I volunteer to work at a friend’s tradeshow exhibit each year in what is the biggest make-or-break expo of his industry. He manages a magazine-format technology publication that is distributed both in print and online. My friend has decorated his exhibit with the same static banner displays for years now, and the blunt truth is that they just don’t work. The proof is in the fact that we have to stand in the aisle shouting like carnival barkers in order to compete with the far more dynamic sights and sounds of the surrounding exhibits.
My friend’s main product, technology content, isn’t as inherently attention grabbing as something tangible like a new car – he has no shiny highlight object to display front and center in his exhibit. But he can produce video content and nothing does a better job of grabbing the attention of passersby than a video wall.
Okay, that last claim might seem like a bit of exaggeration. Sure, he could hire the Rolling Stones to play nonstop in his exhibit booth and The Stones would be even more attention getting. But they’d also be very expensive and none of their legendary songs are about his product, anyway. So, let’s just agree that a video wall is the most-versatile, least-expensive, easiest-to-arrange and easiest-to-configure realistic solution. For his 2014 show, my friend will have a 3-by-3, 9-display video wall (he’s starting small) and the heart of that installation will be an Advantech Video-Wall Controller. My friend choose Advantech because:
- Matrox Mura MPX Graphics Cards: Advantech video-wall controllers are validated with Matrox’s Mura MPX graphics cards, simply the best in the industry. Mura MPX cards incorporate a Generation-2.0 PCI Express x16 interface to deliver up to four inputs and four outputs per card, all while accommodating both digital and analog signals. Configuration options are virtually endless.
- Power Desk: Matrox’s PowerDesk software is easy to master, flexible and responsive to situational awareness. If a potential advertiser has a question about interactivity of in-content ads embedded in his online magazine, my friend can quickly demonstrate that feature on one wall panel or on all of them – in real time. Easy peasy.
- Server-Grade Chipsets: The throughput of multiple MPX cards is demanding. Advantech video-wall controllers feature server-grade chipsets to ensure sufficient PCIe lanes from the CPU and high data-switch rates between those multiple PCIe slots.
- Thermal Design: Multiple graphic cards generate significant heat and require lots of memory. Ordinary mother boards position memory slots perpendicular to the PCIe slots, an arrangement that increases air turbulence and thus decreases ventilation. Instead, Advantech video-wall controllers use a component arrangement called Rack Optimized Placement in which memory slots run parallel to the PCIe slots for maximum airflow and cooling performance.
- Remote Management: Working a high-traffic exhibit is ideally an attendee-focused proposition. My friend must be able to monitor and manage the video wall while on his feet, engaging visitors. Because Advantech’s video-wall controllers facilitate control via smartphone, tablet and laptop, he’ll easily be able to do both.
And the best news? Video-wall installations powered by Advantech controllers are surprisingly affordable. My friend is likely to earn back the cost of his video-wall installation in just one show, while his new video-wall 
installation will continue to serve him show after show, year after year.
No, The Stones won’t be appearing in person in my friend’s 2014 exhibit booth, but they could be displayed there in video, assuming he could afford the price of a few days’ worth of reproduction rights to some of their work. Better yet, he’ll display colorful, dynamic, engaging video tailored specifically to his unique message.