Signage Insider

Planar Mosaic wins rAVe Publications Most Innovative New Digital Signage Hardware Product Award

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:10:00 GMT

Planar® Mosaic™ won the 'Most Innovative New Digital Signage Hardware Product' award for DSE 2012 from rAVe Publications . The first of many accolades for this now award-winning product line! See the full list of 2012 Digital Signage CHAMPS.

Definitive Concepts, Inc. Unveils Motorized Video Wall

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:11:00 GMT

Definitive Concepts, Inc. recently designed and installed a motorized video wall with four (4) 46" Clarity Matrix Video Wall displays which slide open at the push of a button to reveal an 80" LCD television. Check out the video below of this sleek, one of kind entertainment center:

Architectural Displays: Elevator Music for the Eyes

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:10:00 GMT

Jennifer Davis, Vice President of Marketing at Planar Systems, was recently chosen to guest write for InfoComm's blog, All Voices. To read the blog posts click below:

Architectural Displays: Elevator Music for the Eyes

Flex Theater: Coming to an Office Near You

Introducing the Planar Mosaic™

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:54:00 GMT

Planar® is excited to announce the introduction of Planar Mosaic™, the only video wall system providing three flat panel tile sizes including a new truly square LCD.

Utilizing proprietary Mosaic Ensemble™ hardware and software, the tiles can be rotated at virtually any angle and mounted in virtually any position, encouraging designers to experiment with negative space while extending project budgets.

This unique combination of software and image processing allows the display of a single image or video over the entire tile layout with unmatched simplicity.

A large-scale prototype exhibit of the Planar Mosaic architectural display system will debut February 16 - March 30 at the Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York, New York, in conjunction with video artist, Yorgo Alexopoulos.

Read the press release here or visit www.planar.com/mosaic for more information.

Planar’s Art Attack!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:23:00 GMT

In early December, Miami Beach played host to thousands of artists, collectors, dealers and lovers of art who descended upon the city to attend Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas, as well as over 15 other shows happening in and around the area. For the first time, Planar joined in on the week’s festivities, showcasing Planar products at three different venues. Planar’s team, led by VP of Marketing Jennifer Davis, hit the ground running with a jam-packed schedule of meetings and events.

Planar’s art show debut launched at Avant Gallery, in partnership with Avant Gallery and Surface Magazine, at the 3rd Annual Pictures + Furniture event on November 30th. The event marked the official launch of the new Planar Silhouette displays, featuring work from top industrial design and furniture artists Chad Jensen, Philip Michael Wolfson and Pryor Callaway on two Silhouettes placed in the gallery among the art work. Planar’s displays created a buzz with attendees, many who commented they were surprised at how displays could be transformed into works of art.

At the PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, multimedia artist Yorgo Alexopoulos’ work “No Feeling is Final” furthered Planar’s message that technology and art can work in harmony. Yorgo used an 8x14 Planar Clarity™ Matrix LX-46 media wall to display his video art at the Cristin Tierney Gallery exhibit.

Finally at the Miami SOLO show, Planar demonstrated thought leadership by showing two prototypes of the digital canvas with technology partner Samsung Semiconductor. The displays have been designed to go beyond traditional commercial and television products, and are customized for the display of fine art with optical enhancements, electronics, and architectural frames worthy of an institutional or individual art collector.

The week also provided Planar with a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversations with everyone from artists to collectors regarding the endless possibilities displays can offer in the art and design realm. On Saturday, the Planar team boarded their plane back to Portland exhausted, but exhilarated with the week’s success.

Planar Silhouette™: On Everyone’s Wish List

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:08:00 GMT

December 8, 2011

This holiday season, the Planar Silhouette™ is on everyone’s wish list! We got into the spirit and put a bow on the Silhouette in our lobby. You can see how impressively the Silhouette displays show a variety of still image content, in this case being driven from a small media player tucked into the base of the Silhouette. The product towers over 10 feet and is designed to elicit an emotional response, while making video and images more attention-grabbing and artistic. To find out more about the product, click here or let us connect you with a Planar Digital Signage expert.

