Saint Louis Medical School opts for Barco Led video walls

In the two auditoriums of this educational center, the old LCD screens have been replaced by Led video walls designed with screens Barco NT1.8. With a configuration of 8×8 They have a distance between pixels of 1,8 mm and an image diagonal of 217 inches.

To solve the problems posed by the old display installation in its auditoriums, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine (SLU-Med) has replaced its LCD equipment with Boat Led systems.

This is a well-known and respected educational institution that has trained generations of healthcare professionals since its founding in 1836. Besides, It is a center of important medical research and offers its community advanced healthcare.

Two auditoriums 200 Plazas located on the SLU-Med campus are used as large instructional classrooms as well as for a variety of events, as research and student symposiums, seminars and other various programs. These facilities require a robust video system to present visual information to students and event attendees., but both auditoriums had LCD walls, in configuration 5×5, that did not satisfy the needs of their users.

As technical problems and failures became more and more frequent, and the reliability of LCD walls, ten years old, became a primary concern, It was decided to renew the visual systems. The integrator Color Art Technology was responsible for finding the solution.

The state of the auditorium's current display technology was evident. The screens did not serve the space well, since they looked small against the main wall, and the old LCD panels did not have the same color, which created problems when displaying medical images that depend on high levels of visibility and contrast to be effective for teaching purposes. The new solution required a large display wall, bright and eye-catching.

Besides, the auditoriums have different users, many of whom are not full-time teachers. These have different degrees of technical knowledge necessary to operate the audiovisual system correctly., and the university cannot train all potential users or dedicate critical computing resources to configuring the system for each use. Therefore, The new solution had to be easy to manage without the need for IT assistance.

The bet on LED

During the project evaluation phase, It was debated whether to use LCD or LED video technology, but SLU-Med's visual requirements and their request to have no visible lines on the display wall made the LED solution the obvious choice. A solution was chosen based on Barco's NT series high-resolution indoor LED screens..

From a technological point of view, The chosen solution was based on a configuration 8×8 of screens NT1.8 Boat, with a distance between pixels of 1,8 mm and an image diagonal of 217 inches. The result is a videowall Led offering optimal color accuracy and image quality, even in low light, with low latency, good synchronization and no visual distortion. The NT Series' sharp, true-to-life images are the result of Barco's calibration features and processing power. Infinipix Gen2.

From an installation point of view, thin NT boards are lighter and take up less space, making it easy to assemble and integrate into an existing space, offers a sleeker, cleaner look, no lines, and allows quick access from the front and rear, which improves maintenance.

With the Barco Video Wall Manager software it is possible to automatically configure the different mosaics, which speeds up the installation process. And a problem occurs, can be resolved quickly with no or minimal downtime. Smart connections improve image quality and video wall performance.

NT1.8 Led Screen

Once Color Art Technology hired Barco to provide the solution, Barco's project manager coordinated all components and ensured everything arrived on site to meet the tight schedule. Barco support staff trained the entire SLU IT team and worked with the school's technicians to demonstrate system configuration and operation.

Once installed, The NT1.8 Led screen was adapted to the auditorium spaces, filling the main wall, and the image quality exceeded SLU-Med requirements for color, glow, contrast and resolution.

According to Tim Murphy, SLU project manager, the migration of its old LCD technology to the Barco NT1.8 Led video wall “It has made a big difference. The screen looks impressive and the new equipment is a big improvement for faculty and staff”.

Now, Auditorium presenters can place multiple interactive displays on the video wall, allowing for effective and active learning sessions. The shine, NT's clarity and color accuracy are essential for displaying medical images, and make it possible for all attendees to clearly see and read the information displayed.

The modular construction of the LED video wall makes it easy to maintain and adjust without interrupting classes or forcing teachers to move their presentations during the process.. The system is easy to use for teachers, staff and visiting presenters, which has reduced a large workload for the IT department.

“The new screens in the Pitlyk and Education Union auditoriums are a big plus, as they make presentations much clearer and easier to see. The old screens were divided into individual squares and the edges always seemed to fall on a vital piece of information, cutting her out of sight. The new solution is also useful because it allows the presenter to fully look at the audience while speaking.”, says Professor Heather Macarthur, director of postgraduate studies of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology.