Hiperwall Video Wall Saves Lives, Money

This video wall helps Western States Information Network's monitor potentially dangerous overlaps between law enforcement agencies, a function that almost certainly saves agents’ lives by minimizing the risk of “friendly fire” incidents.

Cost-effective Hiperwall provides critical video wall monitoring of law enforcement agencies.

Video walls used in mission critical applications don’t traditionally conjure terms like “cost effective,” “ease of installation” and certainly not “compromise.” 

That’s what makes this video wall solution provided to Western States Information Network (WSIN) so interesting. The Sacramento, Calif.-based organization monitors potentially dangerous overlaps between law enforcement agencies, a function that almost certainly saves agents’ lives by minimizing the risk of “friendly fire” incidents.

For obvious reasons, WSIN couldn’t afford to compromise as it upgraded its analysts’ focal points from desktop monitors to a more encompassing video wall. Then again, it couldn’t afford a conventional video wall solution either. 

Tru Technical Partners, a Campbell, Calif.-based IT integration specialist, managed to provide a no-compromise solution that costs a fraction of the $140,000 WSIN expected to pay.

Instead of a traditional hardware-based video wall system, Tru Technical used software-centric Hiperwall in conjunction with Samsung monitors. Hiperwall can be used with ordinary PCs and monitors on a standard Ethernet network, making it more affordable than conventional video wall technology.

A streamlined programming and installation process helps shave some of the cost, explains Tru Technical Partners senior sales executive Patricia Cuadros. She says much of the work can be done on the front end, including setting up the servers and installing the software. “When you get out and actually install the wall, we can probably do a whole video wall installation within 6 hours.”

Demand for video walls in command and control room environments appears to be on the rise, but adoption is hampered by the high cost of the technology.

Hiperwall says its high-performance, low-cost software solution allows more integration clients to step up to a video wall solution. Meanwhile, the company says it can display a wide variety of content with unmatched speed and flexibility in an extremely high resolution.

Demo video from Hiperwall’s website:

Mission-Critical System Design

Given the nature of WSIN’s work, Tru Technical had to enable simultaneous displays of PC applications, live video and live TV on a bank of monitors - initially eight on a four-by-two video wall but expanded to a six-by-two video wall with additional monitors in directors’ offices - that make up a high-resolution wall.

When situations escalate, any feed needs to be able to be instantly scaled up for viewing on the entire wall. (Click here for diagram.)

“The Hiperwall system was very easy to configure and our analysts are now able to view our ‘deconfliction’ software, CNN news feeds, surveillance, maps, events tables, and conflicting tables all at once in real time due to Hiperwall’s multi-source streaming flexibility,” says Karen Aumond, director of the Department of Justice at WSIN. “This gives anybody who comes in the watch center everything they need to see to know what is going on in the territory on one screen. Most importantly, our analysts can now make better informed decisions.”

There is, of course, an added level of pressure for integrators working on such crucial applications, Cuadros acknowledges. Tru Technical responds by making sure it dedicates the time necessary to making sure its system designers know exactly how the client intends to use the video wall. 

Still, integrators are only human and it’s hard not to stress over life and death applications. Cuadros remembers visiting WSIN post-installation when “a situation unfolded on the video wall” before her eyes. Cuadros watched as the agents accessed the information they needed on the screen instantly and reacted. “‘Thank God,’ I thought to myself.”