Using LED Video Walls in Different Areas of Your Facility

Many houses of worship have adopted digital displays to boost engagement and provide inspirational experiences in worship services and other settings. New technologies have lowered the cost of LED video walls, which has made them an appealing choice for houses of worship looking to increase interaction and strengthen their messages. At first glance, a video wall installation may appear to be a significant investment, but it will allow religious organizations to connect better with their young congregants and millennials — and even their older worshippers.

New LED technologies have changed the game

video wall combines multiple high-quality flat panel screens to create a single large, highresolution screen. These bright, crisp displays excel at grabbing attention and providing immersive viewing experiences. In addition to creating standard square or rectangular video walls, panels can be configured to fit tight or oddly shaped spaces. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have long been the popular choice for indoor video wall installations. Recent advances in LED technologies, however, have made LEDs a more affordable and attractive solution for houses of worship — both indoors and outside. The key advantage of LED panels is that they provide a seamless viewing experience. LCDs have a bezel, or frame around the screen, which breaks up the overall image. LED panels provide bright, crisp images, which makes them perfect for outdoor installations, as well as for indoor settings, such as sanctuaries, that have ample ambient light. They’re also a good choice for other rooms.

Why a video wall?

One word: impact. Over the past few years, video walls have become an increasingly popular digital signage choice in corporate, educational, transportation and other settings. That’s because they’re particularly effective at engaging people and delivering messages efficiently. Integrating video walls into worship services and other events will capture the attention of a congregation and provide them an unforgettable spiritual experience. They help invigorate sermons and other presentations, as well as keep congregants and visitors engaged and hungry for more

Video walls in the sanctuary

LED video walls are a perfect fit for sanctuaries because they provide crisp picture quality, superior viewing angles and high brightness to stand up to ambient light or stage lighting. They can be configured in any way to fit your space and uses — from a single, centered large screen or two smaller screens on each side of the pulpit to more elaborate installations with multiple screens. They can be raised or lowered into the stage when not in use. For religious services and other events, an LED video wall can be used to set the appropriate mood throughout the service or to show scripture or song lyrics and display live images of a speaker, choir or audience.

A full sanctuary no longer means turning people away. Video walls are perfect for overflow rooms when your sanctuary is filled, allowing those worshippers to see, experience and connect with the worship service even when they’re not in the same room. The same feed for the sanctuary and overflow room can also be live-streamed for home-bound or out-of-town congregants and recorded for posting online after the service

In multipurpose and education rooms

Sanctuaries and overflow rooms are not the only settings in which a house of worship can install a video wall. Multipurpose rooms used for weddings, community and social events, and religious teaching sessions can all benefit from the addition of a large video wall display.

Outdoors

 LED video walls have emerged as the gold standard for outdoor digital displays. They can welcome both congregants and visitors, providing directions to parking and entrances. By cutting through the visual clutter of exterior spaces, video walls effectively attract attention and convey any type of message, from a calendar of upcoming events to promos of those events. Instead of relying on a static sign, houses of worship can present dynamic content that provide information and reinforce religious messages. Be aware that many localities have regulations governing the use of content on exterior digital signs. These laws are designed to avoid distracted drivers and to ensure the signage doesn’t annoy neighbors.

For revivals and other events

One of the advantages of video walls is that they don’t have to be permanent installations. For revivals or any other offsite worship, outreach and social events, a house of worship can rent a temporary video wall installation — for either an indoor or outdoor special event. Just like for sermons and other presentations in the sanctuary and other settings, a video wall boosts engagement for one-time events.

Content makes a difference

 LED video walls allow houses of worship to take full advantage of the benefits digital displays offer. Research has shown that 70 percent of Americans recall digital video displays they’ve seen for a full month, and 55 percent can recall the specific messages they encountered on those displays. A wide array of content — whether its text, still images, video or live feeds — can be presented on the large canvases that video walls provide. Content can be tailored to specific audiences: videos for sermons in the sanctuary, animated stories for children in teaching rooms, song lyrics for teen sing-a-longs, and sermon subtitles for the hearing-impaired. When a guest speaker, such as a missionary, appears on the program, video walls can display a short biography and images or videos of their work.

Factors to Consider

Here are some factors to consider when choosing a video wall installation:

• Understand your audiences and your goals: Think about the types of messages you want to deliver and the best ways of reaching various audiences.
• Think about your spaces: Video walls are ideal for many settings but aren’t suitable for every room. Consider how best to use video walls to achieve your goals.
• Take ambient light into account: If your sanctuary or other room has lots of daylight — or if you want to install a video wall outside — make sure the LED panels are bright enough for it.
• Find the right size: Determine the optimal size for the video wall for your setting and use.
• Don’t overlook weight: Video walls can be heavy, so make sure your building has the structural integrity to support the installation
• Choose the best pixel pitch: Pixel pitch is the distance between the center of an LED pixel and the center of an adjacent pixel. It’s measured in millimeters. In general, a large screen intended to be viewed from afar can have a large pixel pitch. A smaller screen intended for close-up viewing should have a small pixel pitch.
• Evaluate costs: In addition to the upfront cost of a video wall installation, consider the long-term cost of ownership. Choose a solution that is energy efficient and provides front and rear access for easy maintenance

Making your message stand out

Houses of worship are increasingly moving away from traditional spoken sermons toward a more visual worship experience. LED video walls are a new way to connect with congregations and effectively convey messages and spiritual guidance. Not only can this technology help you engage worshippers better, it can elevate the worship experience for your entire congregation.