Application Notes: Dante in Corporate AV Installations
Boardrooms, conference rooms, campuses, lobbies — real-world deployment scenarios Corporate AV is among the most practical deployment target for…
Overview
The FLEX-MF modular matrix chassis (FLEX-MF8X10, FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60) have a built-in video wall, so no external video wall processor is needed. On the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60 each wall can be up to 4×3 (12 displays). The FLEX-MF8X10 accepts wall groups of up to 4×3, but it has 10 CAT outputs, so confirm the largest wall with KanexPro technical support before you plan more than 10 displays in one wall. Every chassis accepts up to 30 walls, as many as its installed output ports allow, and supports bezel compensation, which hides the part of the image that falls behind each display's bezel so content looks continuous across the panels. The same chassis also route sources to individual displays, run quad view (four sources on one output) and scale each output independently. Flex Matrix Pro chassis have a built-in video wall too; their setup is not covered in this article.
Video Wall Limits
| Item | FLEX-MF chassis |
|---|---|
| Largest wall | FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36, FLEX-MF24X60: 4×3 (12 displays). FLEX-MF8X10: wall groups up to 4×3, but 10 CAT outputs; confirm walls of more than 10 displays with KanexPro technical support |
| Walls per chassis | Up to 30 (numbered 1–30 on the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60), limited by the output ports installed |
| Bezel compensation | Supported |
| Starting output port | FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36, FLEX-MF24X60: must be the 1st, 5th or 9th port of an output card |
| Quad view | 3 layouts, configurable per output |
Configuring a Wall on the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60
On these chassis, video walls are set up with ASCII commands sent over RS-232 (9-pin D-sub) or TCP/IP (Telnet port 23). Every command ends with !. To find the chassis IP address, open System Info on the front-panel touchscreen, or send r ip addr! over RS-232.
Create a wall
The wall creation command sets five values:
- Wall number: 1–30; each wall needs a unique number
- Horizontal divisions (hdiv): 1–4
- Vertical divisions (vdiv): 1–3
- Output timing (time): timing index 2–16 (see below)
- Starting output port (out): must be the 1st, 5th or 9th port of an output card
Section 5.5 of the product manual for your chassis (FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36, FLEX-MF24X60) gives the video wall creation command in two forms, with and without the word set after the wall number. Send one form once from a terminal; if the wall does not form, send the other, and put only the form that worked into your control program. Build a small test wall first to confirm which of hdiv and vdiv sets the number of columns on your layout.
Timing index: 2 = 480p60, 3 = 576p50, 4 = 720p50, 5 = 720p59, 6 = 720p60, 7 = 1080p50, 8 = 1080p59, 9 = 1080p60, 10 = 4K30, 11 = 4K50, 12 = 4K59, 13 = 4K60, 14 = 1024×768@60, 15 = 1280×1024@60, 16 = 1920×1200@60. Type B commands write the same values with two digits, for example H09.
Switch the source or turn a wall off
- s in x wall out y!: switches video wall y to input x, for example s in 2 wall out 2!. Before you add it to a control program, test it on a wall whose number differs from its starting output port, for example wall 1 starting at output 13, to confirm whether y is the wall number or that output port.
- s wall x off!: turns off video wall x and returns to normal mode, for example s wall 2 off!
Bezel compensation and Type B commands
For third-party control systems, these chassis also accept Type B commands with a *255 prefix. Bezel compensation is set with a Type B command:
- *255OBOxxxHxxVxx!: sets bezel compensation, for example *255OBO001H01V01!
- *255OWOxxx-xxxM00!: turns off video wall mode for an output range, for example *255OWO001-009M00!
The three digits after OBO use the same format as the output number in the other Type B output commands. Send the command for one output of the wall first and check whether only that display or the whole wall changes. Then adjust the H and V values in small steps while a grid test pattern runs across the wall, and record the values that line up before you add them to a control program. Section 5.18 of the same manual gives a Type B command that sets up a wall layout. Its example shortens the output list with '...', so it cannot be sent as printed; confirm the full string with KanexPro technical support and test it on the chassis before you use it.
Video Walls on the FLEX-MF8X10
The FLEX-MF8X10 supports up to 30 wall groups of up to 4×3 each, with adjustable bezel compensation. It has 10 CAT outputs, so confirm the largest wall it can drive with KanexPro technical support (support@kanexpro.com) before you design a wall of more than 10 displays on it. It is controlled from its front-panel touchscreen, RS-232 (D-Sub 9), TCP/IP or web GUI. Before you program a control system, get the video wall setup procedure and command syntax from the FLEX-MF8X10 product documentation or from KanexPro technical support, and test them on the unit. Do not reuse control code written for the larger FLEX-MF chassis without testing it on the FLEX-MF8X10. To find its IP address, open System Info on the front-panel touchscreen.
Walls, Quad View and Normal Routing Together
A chassis can mix walls with individually routed displays and quad view. For example, one FLEX-MF24X36 can feed single TVs, a 12-display wall and a quad-view screen at the same time. On the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60:
- s quad on layer x time y out z! turns on quad view: layout x is 1–3, y is the timing index 2–16, and z must be a card's 1st, 5th or 9th port. For example, s quad on layer 1 time 9 out 1! sets layout 1 at 1080p60 starting from output 1.
- s quad off out x! turns quad view off.
- s hdmi y scaler z! sets the resolution of output y (0 = all outputs) independently, using 1 = Auto or a timing index value such as 9 = 1080p60 or 13 = 4K60.
Give every wall a unique number, and plan walls and quad-view groups so each starts on a card's 1st, 5th or 9th output port.
Best Practices
- Use the same display model across a wall so panel size, bezel width and resolution match.
- Label output cables by wall position (R1C1, R1C2 and so on) during the cable pull.
- Check each wall with a full-screen grid test pattern before handoff.
- Keep every FLEX-CATRX run within the receiver's rated distance for the resolution the wall uses.
Video Wall Questions
What is the largest video wall a FLEX-MF chassis can drive?
On the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60, a wall can be up to 4×3, which is 12 displays. Each wall shows its own input, so one image cannot span more than 12 displays; more displays need additional, separate walls. Walls are numbered 1–30, but each must start on a card's 1st, 5th or 9th output port, so no more than three walls can start on any one output card. The FLEX-MF8X10 supports wall groups of up to 4×3 but has 10 CAT outputs; confirm the largest wall with KanexPro technical support before you design one of more than 10 displays on it.
Why does my video wall show incorrect tiling?
On the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60, check that the hdiv and vdiv values match the physical display layout and that the wall starts on a card's 1st, 5th or 9th output port, then correct the alignment with bezel compensation. On the FLEX-MF8X10, verify the wall group, the output mapping and the starting port.
How far can a wall display be from the chassis over CAT cable?
CAT output cards feed FLEX-CATRX receivers, which take power over the cable (PoC) and need no external supply. Keep runs within the receiver's rating: up to 50 m (165 ft) at 4K60 and up to 60 m (197 ft) at 1080p, with CAT6 or CAT6a cable for 4K60. On the FLEX-MF16X20, FLEX-MF24X36 and FLEX-MF24X60, s rx y reset! resets the receiver on output y (0 = all).
