Christie introduces MicroTiles

The Christie MicroTiles system represents a step forward in large-format display technology, offering "superior colour and image reproduction, the widest possible viewing angles, and a near absence of seams on display walls, with only a 1mm gap between the tiles," says the company.The groundbreaking LED- and DLP-based system is designed for long, reliable commercial use in public areas, with no lamps or other consumable parts to replace. The LED light engine, a key component of MicroTiles, is rated at 65,000 hours to half brightness usage, or nearly 7.5 years of continuous operation.With a screen size of 16 inches (408mm) wide x 12 inches (306mm) high, the tiles also feature a shallow depth of only 10.2 inches (260mm) and require just 2 inches (50mm) of minimal clearance for rear ventilation. Christie engineers designed the MicroTiles to be fully and easily serviced from the front. The tiles are "self-aware" - meaning that time-consuming and costly colour calibration needed to keep conventional "video walls" looking uniform, is automatically completed by the sensors built into the MicroTiles.Walls of tiles are controlled by a simple unit that processes the signal from the most popular digital signage and media players."MicroTiles represent a distinct revolution in display technology, that allows users to create their own digital canvas or digital wallpaper," said Bob Rushby, the co-inventor and Chief Technology Officer of Christie. "With MicroTiles, users can express their creativity and vision, and assemble the displays in ways that have previously been unattainable using current flat panel LCD, plasma or LED walls.""Assemble the tiles any way you like, take them apart and re-assemble them in a new configuration, and they 'recognize' each other every time and adjust the image automatically," Rushby added. "Our partners are discovering new ways of using digital display that would have been impossible or impractical before MicroTiles."(Claire Beeson)