All Systems Go opened in 2020 and has since been listed as one of the top esports lounges due to its unique and vibrant atmosphere merging gaming with a nightclub, sports bar, cocktail lounge, and coffee bar. The owners of All Systems Go envisioned the new facility as more of a social gathering spot than purely a gaming center and recognized the need for a good dose of technology to help tie it all together.
A crucial element of the tech integration in the versatile entertainment venue is a massive LED video wall from Digital Projection. The 20x8-foot Radiance VX-G Series 2.5 pixel pitch LED video wall stands front and center in the 6,200-square-foot, all-inclusive facility.
[You Got to See this Enormous 92-Foot Video Wall]
Designed, configured, and installed by DNR Laboratories in Worcester, MA, the video wall displays as many as 30 windows of gaming action direct from the 50-plus PCs in the esports area, plus food and drink specials, gaming scores and schedules, live and streaming musical performances, watch parties, zoom sessions for private corporate retreats, and more. “It’s the visual centerpiece that binds all the elements of this one-of-a-kind entertainment venue together,” said Don Gamsjager CEO and founder of DNR Laboratories. “They intended to use the display all day, every day, to keep visitors engaged and entertained no matter if they’re a casual and hardcore gamer, dining alone or meeting friends for happy hour.” Needless to say, consistency and reliability were paramount to the project.
Despite the customer’s request for an “inexpensive” LED display, DNR Laboratories knew a discount wouldn’t deliver the best multimedia experience. The Digital Projection Radiance video wall, on the other hand, certainly would. Bright, crisp imaging from a diverse range of on and off-premises media, of multiple aspect ratios and resolutions was all well within its wheelhouse. At the time of the installation (2020), its 2.5mm pixel pitch was impressive, too.
“There are 388 other LED display manufacturers currently advertising in the U.S., and DP, then and today, by far offers the best in terms of performance, as well as service and support,” Gamsjager said. The space allotted for the video wall was huge, the customer expectations high, so the installation would be expensive regardless of brand. “Our challenge was convincing the All Systems Go stakeholders to invest in a higher-end solution like the Radiance.”
[SCN Installation Showcase 2023]
Digital Projection’s end-to-end service and support helped cinch the deal. Given the intense, non-stop video action at All Systems Go, the individual panels comprising a video wall were going to get quite a workout. They were bound to require maintenance and replacement at some point. “DP is a rare manufacturer from whom we can get spare quality parts quickly, hassle-free, and delivered right to the job site,” Gamsjager explained. This results in less downtime—critical to the livelihood of clients like All Systems Go. Other service-related advantages for both All Systems Go and DNR Laboratories are DP’s 24/7/365 tech support and the backing of its parent company, Delta. “Delta has strong roots in the power supply business; LED displays require a lot of good, clean power for optimal operation,” Gamsjager continues. “It is reassuring in a project of this magnitude to know that power is a foundational element of DP’s heritage.”
Of course, there were plenty of performance aspects that made the Radiance LED video wall the ideal choice for the location. Low latency is an absolute must for a high-caliber esports venue; the Radiance dominates in this category with a 3900 refresh rate, according to Gamsjager. As many as 30 separate windows of competing game play stay in sync. At the same time, the Radiance displays real-time footage from small POV cameras positioned around the gaming stations. These capture the facial expressions and body language of the competitors for even greater immersion.
Color accuracy and vibrancy were other attributes of the Radiance video wall, enhanced further through pixel-level calibration performed in the field by Digital Projection technicians. Digital Projection calibrates its displays at the factory, but goes a step further by calibrating the display at the jobsite. “A differentiator and a game-changer, we were able to bring the image quality to near perfection,” he remarks.
DNR Laboratories utilized the expertise of the Digital Projection field techs in other aspects of the installation, as well. They built the framework for the LED video wall in a day and were able with assistance from DP to also complete the installation of the video wall in a day—"quite an accomplishment for our biggest, most elaborate LED video wall deployments to date,” Gamsjager said. DP’s in-field service and support freed up time for members of the DNR Productions’ crew to tackle the tech in the All Systems Go control room. Here, the all-important processors, switchers, and streaming computers feed a wide assortment of fresh, relevant content to the Digital Projection Radiance video wall. Esports might be the main draw of All Systems Go, but the multimedia capabilities and reliability of the Radiance video make this a venue that gamers and non-gamers alike can enjoy.
