Specs. They seem to be the most important aspect of any technology product. If a company wants to purchase a new video wall solution, their complete wish list is primarily built on specs. Because if you want to compare products, specs are just the most tangible, the most objective parameters available. But if you think about it, their importance is overrated.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with specs, and I’m sure everybody in any marketing department feels the same way. If our specs are better than those of the competition, we put them in as many texts as we can. We make sure everybody in the world knows how much better our video wall is than the one from the competition. If it’s the other way round (yes, very rarely that happens) we feel as if the specs are manipulated and corrupted. Because yes, specs can be manipulated. I’m sure the guys in R&D can pump up some spec (most of the times at the expense of something else) to make the product look better on paper. To satisfy their marketing department. So what do specs really tell? Right: absolutely nothing. They say exactly how much light comes out of the projector, but fail to say if the image on the screen actually looks good. If you think about it, a video wall can produce the worst possible images, and still flaunt magnificent specifications. You can fake specs, but you can’t fake quality.

What it all comes down to is trust. Do you trust that this video wall really suits the needs of your control room? Do you trust that the company can service and maintain your video wall, and will be able to deliver the needed spare parts even ten years from now? Do you trust that the quality of the image will not decay in a couple of years, with no way of setting things straight? Right: these are the things that really matter, but they can’t be molded into a spec of any kind.

Now don’t get me wrong: this is not a way to excuse Barco’s specifications. Take our new Flagship laser video wall for 24/7 control rooms for example. It has by far the best specs on the market. I’m quite sure the marketing departments of our competitors hate us for that. But it is also just the best video wall on the market, and really the best choice for control rooms. And there’s only one way to really evaluate image quality, and that’s by seeing it with your own eyes. So if you have the chance to see this product in action, don’t miss the opportunity! If you are visiting InfoComm (Las Vegas, 8-10 June), be sure to visit our booth: #C8720. Our new video wall will be on display there for the first time, and will surely blow you away. With great images, and great specs!