UNLV Rec Center Encourages Wellness Through Technology

LAS VEGAS — The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) recently installed a video wall system in its 183,333-square-foot Student Wellness and Recreation Center designed to encourage and motivate students as they pursue fitness goals.

The installation is composed of 12 Clarity Matrix LCD video wall displays that form a six-wide by two-high video wall above the first-floor cardio area of the UNLV Student Recreation and Wellness Center, which was completed in 2007. The multiple displays showcase sports, news and other television programming, engaging students and keeping them motivated as they take advantage of the center’s elliptical machines, treadmills and other sports equipment.

“To even those most dedicated to getting fit, a treadmill session can get boring quickly,” said Erin Farrar, UNLV’s director of campus recreation services, in a statement. “Having the ability to watch a game or even a cooking show, especially on a big screen, makes the time fly by and keeps hundreds of students motivated to work out when they otherwise might not be. We love these displays as much the students do, because they make a statement about our commitment to advanced technology and bringing content and information to viewers on the very latest digital media platforms.”

Planar Systems Inc., a leader in display and digital signage technology, supplied the video wall installation, which the university selected specifically for its smart design, ease of maintenance and visual performance, according to a statement. The video wall’s design offers ultra-narrow tiled bezel width of 3.7 millimeters, which makes the gaps between the displays almost invisible and the entire video wall appear seamless. Additionally, the system’s distributed design, which allows components such as power supplies and controllers to be located in a remote rack room, allowed the university to avoid installing new power outlets behind each LCD display, in turn saving in labor and materials costs while achieving a quick installation.

Scalability and serviceability were also factors in UNLV’s decision to invest in the video wall technology. For instance, if the university wants to increase the size of the display, it can do so by inserting new rows or columns without the need for additional electrical infrastructure. When maintenance is needed, UNLV can access individual displays from the front without dismantling the wall.

“The UNLV installation demonstrates why so many organizations are implementing Clarity Matrix video walls in innovative ways,” said Jennifer Davis, vice president of marketing and product strategy for Planar Systems, in a statement. “…Clarity Matrix is the go-to solution for today’s LCD video walls, whether they are used for advertising, data visualization or helping college students attain their fitness goals.”

This story was originally published on School Construction News.