Picture This

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:24:00 GMT

November 18, 2011

635 million in three days. No, that is not the number of votes from the last American Idol finale or even the amount of money raised by the winning candidate in the last election. 635 million is actually the amount of money raised in three evenings of art sales by Philips de Pury, Christie’s and Sotheby’s last week in New York. With well over a half a billion dollars pumping through the art world in only three days it is clear the art world has not heard that the economy hasn’t fully recovered.

This latest news might surprise many, but not Planar. Planar’s vision for the convergence of art and technology will make its debut at the end of this month with a showcase at several venues during the highly acclaimed Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach event. Planar will kick off the week at Design Miami with a by-invitation press and industry event titled, ‘Pictures + Furniture,’ which will take place on November 30th at Avant Gallery in creative partnership with Surface Magazine. The exhibit is in its third year at Avant Gallery, but will mark the first time Planar will be participating; providing several large digital displays for top industrial designers and furniture artists to display their video art presentations.

In addition to the Pictures + Furniture event, Planar is equally excited to be showcasing exhibits at the PULSE contemporary art show at the Cristin Tierney Gallery, featuring the digital artist Yorgo Alexpoulous’ work on Planar’s Clarity™ Matrix LX-46 media wall. Finally, Miami SOLO, presented by Artexpo, will include a showcase of two prototypes of Digital Canvas™ in partnership with Samsung Semiconductor.

Planar is eagerly anticipating all the events and is looking forward mingling with the art world to learn from and gather feedback regarding ongoing product development designed for this community. If you have plans to be in Miami Beach during the time of Design Miami and Art Basel please let us know as we would love to extend an personal invitation for you to join us at the Pictures + Furniture event.

BOFFO Building Fashion and Planar Together Again

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:44:00 GMT

November 15, 2011

Planar is once again excited to be included in another installation of BOFFO Building Fashion in New York City. After Planar’s successful display installation at the first venue, Nicola’s Formichett’s pop-up retail store, which featured PS-Series displays and open-frame monitors embedded in mirrored pillars, Planar continues involvement with the fourth installation in the series featuring the design work of The Lake & Stars + SOFTlab.

The space, which opened November 10th, will contain patterns that are meant to blur orientation and depth perception in a way that will encourage visitors to explore, discover and engage with the space in addition to viewing it. Director Jenna Elizabeth collaborated with The Lake & Stars on a special short film to debut on the opening night of the BOFFO store. Several of Planar’s new PS4200 displays will be featured throughout the store to giving customers the opportunity to view the film in multiple locations, including the dressing room. The designers decision to incorporate display technology into the retail decision further strengthens Planar’s message that digital signage can be an important element to a retail environment, moving beyond simple “buy now” messaging to enhance the shopping experience.

The Lake & Stars is a lingerie collection designed by Maayan Zilberman and Nikki Dekker. Maayan and Nikki launched The Lake & Stars after meeting in New York City in 2007. Having designed previously at mass and boutique brands respectively, together they sought to create a collection that would bridge the gap between special occasion and everyday lingerie. Their designs have been worn by Kate Moss, Sarah Jessica Parker and were recently honored with a spot in the CFDA Incubator’s Class of 2014.

SOFTlab is a design studio based in New York City. The studio was created by Michael Szivos shortly after receiving a graduate degree in architecture from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. The studio has since been involved in the design and production of projects across almost every medium, from digitally fabricated large-scale sculpture, to interactive design, to large-scale digital video installations.

The store is located at 57 Walker Street in New York, NY and is open November 10th – 22nd, Monday – Saturday from 12 PM – 7 PM and Sundays 12 PM – 6 PM.

Hotel Awards Honor Planar Partners

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:02:00 GMT

October 31, 2011

Congratulations to our customer, Hotel deLuxe who was recognized by Sunset Magazine with a 2011 Hotel Award. The Clarity Matrix in their lobby illustrates the hotel's vision in creating a compelling experience for their guests.

Also, congratulations to our friend Yorgo Alexopoulos for his "digital art columns" installed at Las Vegas' Cosmopolitan Hotel. His work was called out as a key part of creating a sophisticated and totally unique property in a town that's hard to impress.

Congratulations, Hariri & Hariri!

