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.
