To compete for eyeballs in digital signage-heavy Las Vegas is an undertaking. To create a video wall with over 100 feeds which change at the drop of a dime (or roll of the dice) is a tremendous feat. The video wall at the Westgate Super Book is difficult to ignore with a pixel count of 26,880 × 2,304 – what manufacturer Christie says is the densest in the world.
HB Communications, based in Waltham, Mass., discussed the project with Westgate for about six months. The integrator reports that Westgate wished for a state-of-the-art facility which would raise the bar for technology in Las Vegas and put the hotel back on the map under new ownership.
The wall had to manage a wide swath of information with content showing in real time. The client wanted feeds to be changed instantly with limited human intervention. Westgate also stressed minimal maintenance as a priority.
“We wanted to have the largest, highest definition screen in the world, and create a visual and audio immersive experience that makes the viewing audience feel like they are at the game” — Mark Waltrip, Chief Operating Officer, Westgate Resorts.
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Inside the HB Communications Solution at the Las Vegas Westgate
HB Communications set out on an arduous task: they used 1680 Christie Velvet LED tiles to build the 4,166 square-foot video wall. The installation is almost 19 feet high and 220 feet wide, featuring 1,680 LED tiles measuring 18.9”x18.9”x3”, a total weight of 42,000 pounds.
The wall was designed in 7 sections to accommodate for the processing: 7 Christie Spyders handle all of that and link with corresponding sections of responsibility. A steel structure, designed by HB Communications, supports the wall and RPV mounts used for the tiles. Including that structure, the weight of the wall totals 65,000 pounds.
Over 62 million individual LED lamps in the display use only about as much electricity as an incandescent night light bulb in each square foot. The display’s total resolution exceeds the equivalent of seven (7) 4K displays or 28 high definition (HD) displays.
The Westgate’s LED video wall is so large that it can display every currently-live Super Book game taking place in the casino. Up to 42 video signals are simultaneously accessible, with over 100 signals to choose from. These include game coverage, broadcast, cable, and national/international satellite TV and internet video. Custom content designed to fill the entire wall can play through a media playback system built specifically for this installation.
Challenges to the Integrator
The build time for such an undertaking – something HB Communications planned on taking a year – was ultimately allotted 3 months, including design, pre-stage, and installation/commissioning. Installation of the bracket took 14 days; installation of the tiles took 21 days, not including the time it took to test each one; and the configuration process took 14 days. All in all, the project required a brisk pace, to say the least.
The integrator also had nearly 10 miles of data cabling to deal with to connect the LED tiles to a separate video equipment room. All of this work took place behind a temporary wall, which hid the project from public sight and allowed for continued hotel/casino operations.
Impact of the Las Vegas Westgate Video Wall
Once finished in 2015, the video wall from HB Communications replaced a previous combination of flat-panel displays which involved manual effort to manage.
As for the expected return on investment: according to its executive team, Westgate is very impressed.
“The visual acuity is unparalleled, and when you combine this with the comfortable seating, it is actually better than being in a stadium or arena. There is not a bad seat in the house, and the experience is phenomenal,” Waltrip says.
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HB Communications Equipment Highlights
Christie Velvet LED tiles
Christie Spyder X20 (7)
RPV Mounts