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:42:00 GMT

October 21, 2011

The internationally acclaimed sister team, Hariri & Hariri – Architecture has a new accolade to add to their impressive credentials. Their monograph “Hariri & Hariri – Architecture: Buildings & Projects” is featured in the new Brad Pitt movie, “Moneyball.” It is sitting on the coffee table in the beach home of his ex-wife (played by Robin Wright). Of course, this accolade competes with many others, including an Interior Design Magazine “Best of the Year Award” and recognition in industry publications and on HGTV. We have enjoyed partnering with this dynamic duo in a variety of projects and activities and are excited about their ongoing success. Congratulations, Gisue and Mojgan!

Introducing the New Planar PS-Series Low-Cost Commercial LCD Displays

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:53:00 GMT

October 5, 2011

Planar is proud to introduce the new PS-Series large format LCD displays, which include six models that range from 42 to 65 inches and feature:

LED backlighting
Dual touch technology
Full-metal casing
Multiple connectivity options
Video wall support
RS-232 control
Ambient backlight control

The new PS-Series ultra-slim, interactive displays are ideal in digital signage environments, including retail, quick service restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, corporate meeting rooms and lobbies.

View the full release or learn more about how the PS-Series delivers superior commercial performance and affordability for digital signage applications.

Repost: Technology and Artistry Mashup for Planar and ADi

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:52:00 GMT

September 22, 2011

Planar, maker of many kinds of cool display technologies, approached ADi with a unique proposition. Conceive and design an animation for a video display. The display is pretty much one of a kind – ten feet tall, made of 4 display panels with almost no bezel. They are mounted on a tree-like frame that sprouts up out of a base that cleverly disguises the media player and inner workings of the “Art Wall”. We are going to follow the progress of this project and show you step by step how it comes together.

Today, we speak with Seth Cameron Short, ADi Creative Lead about his approach to designing for this unique platform as well as Jennifer Davis, VP of Marketing at Planar:

What intrigued you about this project?

Seth: This project was both exciting and unnerving at the same time. Typically, when clients approach ADi that want us to do something with their brands and their products – fundamentally, it’s about selling something. This project was different because it was about inspiring the imagination (of architects and interior designers). Our limits were not creative ones. We were limited by the shape of the art wall, that’s about it.

Why was it important to Planar to bring in an outside creative partner for this project?

Jennifer:Planar is a company full of creative and innovative people, but we are not a creative agency. We knew that by collaborating with a firm of artists who understood the tools of video design and communication would lead to a great collaboration. We have seen this play out many times in our projects and installations, as creative forces join together to create something unique and relevant.

How did you come up with ideas and concepts?

Seth: Our first thought was to create something we’d want to see. Something fresh and new. We did a lot of group brainstorming. Our team is very used to this process and we have a certain level of trust that makes it work well. It’s great to get many different perspectives. It’s ok to be crazy or “out there” in the brainstorm. No one is going to say no. It’s the off-the-wall stuff that eventually gets us to a solution.

What was your process for pulling all the ideas together?

Seth: First I gathered my notes and everyone’s note and reviewed them. We had also pulled some reference images and a few folks had done doodles and sketches. I kept going back to my first inclination which was asking myself – “Would I like to see that?” I also had to look at what was possible in terms of time and content. We had a few ideas that had a sort of narrative to them and they were great, but it wasn’t realistic to think that someone walking through a hotel lobby is going to stop and watch a 12 minute story unfold.

How important were the visuals in terms of showing the ideas?

My first step in organizing the concepts was to write up written descriptions, and then start to think about how to show them visually. In the final presentation, most of the words were all stripped away and we let the visuals do the talking. We shared written descriptions with the Planar team, but mostly for their reference – it was very conversational.

How did the Planar team react to the concepts?

Seth: Well, we brought 6 concepts total. We presented them in a sequence and I confess at first I was nervous because they weren’t reacting much. Suddenly, once we were through about the third one and they were able to compare ideas side by side, they really started to spark. They then started adding ideas of their own or combining ideas. Seeing the client dive in and get involved is my main goal.

