Overcoming the Audio Challenges Presented by Video Walls

By: Mark Goldman, VP North American Sales, Pro Audio Technology

MicroLED displays (often referred to as “video walls”) are a growing segment of the AV landscape due to their superior brightness, contrast, response time, and energy efficiency compared to LCD and OLED technologies. MicroLED displays are typically available in modular components, allowing installers to build a display as large as their customer desires, even filling an entire wall from floor to ceiling with seamless 4K - 8K imagery. 

Until recently, MicroLED technology was most commonly used in commercial applications, however, the price for MicroLED display technology is starting to drop. It may not (yet!) be accessible to the average consumer, but it is becoming a popular choice in the luxury home market specifically for high-end private screening rooms and media room installations. 

The Video Wall Audio Challenge

As a residential dealer or integrator, the growing demand for video walls provides a fantastic revenue opportunity. Traction for a new and exciting high-end video solution is a lucrative business. However, the challenge becomes how to provide equally high-quality audio solutions around such large reflective displays? 

Many residential dealers and integrators are at a loss of how to solve this challenge. Video walls present new challenges that they have not had to deal with previously. Unlike acoustically transparent projector screens in which the speakers are installed behind the screen so the sound can fire through the image to ensure the audio is localized and in sync with the picture, large reflective displays like video walls do not allow for this option. 

Also, with large Micro LED display installations (for example the floor to ceiling installations I mentioned earlier), there is often limited or even no space above or below the video wall for speakers. 

So, the question becomes can installers overcome these challenges, and if so, how?

The good news is yes, you can overcome these challenges. And in fact, there is no audio manufacturer with a more appropriate catalog of high-quality speaker options to tackle these problems than Pro Audio Technology (PRO). I will expand on that a little later, but first, let’s take a deeper dive into the different solutions you can try to overcome these challenges, as well as the pros and cons of each.

Solution 1 – The Bounce Method

Installing speakers on the ceiling and aiming them towards the video wall or installing angled speakers right into the ceiling allows you to effectively “bounce” the sound off the video wall and mimic the location as if it were coming from the screen itself. This approach can work quite well for image localization, especially in screening rooms with a small number of seats. Unfortunately, this method does give up some resolution and the sound tends to be a bit soft. To make up for this loss, you can mount additional aimable speakers to the ceiling. However, many customers prefer a clean aesthetic and do not want to see ceiling-mounted speakers. For those situations, and where there is room above the ceiling, installing angled in-ceiling speakers is a good compromise. 

Solution #2 – Center Channel Speaker(s) Installed Above the Screen

In order to be a certified DCI room, Dolby requires the center channel speaker be installed above a video wall. The center channel speaker also needs to be angled at the ‘Reference Listening Position’, which Dolby defines as two thirds of the way back from the screen to the rear wall. Depending on the room size, Dolby may also require an additional center channel speaker be installed above the display and angled towards the front row(s). This is to ensure even audio coverage. This approach can work quite well, with center channel localization above the screen occurring at times when there is very little content coming from the left and right channels. 

Solution #3 – LCR Speakers Installed Above and Below the Screen

In my experience, installing loudspeakers above and below a video wall provides the best overall performance. Installing identical speakers above and below a video wall allows the image to be “phantomed” when using independent digital level and delay options – options that are built into all PRO amplifiers. When designing the room, there must be sufficient space above and below the screen for the speakers to ensure that once installed and aimed, all listeners in all rows can get a “clear” shot of the lower speakers. If for some reason installing all LCR speakers above and below the screen is not possible, a good compromise is installing the left and right speakers to the left and right sides of the display and installing two center channels – with one installed above the display and one installed below the screen.

Below is a table comparing the three recommended audio solutions for video wall installations and the advantages and limitations of each.

PRO to the Rescue!

Regardless of the desired audio solution you choose for each of your video wall installation, PRO has several speaker models and accessories that make installing and positioning speakers easier without compromising the audio performance. Some examples include:

• PRO Pivot Brackets: PRO pivot brackets allow almost any PRO speaker to be mounted on a surface and angled as required.  
• PRO SCRS-25ica: This in ceiling speaker has dual 5” woofers paired with a high efficiency compression driver and is angled so that the speaker can be installed to aim either at the screen, (the “Bounce” method) or directly at a listening position while being installed flush in the ceiling with only a discreet frameless and paintable 11” square grille visible in the room.
• PRO SR-2408iw & SR-2408-iw-40: At less than 4” deep, the SR-2408iw is a very high-output and versatile loudspeaker suitable for in-wall and in-ceiling installations where space is limited but performance is crucial. It can be configured with 0-degree straight-firing axi-symmetric waveguide (SR-2408iw), or a 40-degree asymmetric waveguide (SR-2408iw), which aims the sound at a 40-degree angle to the loudspeaker main axis. This allows the sound to be “aimed” at the reference listening position while the speaker is mounted flush in a 2x4 architectural wall or ceiling.
• PRO SR-28212ai: At only 6” deep and with completely full range response (down to 22Hz with significant output capability), the SR-28212 is unrivaled as an LCR for video wall installations. Offering the same 40-degree asymmetric waveguide as the 2408 as an option allows the speaker to be mounted flush in a wall while providing perfectly flat frequency response 40 degree off the speaker’s axis. Visit www.proaudiotechnology.com for full details. 

Summing it Up

The laws of physics are unavoidable and there is no magic one-size-fits all solution to overcome the audio challenges associated with video wall installations. However, PRO offers speakers designed to not only address all possible installation constraints, but each product does so with unrivaled performance.

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