Christie MicroTiles, a stunning seamless digital canvas

This revolutionary modular technology allows total freedom to create virtually continuous displays in any size, shape and place with unparalleled levels of brightness, contrast and reproduction offering superior color and image reproduction, the widest possible viewing angles and a near-total absence of cracks in display walls.

Christie will be showcasing MicroTiles at Integrated Systems Europe, which will take place in Amsterdam from 2-4 February, a unique display technology capable of creating a virtually continuous digital canvas in almost any size and shape offering spectacular sharp images at any distance.

Christie's MicroTiles are modular display tiles that can be stacked and grouped together like building blocks to create display walls of any shape or scale, using an all-new, advanced optical design that produces unparalleled levels of brightness, contrast and colour reproduction.

The Christie MicroTiles system represents a huge step forward in large-format display technology, offering superior colour and image reproduction, the widest possible viewing angles and a near-total absence of cracks in display walls, with only 1 mm of space between tiles. This revolutionary LED- and DLP-based system is designed for long-lasting and reliable commercial use in public places, with no lamps or other consumables to replace. The LED light engine, a key component of MicroTiles, has an estimated life of 65,000 hours when used at half brightness, or about 7.5 years in continuous operation.

Easy maintenance

With a screen size of 16 inches (408 mm) wide and 12 inches (306 mm) high, the tiles also feature a depth of only 10 inches (260 mm) and require only 2 inches (50 mm) of clearance for rear ventilation. Christie's engineers have designed MicroTiles so that complete maintenance can be done easily from the front. The tiles are "self-sufficient", which means that unlike conventional video walls, where the colour calibration required to make them look uniform is expensive and absorbent, in MicroTiles this calibration is completed automatically thanks to the built-in sensors.

While the engineering behind display tiles is extraordinarily sophisticated, tile murals are controlled by a simple unit that processes the signal from the most popular media players and digital signage.

Known around the world for its high-quality digital projection systems, Christie has had its new mosaics in R+D for two years. Experts in technology and visual design who have already had the opportunity to see some advances have described the system as "one of the wonders of the world in displays".

Modular flexibility

Bob Rushby, Christie's co-inventor and chief technology officer, said: "MicroTiles represent a revolution in display technology that allows users to create their own digital canvases. With MicroTiles, users can unleash their vision and creativity, and mount displays in ways that have previously been unattainable with current flat-panel LCDs, plasmas, or LED walls." Rushby has assured that the system allows the tiles to be mounted or disassembled in any configuration, recognizing each other at all times, adjusting the image automatically. "Our partners are discovering new ways to use digital displays that would have been impossible or impractical before MicroTiles," said the co-inventor of this revolutionary technology.

The spectacular image quality and modular flexibility of the MicroTiles system opens up vast possibilities for companies that are responsible for designing and creating large, visually rich displays for architectural installations, outdoor advertising, event centers, command and control facilities, and commercial environments. MicroTiles can be stacked and arranged to create dominant visual images that fit within the physical constraints of a building and eliminate all compromises made when using other display technologies.

"Christie's MicroTiles open up a whole new world of possibilities for different display markets, offering an innovative and visually striking way to deliver messages and make them memorable," said Rushby.

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