Events Education
By Thomas Lawlor
Everybody loves flat panel displays. They are advertised frequently on television with young, incredibly good looking people cavorting around them. They are new, and they are sexy. But often, they are not right for an event. The rules of nature still apply - just like those young attractive people in the ads will some day turn old, bitter, and have a paunch. Proportionally, the audience needs to be close to these units to make them effective. That means you either have to have a lot of flat panel displays or not a lot of people. The rule I go by is that impact is lost after 6 times the diagonal distance of the screen. Based on this rule, for a 60 inch plasma display, the farthest you should be from a monitor is 30 feet.
Try this at home. Where is your favorite television watching spot? Probably between two to six times the diagonal measurement of your TV. Closer than two times the diagonal measurement of your TV is like sitting in the front seat at a movie theatre. Your neck is strained. Farther than six, and the image doesn't occupy enough of your field of vision to have impact. Who wants people squinting?
If the monitors are showing graphics, the six times rule still applies. Print out your graphics on a standard 8 1/2" x 11 piece of paper. Diagonally that's about a foot. Now drop your paper on the ground and see if you can read them. If you followed the original rule of six, with seating, then if you can read the text on the paper the last row of people can read it. I am always asked "What if I'm only five two, my eyes aren't even 6 feet from the paper?" In that case, just use your best judgment.
At M Communications, we have found flat screens to be very successful in augmenting larger screens, particularly when some seats do not have a good angle. For example, seats located behind a pillar, or even directly under a larger screen. They are also excellent for setting the mood. Using the panels to display images as patrons are entering can set the mood for the entire event.
Another place flat panel displays work is in a video wall where they were the main screen. The panels can be combined to make a larger screen. At least one manufacturer makes panels with an almost unnoticeable line between the units. This can work with LED displays. Putting many of the units together creates the effect of a wall of video.
Electronic signage is another great application for the flat panels. Hook them up to a computer or network. You can then instantly change the signs, add pictures or maps of the facility, or display general information. Just remember that a problem with the most common flat panel, plasmas, is that plasmas can "burn in" an image if static image is displayed on them for a long time. This was a very expensive lesson I learned when plasmas first came out. Mix up the images and burn ins can be avoided.
Thomas Lawlor, CTS, of M Communications, has been in the AV industry for18 years. M Communications is a full service Audio Visual Company serving the New York Metropolitan Area from offices in Stamford, CT. Thomas can be reached at Tlawlor@mcommunications.com.