Video Wall Calibration
Last updated
Last updated
One of the hallmark features of Userful is the ability to calibrate multiple displays of any size, shape, or rotation into a single unified video wall, and deliver live content to that wall with flawless synchronization and no need to author custom content. Userful’s Video Wall Calibration interface makes the process of creating this canvas straightforward.
This section defines the terms that will be referred to in this documentation.
Video Wall: It is the physical arrangement of your displays in their mounted, aligned, and configured state.
Grid Video Wall: It is a wall built using displays of identical type and arrangement to create a rectangular geometrical shape.
Zone: It is a set of one or more displays within a calibrated wall.
Display: It is a single visual element of the wall. It is either a panel or segment of a Direct-View LED setup, driven by either a Zero Client or a uClient.
Artistic Video Wall: It is any wall that uses displays of different sizes, shapes, or arrangements to create visually distinctive arrangements.
Grid Video Wall: It is any wall that exclusively uses displays of identical type and arrangement to create a rectangular geometrical shape.
It is strongly recommended to:
Hang and adjust the physical video wall before calibrating it with the Userful application, and
Calibrate your video wall in person using a laptop rather than a phone or tablet, as the calibration interface is not suited for mobile experiences.
Click on the New Video Wall option to open this interface. By default, you are prompted to set up a calibrate 2x2 video wall.
To change the layout of the wall, click the [-] Rows [+] or [-] Columns [+] button in the bottom left corner. If you have a Professional+ or Enterprise license, you will be able to create a setup of almost any size or style. For example, a 5x5 or 7x2 display setup.
Once you have created a setup that matches your physical wall in terms of layout, click each white box in the center of each display and select the ID of the display which will be in that position on the video wall. During calibration, the physical display will have a corresponding number shown on it to make identification easy.
Once you have assigned a display to every position on your wall, adjust the padding until all of the lines are visually aligned across all displays. Padding does not denote any particular measurement of distance or pixels, it is only meant to serve as a reference point.
Click the [+]/[-] buttons to adjust the position by one unit of distance.
Hold the Ctrl button and left-click on the [+]/[-]button on the padding scale within the calibration window to adjust the position by tenths of a unit. This is helpful in perfect alignment.
Click OK, once you've finalized your grid layout video wall. You can now map the new video wall to a source.
You can use the Color Calibration interface to adjust the color of each display, however, this may not be as effective as using color correction functions in individual panels themselves. Color correcting your video wall before setting up Userful is recommended, as if the Userful server experiences issues or the calibration is deleted, significant work could be lost.
To configure an artistic layout, click the New Video Wall option.
Choose the Artistic option in the bottom-left corner. Note that the grid controls disappear.
Click on the Add Display option if you are dealing with more than four displays.
Clicking on each display shows the following set of controls:
Use the Arrow icon to rotate the display in 90-degree increments.
Use the Yellow anchor to rotate the display.
Use the Gear icon to use the following manual display options.
Use the Gear icon to use the following manual display options:
Display Size - it is automatically detected by the system but sometimes needs to be corrected to accurately represent the size of the display.
Rotation - it allows you to manually enter the exact angle of rotation in degrees.
Position - it allows fine-tuning of display position in relation to other displays. You can use the calibration shortcuts mentioned below for better precision.
Resolution- it shows the current resolution.
Use the Trash icon to delete the display.
It's not necessary to repeat the entire process of calibration if you are not happy with the initial result. Click on any Zone and click on the Calibrate Video Wall button to recalibrate.
Select a display in the video wall and use the following key combinations to adjust calibration. It is recommended to use these shortcuts and adjust display positioning on the wall and not the Control Center interface in your browser.
Key Combo
Function
Arrow Keys (Up, Down, Left, Right)
One unit of movement in any direction
Shift + Arrow Keys
10 times (10x) movement in any direction
Ctrl + Arrow Keys
0.1 (0.1x) unit of movement in any direction
Bracket Keys [ ]
1 degree of rotation clockwise or counterclockwise
Shift + Bracket Keys [ ]
10 degrees of rotation clockwise or counterclockwise
Ctrl + Bracket Keys [ ]
0.1 degrees of rotation clockwise or counterclockwise
Tab
Select the next display
Shift + Tab
Select the previous display
Ctrl+Click
Select multiple displays
Calibrating an artistic wall can be challenging, especially when doing it for the first time. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Bring a leveling device like a straight edge, leveling laser, or even a piece of string, to ensure lines on the displays are aligned.
Use a laptop (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux) with a mouse and not a mobile device for the best calibration.
Verify all display sizes are accurate as read by a client/uClient from the EDID. Also, ensure that the display size (in inches) matches the display on the wall.
If you are creating a wall with ~12 displays or fewer, start with one central display, and add additional displays, one at a time. Make sure you are completely satisfied with the level of calibration before moving on to the next display.
If you are creating a larger wall, start with corner displays, pick a segment, and work your way inwards. You can select multiple displays (using Ctrl+ left click) and adjust them as a group.
Along with the calibration tool kindly manually evaluate the level of displays and realign them on the wall.