Jennifer: We loved the range of concepts and the clear thought and preparation that had gone into each. Although the graphics associated with each were rough and meant to be illustrative of the concept, we could see clearly how sophisticated and clever the resulting designs could be. In our design review, we were able to narrow down to a concept (or combine a few into a single concept) to take to the next phase.

What concept were you most excited about?

Seth: I’m really partial to simulating physical things – particles, liquids. We had one concept that used a liquid simulations and took advantage of the physical “frame” of the art wall to make things happen dynamically. Kind of a really fancy lava lamp.

Jennifer: My personal favorite was the “behind the scenes” mechanism concept. I liked it because it was unexpected and brought the shape of the displays into a depth dimension by creating a world behind the displays. It also allowed us to combine some of the things that we liked about the others (ie, fluid dynamics, etc) into one unifying concept.

How did you react when Planar picked their favorite concept?

Seth: Well, none of the ideas we presented were ideas I didn’t like. I was really happy to see them react to the “Mechanism” concept. They even found the little robot character sort of hidden in the scene. It’s great when you realize the client has really started to take it into their minds. That’s when I know it’s really clicking. It was fun to see them connect with it.

What are the next steps in the process?

Seth: The next thing we’ll be doing are storyboards. Those will include more written descriptions of the action and flow of the animation, as well as more visuals. I’ll be working very closely with our Art Director Vince Nimmoor on those.

Do you see ways to carry this concept forward into the future for different configurations?

Jennifer: Absolutely. The wonderful thing about video displays is that they can show anything. The wonderful thing about art is that the ideas never cease. I imagine that this first implementation will just inspire new rounds of creativity. We also know that our customers, which range from architects to AV installers in industries as diverse as utility control rooms to retail merchandising, will find inspiration as well.

For the final audience for this project, architects and interior designers, what do you want them to think or feel when they see the final art wall?

Seth: It’s more than a customizable painting. I want to “break the 4th wall”, so to speak. I want them to see how this could work, even if they don’t use that particular style or feel for their own project. This whole project is a sort of deconstruction – a whimsical deconstruction.

(From AnimationDynamics.com, By Nancy Hoffman, September 22, 2011 - Click here to read the original post).

Planar Goes Glam

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:38:00 GMT

It's officially Fashion Week in New York. Runways are busy with designers sharing their latest design creations; some interesting, some wearable and others, well, everyone has their own special fashion taste.

While Planar has not taken to the runway, just yet, it has made it onto the New York Fashion scene. On Sept 8th, BOFFO opened the doors to Nicola Formichetti’s pop-up retail store, located at 50 Walker Street in Tribeca. The Formichetti store is the first in a series of five concept stores to take place over the next few months as part of the organizations second annual Building Fashion program, which pairs designers with architects to create a unique temporary space. Planar was selected by BOFFO to be the featured display partner for Formichetti’s store, created by Formichetti and New York based architectural firm Gage/Clemenceau.

If you are familiar at all with Nicola Formichetti’s work (Gaga stylist and Thierry Mugler designer) you know a typical retail shop is not what you will see. What can best be described as an exploded disco ball is an attraction in itself. The store offers a variety of items for sale, including a collection of limited-edition Thierry Mugler clothing, as well as more affordable iPhone cases and T-shirts by Nicola featuring his new Panda character. The store also displayed a few costumes created by Nicola for Lady Gaga, the one of most note is the gun-bra she wore on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Planar displays welcome visitors at the store entry using nine 42” digital signage displays, stacked in columns of 3 and encased in mirrored material showcasing imagery created by Nicola and his team. Located around the store you will find 10 Planar 19” and 17” open frame monitors built into 4-foot high mirror columns, again running Nicola created content. The installation is sure to rank high on the creative installation list for Planar products!

The New York Magazine and Elle Magazine are two of the many publications with comprehensive coverage of Nicola’s shop. (For those of you who can’t make it to New York in the next week to see the store in person.)

The Formichetti pop-up retail store is only open through Sept 21st. Planar displays will be included in additional pop-up retail stores in the series, running through December 14th. Stay tuned more for details!

