July 18, 2011

By James Wood

In kindergarten I learned the subtle art of getting in line. At the beginning of class, at the end of class, before lunch and recess getting in line was the rule. We were taught early and often about how important it is to stand in line. Don’t cut. Keep the lines straight. The same practice is applied throughout my life at the coffee shop or the movie theater. Lining up is still important.

Lining up is a metaphor for things working perfectly. If everything lines up then all the pieces necessary are exactly where they need to be. When it comes to a multi-panel display the phrase “lining up” is no metaphor for perfection, it’s the prerequisite. If every display isn’t perfectly aligned with all the other displays around it then whenever motion crosses the boundary between the two it will be glaringly obvious. Think of looking at the action on a football field through a glass of water. When you look through the water things will be lined up at one level, but at the boundary between the water and the air it will look like things are broken and offset. A poorly aligned display wall makes it seem like you’re looking through glasses of water and everything is broken up.

The lack of alignment destroys the illusion of one, large display and makes all the viewers acutely aware of the individual screens rather than the whole array. But with the Clarity Matrix Display Wall you can rely on the EasyAxis Mounting System to line up everything precisely. Each screen in the display wall can adjust in six directions with fine accuracy so that depth, height and width adjustments are all tuned perfectly.

The EasyAxis wall mounts are included with the Clarity Matrix Display at no extra charge so that your screens are exactly where they need to be. But lining up once isn’t the only thing that the Planar crew taught the EasyAxis mounting system. You can also tilt the individual screens from the front to be able to access the rear panel for connection and maintenance throughout the life of the Clarity Matrix Display Wall. My kindergarten teacher would be proud.

June 2, 2011

By James Wood

Glass has a reputation for being weak. When a boxer wants to talk about a foe who’s weak he might say: “He has a glass jaw.” Or there’s the old saying: “Those is glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” We think of glass as being the weak link in our houses or cars. Wood and steel will protect us where polished glass will fail. Granted, the reputation of glass has been earned over a long time, but what glass is doing now is anything but weak.

Glass is used to stop bullets in armored cars, to protect astronauts in space and to cover the screen of your smartphone. The brittle analogy for weakness has come a long way through the coaxing of engineers to become a top-tier solution for protecting assets. Glass is essentially melted sand, but with the careful addition of other elements and control of the manufacturing process the result can be incredibly tough, yet still smooth and clear.

At Planar we tackled the challenge of putting vibrant digital signage at eye level through LCD displays and mounts that are 60% thinner than anyone else. So sports arenas, airports and shopping malls can mount gorgeous screens right were people are looking. But that leaves a new problem, what happens when the screens get touched. General access to the public also means general access to sticky toddler fingers, rough suitcase bumps and countless other touches.

We put on another pot of coffee for the Planar engineering team and they rewarded us with Extended Ruggedness and Optics glass, or ERO for short. This marvel of melted sand is incredibly strong and resistant to damage, so it protects the LCD screens behind it, which is fantastic. But our engineers weren’t satisfied with just that much. They added enhancements to boost the contrast of the image on the screen by 300 percent, so not only is it tough, but it’s also easier to see. Finally they threw in a bonding technique so that the glass fits over the Clarity Matrix LCD screens without any gap for moisture or dust to get in and degrade the image. That little gem earned the engineers a dozen donuts.

The reputation of glass may have been earned over centuries, but with innovations like ERO protecting your Clarity Matrix display wall you’ll begin to think of glass differently.

May 26, 2011

I saw this quote in a booth at ICFF. I thought it perfectly captured what Planar's approach is to the markets we serve:

"It is our mission to promote public discussion and provide leadership on the role that innovative display technology can play."

In the architecture and design community, we believe that video displays and media products can be more than "big black rectangles." They can be an integral part of the design of a space and used by creatives as they would other cladding, wall covering, or building materials. Products like the Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall illustrate this well, as interior designers and architects use it to demand more of technology. As Jake Slevin wrote in his recent piece for the Huffington Post, the trend is digital surfaces. Planar is helping to prompt and participate in the conversation that might just transform spatial design.

The exhibit ‘Berlin Happens' on May 14 at the Relative Space showroom in New York City featured 10 designers’ individual custom creations and showcased the Clarity Matrix LCD Video Wall, displaying the creative work of award-winning German architect, Juergen Mayer H, recipient of the Audi Urban Future Award 2010, and Relative Space principal Tyler Greenberg.

On June 17, the exhibit will move to the Toronto showroom of Relative Space & Floorworks.

View videos of the Clarity Matrix from the Berlin Happens Exhibit in New York City:

Planar Clarity Matrix at Berlin Happens: An Exhibition & Product Launch

Clarity Matrix Video Wall at Berlin Happens Event in New York, NY