring of displays status from anywhere in the world with internet connectivity. 

This leads to a significantly reduced diagnostic turn-time and eliminates the need to remove screens for troubleshooting purposes.  If the Smart Controller is connected to a router via the LAN port, GPO US service technicians will be able to offer assistance in diagnosing potential service issues remotely.  Lastly, if a customer grants GPO US access to their local network, GPO US’ remote server will gather usage data for a full history of each display, offering further insight into usage patterns and conditions leading up to a failure.

Benefits of ACR

The main benefit of ACR is its remote monitoring function.  Users can monitor display system statuses from anywhere in the world such as central offices, control rooms or even on Android mobile devices. Additionally, ACR records the duration of usage and activity of input signals.  As mentioned above, this information can be accessed thru simple network connectivity.  Lastly, the LED indicator lights on the displays’ Drive Electronics Kit (DEK) can be used for quick onsite diagnostics on the part of the user.  This reduces maintenance costs and has your unit up and running in virtually no time at all. 

Disruptive Onsite Troubleshooting

In the event of a display failure, camera feeds, maps and other source “windows” often need to be rearranged to avoid the “dead” space on the video wall, meaning valuable real estate is being sacrificed- quite disruptive, indeed.  This can be exacerbated by the diagnostics process, as panels may need to be removed from the wall for further evaluation and view of adjacent panels may be blocked in the process.  The intrusion of service technicians into command & control workspace is never welcome but is regrettably a necessity when remote diagnostics (typically via phone, telepresence or email) fail.

These sometimes invasive diagnostic processes have been mitigated to some extent by video wall designs which remove drive electronics (power supply, controller board) entirely from the rear of LCD panels.  However, this presents another set of challenges as the rack room housing these off-boarded components can reside hundreds of feet from the video wall panels.  This drives up cost significantly and can pose problems when racks are placed in excess of 300’ from panels.

All-Slide DEK

GPO US’ All-Slide DEK (Drive Electronics Kit) does away with the need to remove panels in the majority of service cases.  The DEK contains a power supply, controller board and LVDS & power inverter interface in a small box which resides on the backend of the panel in GPO US’ 46” “EN-S” video wall series.  This design eliminates run distance issues associated with rack-mounted controllers and power supplies. 

In the event of a board failure, simply enter GPO US’ Swing-out mount (or third-party push-and-pull mount) into its service position.  From there, the DEK may be removed from the rear of the panel by loosening two thumbscrews and pulling the DEK downward from the rear of the LCD panel.  A replacement DEK is then inserted in the place of the malfunctioning DEK and thumbscrews re-tightened.  This entire operation can be done in 5-10 minutes without removal of a single LCD panel.

Onsite visits during installation

GPO offers optional onsite supervision for every new installation.  We assist with color matching/calibration and configuration of your new video wall.  Here at GPO US, we guide you every step of the way.  Typically, one GPO US technician travels to your location and ensures that your video wall is properly color balanced and aligned with fine tune adjustments made prior to final commissioning.  We help prevent potential ventilation issues, other potentially hazardous environmental conditions and problematic implementation of system design.   This has proven invaluable for many of our installations.   If “Superior” video walls are purchased with Smart Controllers for ACR monitoring, onsite installation assistance is strongly recommended to ensure proper function of the ACR system for first-time buyers.

Phone Tests

Call our Toll free line at 855-GPO-CORP during business hours and a GPO US representative is available to assist you with any questions you may have.  While other companies may put you through self automated messages, GPO US has a representative on the phone to guide you through color calibration, technical video wall information, and installation.