Samtec

interactive video wall presents company mission, allows viewers to explore its unique products

Founded in 1976, Samtec is a privately held, $626 million global electronics manufacturer. Its products include standard and custom made electronic connectors and cable-assemblies, micro connectors, rugged/power board-to-board and cable-to-board solutions, modified/custom connectors, cable assemblies, and optics. Located in New Albany, Indiana, Samtec's 4,000+ employees are dedicated to providing the highest quality solutions to customers who are among the world's leading technology companies.

Affirming its focus on advanced and emerging technology, Samtec's recently renovated headquarters makes use of a massive interactive video wall from Planar to provide in a very unique manner, an in-depth exploration of Samtec's products, capabilities, and global technology centers. This video wall – comprised of 15 55-inch Clarity® Matrix™ MultiTouch LCD

Video Wall displays (MX55HDS-L-ERO) –includes an interactive capability with which viewers can select a Samtec product, scale it up or down, and using familiar smart-screen gestures, view it from all sides and inside-out to explore its unique properties.

"While this is but one capability of the video wall, it is a critical one because it gives visitors the ability to really see into our products, many of which are microscopic in size, in a way that even having the product in-hand does not allow. That deep-dive look reveals Samtec's many aspects of product differentiation and exceptionalism," says Ashley Quinlan, Samtec's Manager of Communications. "It's important to our employee communication as well because it helps them all similarly understand the many facets of our business, and it instills in us a sense of pride in what we do to serve our customers."

Creating a unique and memorable experience

Quinlan and her colleagues at Samtec were joined in the planning, selection and installation of the new video wall by David Perry of Fivestone Studios (Nashville, Tennessee), experts in building immersive digital experiences; and Marc Theodosiou, a long time visual and audio technology strategist also based in Nashville. Collectively, as Quinlan says, they agreed that the Clarity Matrix MultiTouch was the right solution for Samtec and that it would play a key role in creating a unique and memorable experience in the headquarters building.

The team specified the Clarity Matrix MultiTouch array in a five-wide by three-high configuration (5x3) to be installed on a prominent wall in what is called "The Nook." This space, adjacent to the administrative office area and across from the building's community break room, is on what Quinlan calls the experience trail, which leads visitors and other groups through the building and onto the main manufacturing floor. "When you pass this room, which has the feel of a high-end theater, you are immediately drawn to the Clarity Matrix MultiTouch video wall and instinctively want to walk up and touch it," says Marc Theodosiou. "Its appeal includes being able to easily see it very clearly from a distance or up close. Further, groups of people can stand close and interact with it (through 32 simultaneous touch points) thanks to the fact that the displays, which are very touch-responsive, are protected by Planar® ERO™ (Extended Ruggedness and Optics™) technology and its nearly flush-mount profile adheres to the strict mounting standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act."

Since the video wall is a platform for a myriad of critical Samtec content, ranging from still images, to videos, to 3D product representations, image quality was a key requirement. Clarity Matrix MultiTouch meets this with a total display resolution of 9600 x 3240, "which is effectively greater than 8K," says David Perry, Producer, of Fivestone Studios. "We also needed a virtually seamless surface so as not to distract from this stunning content. Clarity Matrix MultiTouch delivered on this requirement with a tiled bezel width of (5.5mm), vibrancy and brightness (800 nits) and consistently high color saturation. It is the only video wall that we know of today that can offer this kind of visual experience."

Planar's product and company differentiation

Clarity Matrix MultiTouch also meets another essential Samtec requirement, which is reliability and serviceability. Planar delivers on this need with a video wall that is commercial-grade from the ground up, and field-proven to provide 100 percent performance in literally hundreds of 24x7-rated customer applications.

Another foundation of its reliability, and serviceability, is its off-board electronics design. Under this design, certain components of the video wall, including power supplies and controllers, are remotely located. "This keeps away from the video wall, components that could induce heat generated failures," says Fivestone's David Perry.

"The video wall thus runs cooler, and thus over a longer lifespan, it is whisper-quiet, which enhances the viewer experience, and keeps down the costs of cooling." Further, Perry adds, if a power supply does fail, we can easily get access to it without having to disable the entire video wall.

"And finally, when we've needed Planar's support, they were there for us in full, hands-on mode." They were onsite during installation and made sure the video wall was up and running just as it should be. And when we need them going forward, we know anyone and everyone we need to solve a problem is immediately available to us at any time. That's why they make such a great partner for us and for Samtec."