:: 800-637-2645 :: watchfiresigns.com

CHOOSING A WATCHFIRE SIGN 08/11

Which Watchfire® LED sign best fits your needs? Comparing Watchfire W-series and XVS signs

W-series signs are a solid Watchfire LED option, similar to XVS models in many ways. Both models feature:

CHOOSING A WATCHFIRE SIGNW-Series or XVS?

The W-series, with a color palette capable of displaying up to 4.4 trillion colors, will certainly attract attention. However, if you want to take it up a notch and own the best advertising solution available to promote your products and services, consider a Watchfire XVS sign.

With stunningly vibrant images, full-motion video, the deepest color palette, whole-sign calibration, and Automated Sign Diagnostics, XVS models will display your products with eye-popping color and deliver amazing results.

What makes the XVS models so special?XVS stands for Extreme Video System and is available in 16mm, 19mm and 25mm pixel pitch signs. An XVS sign delivers more colors, a faster refresh rate, and a more uniform LED appearance thanks to whole-sign color calibration. Additional XVS features include:

W-19mm Matrix: 48 x 112

• Fully encapsulated LED modules for superior protection from the elements• Viewing angles of 140° horizontal and 70° vertical • The ability to create text messages and animated graphics through our user-friendly Ignite® Graphics Software • Adjustable brightness from 0 nits to the maximum • White-balanced color using a unique LED binning and batching system that matches all modules in a sign• The ability to run video clips, though the XVS signs have more available memory for messages - The BC550 controller on all W-series signs has up to about 7000 pixels and has 20 megabytes of memory for messages - The BC750 controller on larger W-series signs and all XVS signs has about 1 GB of memory for messages

• Color capability up to 4.72 sextillion colors for the most life-like color with deeper color hues• Progressive scan video speed at 30 frames per second (fps), upgradable to 60 fps on the X16, X19 and X25 models for realistic, smooth moving images and crisp animations that pop• Brightness that is measured to a maximum of 11,000 nits for X16, 10,000 nits for X19 and 9,000 nits for X25, adjustable from 0 nits to the maximum for each model• Ability to display live video on signs with a fiber-optic connection• Whole-sign color calibration down to each pixel before the signs leave the factory• Sign Diagnostics on demand through Ignite software to detect hardware issues and reduce downtime• XVS signs with broadband communications can be enrolled in our Automated Sign Diagnostics service to immediately detect hardware issues and notify you by email, which leads to faster repair and less downtime

CHOOSING A WATCHFIRE SIGN 08/11

:: 800-637-2645 :: watchfiresigns.com

Why whole-sign color calibration mattersThe human eye is very good at identifying the slightest differences in brightness and color. Most people can spot brightness variations when the difference is less than 3%. When viewing color, the human eye can pick up on variances as small as 2nm in wavelength.

LEDs are subject to variations in brightness and color even though manufacturers organize them in batches to establish consistency. We use LEDs from the same batch for each color in a module. But it takes a complex process of whole-sign calibration to make LED signs that accurately reproduce your images and video and are truly even in brightness and color.

Calibration eliminates splotchy colors and bright and dim spots by measuring the brightness and color variation of LED pixels and adjusting the brightness of each of the primary colors to ensure each pixel matches those around it. There are two basic methods of calibration: module-level and whole-sign.

In 2008, Watchfire began implementing whole-sign color calibration on all XVS units and digital billboards. Using gold standard calibration technologies from Radiant Imaging, we calibrate entire signs at the pixel level after all modules are in place and all functions of the sign have been verified. We fine-tune our state-of-the-art calibration cameras daily, ensuring precise color and brightness using highly accurate colorimeters.

Our whole-sign process also removes any distortions of the lenses by using a uniform light source sphere. We make camera adjustments through our color calibration computers, which in turn record images of the entire LED screen through the calibration cameras. We then use high-power zoom lenses to fully characterize each individual LED for color and brightness. The camera records images and generates a 3-axis calibration matrix for each pixel in the LED screen so that all pixels meet color and brightness targets when displaying the four primary light colors: Red, Green, Blue, and D65 White (the industry-recommended white point or color temperature standard for monitors, measured at 6500K degrees Kelvin).

This process is applied at both the pixel level on sign sections and the module level for the entire LED sign to minimize differences in color and brightness between modules in the LED sign. As a final step, the sign color and brightness are verified using highly accurate colorimeters.

The whole-sign color calibration process is an important component of Watchfire’s quality assurance system. It allows us to ensure that our signs have the most accurate color representation and the smoothest colors in the industry.

Over the years, we have continually honed our methods to ensure the tightest calibration standards. Factory whole-sign calibration is one of the key reasons a Watchfire XVS sign produces the best, most impactful images available.

XVS-19mm Matrix: 128 x 272

XVS-19mm Matrix: 96 x 192

CHOOSING A WATCHFIRE SIGN 08/11

:: 800-637-2645 :: watchfiresigns.com

Automated Sign Diagnostics – what’s in it for youSimply put, our Automated Sign Diagnostics service improves service response times and reduces sign downtimes. All XVS signs will run the diagnostics tool on demand. However, any owner of a broadband-connected XVS sign can subscribe to the Automated Sign Diagnostics service. This utility collects diagnostic information about registered signs in real time and sends email notifications directly to the customer when hardware malfunctions are detected.

How it worksThe sign’s controller automatically detects hardware issues during timed diagnostic runs. The controller then sends any detected hardware issues to a central database where they are stored relative to the specific sign. Notifications about potential service issues can be sent from the database as reports. Hardware issues are detected for various reasons, such as when a module is not responding, when there are multiple errors, or when the sign is experiencing downtime.

Automated Sign Diagnostics can also detect the uptime and downtime of the sign as a result of power loss, computer reboot, or Internet connection loss. The service notifies users when a sign may not be running or has lost communication with the centralized server. The service monitors the performance of the sign by tracking its uptimes and downtimes.

Through the broadband connection, the sign’s controller passes information securely to the sign diagnostics server over the Internet using the SHA-1 data encryption algorithm. The sign maintains

 

 

constant communication with the diagnostics server by sending uptime pings on a set interval – typically every 10 minutes. This allows the diagnostics server to detect when communication to the sign has been lost.

After the sign’s controller runs a diagnostic cycle, it sends any detected hardware errors to the diagnostics server. When the diagnostics server detects hardware malfunctions at the sign, it sends an email directly to the customer.

Use Automated Sign Diagnostics to:• Detect hardware problems that may be unnoticeable to the naked eye• Detect hardware problems that can’t be detected by a web camera• Provide faster response times for service calls by detecting and relaying issues in real time• Save diagnostics information throughout the life of the sign• Provide SHA-1 secure communications for all information between the sign’s controller and the diagnostics server

The Automated Sign Diagnostics service is available only on Watchfire XVS signs that are equipped with a broadband connection. The sign controller on an XVS sign uses the broadband connection to send alerts via email. These features set the XVS models apart from the W-series and provide you with peace of mind regarding your LED sign investment.