In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up a video wall in the OptiSigns app using the OptiSigns Pro Player.
Video walls are a common request from OptiSigns customers. They can be used in numerous industries, including retail, manufacturing, entertainment, command and control environments, broadcasting, education, and far more.
Now, using the power of the new OptiSigns Pro Player and the Video Wall App, it’s possible to push your digital signs to multiple screens and use them as a cohesive video wall easier than ever.
What’s Needed?
To set up a video wall for use in the Video Wall app, you’ll need:
- An OptiSigns subscription
- An OptiSigns Pro Player
- A purchase of an OptiSigns Video Wall add-on ($25/monthly/device)
- Up to three screens, at least two
- HDMI/other connectors
| NOTE: The Video Wall App can only be used with with the OptiSigns Pro Player. It cannot be used in any other capacity. |
Video Wall App Capabilities
With the Video Wall app, you can push content to multiple screens at once. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- The Pro Player can handle up to 3 screens at a time
- 1x2, 1x3, 2x1, and 3x1 options, up to 5760x1080 pixels horizontally or 1920x3240 vertically (with three screens)
Purchasing a Video Wall Add-On
In order to use the Video Wall app, you’ll need to buy a Video Wall add-on license. Each license works with a single OptiSigns Pro Player and costs $25/monthy/device.
There are two ways to purchase a license.
The first is to navigate to your Subscription Plan tab:
Once there, scroll down to the Video Wall Add-on section and choose Add Screen:
You’ll be prompted to add this add-on to your subscription.
The second way is to pair your subscription directly with your screen. To do this, you’ll need to hook up your OptiSigns Pro Player to at least two screens.
Now, set up your screen through the Edit Screen option:
Navigate to Advanced → More, then find the Video Wall option and hit Activate:
You’ll be prompted to add this add-on to your subscription.
| NOTE: The Video Wall option will only appear if an OptiSigns Pro Player is attached to the screen. |
Setting Up a Video Wall App
To use a video wall, you’ll need to set it up through the Video Wall app. To do that, navigate to Files/Assets → Apps, then select Video Wall Content:
You’ll be prompted to select the number of screens and their orientation:
Once selected, you’ll have a couple options: you can build a basic video wall, or create a continuous one.
Creating a Basic Video Wall
To create a basic video wall, select the number of screens and their orientation. Once you’ve done so, you’ll see the following:
Notice that each screen is known as a Zone, mapped to the HDMI ports on your OptiSigns Pro Player. Make sure your screens are arranged in the order displayed here, as it cannot be changed.
There are a few options to note:
Name - The name of your Video Wall App.
Zone Name - The name of the designated zone. Depending on which option you picked, there will be two or three zones. These default to the name of the HDMI port on the OptiSigns Pro Player.
Type - The Type of content to display. You’ll choose from Asset, Playlist, or Schedule, then choose the piece of content you want to display.
Clicking the Gear icon will lead you to this screen:
Audio Zone - Lets you choose which screen the audio will come from.
Primary Zone - Setting one of your screens as a Primary Zone will provide a better experience or smoother content transition when you need to coordinate contents in different zones and put use the video wall app in a playlist. For example, if the primary zone is playing a video, the playlist will respect the video duration and only transition to the next item when the video in the primary zone is complete, rather than follow the duration setting of the split-screen asset and get the video cut in the middle.
For more information on these zones, see our guide on Advanced Playlist Item Playback Control and Campaign Management.
Should you choose content and assign it to your screens in this way, your video wall will function almost like a split screen, with each screen displaying different content or repeating images:
Merging Screens to Create a Continuous Image or Video
To create one continuous image, the screens will need to be merged.
To do this, click the Merge Screens button:
Then, select the screens you’d like to merge:
These two screens will now be merged, and considered the same Zone:
You can continue merging screens if you have a third to create a video wall that looks like the image below, with one continuous image.
In order to unmerge screens, select the merged screens, hit the Merge Screens button again, then hit the two arrows going out from each other:
This will separate the screens into separate Zones once again.
Once you’ve finished setting up the Video Wall app, hit Save. This will store it as an Asset. As an Asset, you can push it to a screen directly, add it to a Playlist, or schedule it to play at any time.
That’s all!
If you have any additional questions, concerns or any feedback about OptiSigns, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@optisigns.com.