World’s First

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:16:00 GMT

September 7, 2011

From Planar Systems comes another entry for the “Famous Firsts” list at TheLongestListOfTheLongestStuffAtTheLongestDomainNameAtLongLast.com: the first integrated multi-panel touch screen display. While that may not roll right off the tongue, it’s a tremendous breakthrough. Prior to the launch of the Clarity Matrix Touch on June 15th at InfoComm 2011 in Orlando, Florida, multi-panel touch screens had to be cobbled together from different vendors with various components. It was a situation that would challenge the inestimable Dr. Frankenstein’s skills of stitching parts together.

You can now order a 2-by-2, 2-by-3 or 3-by-3 video wall made up of Clarity Matrix displays. That means that you can have anywhere from a 92 inch diagonal display to a 138 inch screen. On this gigantic display you can touch, tap, drag, pinch and swipe. The multi-touch capabilities can be used to manipulate all sorts of interactive applications from digital whiteboards to maps to playing a giant game of Spider Solitaire. The Clarity Matrix Touch comes with full support for the Windows 7 Touch Pack, so you can just hook up a computer and start working.

For the worrisome-mom types out there (you know who you are) who are already thinking of how many ways this can be damaged by all of the wanton poking and touching it will receive, you can rest easy. The Extended Ruggedness Optics (ERO) glass that covers the screens protects them from finger pointing and even more. The ERO glass provides another first: the Clarity Matrix is one continuous touch surface that is made up of separate pieces of glass. In the past touch screens couldn’t go past the edges of a pane of glass, either requiring a huge pane of glass or a smaller touch screen. Planar has solved that problem with an optical bonding process so the Digital Vision Touch technology provided by SMART Technologies sees nothing but the open expanse of one touch screen for your fingers to roam.

Finding Digital Wallpaper

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:52:00 GMT

August 31, 2011

By Jennifer Davis

As people are using the Clarity™ Matrix LCD Video Wall for art or ambiance, we get questions from our resellers and clients as to where they can find artwork to put on their Matrix that shows off the massive resolution that is possible when you tile the displays together into a wall-size array. For instance, a 3x3 Clarity Matrix MX-46 is over 4,000 pixels wide. A 3x3 wall of our new MX-55 version is 5,760 pixels wide and 3,240 pixels tall. And using full-resolution artwork is stunning on the display, as those who saw our booth at InfoComm can attest.

There are a variety of stock photography and video houses that provide high-resolution imagery and video that could be used to transform your WindowWall from entertainment to art. Most have online collections numbering in the millions that you can browse, preview in “light box” mode, and license in multiple resolutions. Remember that most of this photography or illustrations were created for print, which requires very high resolution artwork (much greater than what is typical for even HD video). Here are a few of our favorites:

Pond5: their collection features photography, video, and illustrations. They offer a week of free downloads so that you can test content.
iStockPhoto: their collection also features photography, video, illustrations, and Flash animations. They represent several video artists and agencies and can even broker custom commissions.
ArtBeats: they specialize in video footage, up to 4K resolution, and offer a free research service to find the perfect piece for you.
GettyImages: One of the leading sources for journalists, their collection includes a variety of entertainment and sports imagery featuring celebrities and professional athletes.
CorbisIMAGES: Their collection includes world events and fine art.
Fotosearch: they are an aggregator of professional images and footage and are a favorite of corporate brands.

Of course, there is a vibrant and growing community of video artists that are using a digital canvas to create incredible artwork by custom commission or for license. You can find their work featured in museums, galleries, and online. You’ll see their work in commercial projects in hotels, airports, and the like. They exhibit at art shows for private and institutional collectors like Art Basel, Art Expo, and in galleries for Art Week in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities around the globe. We have begun to develop some relationships of our own with this community and would be happy to make a recommendation.

And let’s not forget that you don’t have to look past your own camera (or that of your agency) as a source of art. 9 megapixel or higher digital cameras are very common and produce native photography that is larger than native pixel of many Clarity Matrix installations. If your agency is used to creating photography or illustrations for print, they will be well-accustomed to high-resolution requirements. Your own corporate photography and the like can become beautiful digital wallpaper on your Clarity Matrix video wall. For higher-than-HD resolution video, you might just want to splurge on a RED digital camera and turn yourself into a filmmaker in your own right.