Decide what the wall shows at each point in the programme
Begin with screen states, not a list of cables: opening animation, full presentation, slides beside a live camera, holding graphic and closing film. For each state, specify the source, its position on the LED wall and the person who calls the change. This turns “we need slides and cameras” into a system the technical team can design.
A wide LED wall need not share the proportions of a camera or presentation. The operator needs a confirmed pixel map and a layout showing how each source fits. A processor that maps pixels to panels is not automatically a live production system capable of combining all your sources and transitions.
Separate the jobs in the signal chain
| Job | Required result | Who confirms it |
|---|---|---|
| Provide source content | Approved slides, films and camera feeds in the agreed formats. | Presentation, content and camera teams. |
| Compose and switch | The requested sources appear in the correct windows and change on cue. | The video or screen operator. |
| Map to LED | The composition reaches the intended active pixels without accidental cropping. | The LED technical team. |
| Manage programme and audio | Changes happen at the right moment with the intended sound. | The show caller and sound/video operators. |
Barco's presentation-switcher specifications distinguish live layers, mixing and output modes. Those differences affect what a show can do. Ask the supplier to confirm the required simultaneous windows and transitions for the proposed equipment rather than assuming any switcher provides every layout.
Worked example: slides and camera on a 2880 × 1080 canvas
Assume a hypothetical LED wall with a confirmed native canvas of 2880 × 1080 pixels. A 1920 × 1080 presentation can occupy the left-hand area without changing its 16:9 proportions. That leaves a right-hand column 960 pixels wide.
Put a 16:9 camera window of 960 × 540 pixels at the top of that column, starting at x = 1920 and y = 0. Use the remaining 960 × 540 area below it for the speaker name and event graphics. This is a layout exercise, not a hardware specification. The technical team must confirm how the composition is created and transported to the LED processor.
Now compare a second state in which the presentation becomes a larger centred image and the camera disappears. The audience's slide-reading area changes, so the speaker should rehearse both states. Do not stretch the slides to fill the whole wide canvas merely because there is unused width.
Write a small cue table
| Moment | LED layout | Action to agree |
|---|---|---|
| Guests enter | Approved holding graphic across the canvas. | Operator confirms the correct event and language version. |
| Speaker begins | Slides left, camera upper right, title below. | Show caller requests the prepared layout after preview checks. |
| Detailed explanation | Larger presentation area with the agreed background. | Speaker and operator agree the transition point. |
| Film playback | Approved film layout. | Video and sound teams coordinate start, finish and the next state. |
Plan the stream as a separate destination
If the event is streamed in 16:9, decide whether viewers should receive the same sources in another arrangement. Cropping a wide room canvas can remove the camera or important slide content. A separate composition may need additional output capability and operator work, so include it in the brief and quotation.
Likewise, confirm what appears on a presenter's confidence monitor. Notes, next-slide view and the public LED picture serve different purposes. Give each destination a clear name so an operator does not confuse a private presenter view with the audience feed.
Check motion, timing and the actual stage view
Test a person speaking and moving while the live camera appears on the wall. Review the complete camera-to-screen path and its relationship to the sound. Brompton's latency documentation describes processing modes and feature trade-offs. A processor figure alone is not the delay of the entire chain.
Include camera angles that see the LED background, and agree how the camera image is framed for the room. Rehearse source changes with the actual presentation, films and audio; a static test card does not show what happens at a film's end or when a speaker changes slides.
Before accepting the system
Approve the pixel map and every live-source layout.
Confirm the equipment supports the simultaneous sources, transitions and destinations.
Test previews, source changes, audio and the agreed response to a missing feed.
Assign one person to call cues and identify who executes them.
Retain the approved show configuration and control later content changes.
Send the programme and desired layouts with your LED rental enquiry. Include show operation and any playback and control equipment in the scope alongside the LED wall.
Further reading
Barco: example presentation-switcher capabilities; Brompton: latency modes. Verify the actual equipment, settings and signal path for the proposed event.