There are lots of ways to make a bad first impression on a potential customer or employee—have mustard on your shirt, a funny smell in your office, or outdated technology solutions that don’t always work. Alternately, you can make a good impression with clean clothes, a bright, inviting (and smell-free) office space, and modern technology solutions. And what if those technology solutions could not only make you look good but also help you meet your business goals and increase your revenue? For that kind of result, consider a video wall.

If you’ve ever had to choose a display option for an office, venue or event, you’ve probably asked yourself this question: Which is better, a flat panel display video wall or a projector video wall? The short answer is, it depends. There are certainly applications where a blended or rear projection video wall might be a better fit. But the longer answer is, while a projector isn’t always a wrong choice, a LCD or direct view LED video wall has plenty of advantages worth considering.

Once confined to company lobbies, secretive government command centers and science fiction movies, video walls are becoming increasingly commonplace across multiple industries including retail, higher education and utility and traffic monitoring applications. And that’s just the beginning. According to a recent industry forecast, the global LED video wall market is set to grow at a compound annual rate of 35.1 percent, reaching $73.51 billion by 2025. If you’re thinking of jumping on the bandwagon, here are some trends to watch—and some important considerations to keep in mind.

The adage “You only get one chance to make a first impression” is just as true with places as it is people. Whether it’s a hotel, a student library, or a lobby, what we feel the moment we walk in often translates into an opinion—the hotel deal was too good to be true, I can’t see myself at this college, this company feels too corporate. And that opinion influences the decision that happens next—I’m booking a different hotel, I’m attending the other college, I’m selecting a different provider. Creating an impression that is true to your brand and your mission takes more than a skilled interior designer—it takes technology. Video walls deliver more than an impression—they create an experience. The success of video walls at stopping retail shoppers in their tracks, creating a high-end feel in hotels, helping hospital patients and visitors find their way, engaging students in learning, and delivering relevant information to lobby visitors is the reason the adoption of this solution continues to increase at impressive rates. It’s likely why you’re researching video walls and reading this blog.

Broadcast TV video walls can be seen on just about any channel nowadays. Whether it’s a red carpet event, a news station, sports, or a game show. Video walls are becoming common place in broadcast television and interacting with them is now a common occurrence.

One of the many concerns with video walls, especially in regards to ones being shown on broadcast TV, is color accuracy. When you start combining multiple LED panels in an array, color shifting and variances become very apparent. Have you ever walked down the aisle at a retail store and noticed the color variances on all of the televisions? It’s the same principal with LED video walls for broadcast tv.