Automobile Museum Adds Modern Twist with Curved DVLED Displays

From the outside, it’s obvious that the brand new Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, isn’t your typical museum. Featuring a towering facade of floor-to-ceiling windows on the massive entrance hall, illuminated with colored lighting that creates contrast, the building’s exterior provides a glimpse into the captivating design and experience of the interior.

In addition to memorializing the history of the automobile with exhibits and events, the new 65,000-square-foot institution leverages direct-view light-emitting diode (DVLED) display technology to deliver video content and provide digital canvases for private events or sponsors to display messages and films.

According to Tom Shinall, the Savoy Automobile Museum’s director of development, the ambiance created by the eye-catching displays ties in with the theme of advancements in automotive technologies.

“The Savoy Automobile Museum is world-class, and every decision we made was part of an effort to maximize the guest experience and expand the potential for hosting private events,” says Shinall.

“With three massive LG digital displays running auto-related content and museum information, this space is unlike any other.”

The museum aimed to maximize its interior space, host important events like new vehicle launches using the theater’s rotating stage and 18′ X 31′ curved DVLED display.

The space also serves as a unique wedding venue for couples, where they can have their videos broadcast on the 10′ X 24′ curved and tilted display in the Great Hall.

As a non-profit cultural institution and a new local landmark, the museum and its digital displays are available for use by outside partners, fundraisers, corporate functions, and more.

DVLED Curvature

The theater and Great Hall displays are curved, made possible by LG screens and custom DVLED video wall mounting systems from Peerless-AV. The theater display has a concave design that wraps around the rear of the stage, while the Great Hall display matches the curve of a convex soffit and is tilted down 8 degrees to provide greater visibility for guests.

In addition to these two displays, a 4′ X 24′ DVLED marquee display is mounted above the theater entrance to invite guests inside the theater and promote films and exhibits. All the displays use LG’s 2.5 mm pixel pitch DVLED technology, ideal for large screens that require visibility at a distance.

Tim Carrigan, senior program manager at LG Business Solutions USA, says the project design required DVLED displays in custom sizes, aspect ratios, and curves.

“The Savoy really needed DVLED. Not only would other technologies potentially cost more, but they would involve more complicated wiring, additional head-end equipment, and mounting solutions, in addition to introducing unpleasant bezels that divide the images and limit the total size to fixed increments,” says Carrigan.

Installation considerations

To ensure each DVLED display seamlessly blended in with the building’s architecture, LG and Savoy worked with Peerless-AV to design and install custom mounts. Kevin McDonald, senior director of business development at Peerless-AV, noted that there are a couple of key considerations when working with large DVLED displays.

“First, there’s no such thing as a flat wall,” explains McDonald. “Second, the mounts don’t hang themselves. A substructure is often needed to provide a completely flat and level surface to hang the mount and ensure that the display is easily hangable. Luckily, this building features concrete construction, so we did not have to install a weight-bearing infrastructure that is typical for displays of this size.”

Through the Peerless-AV DVLED video wall integration program, their team provided start-to-finish onsite consultation and design and engineering support, including delivery of two bespoke DVLED mounting systems and a standard flat-to-wall mounting system. Both custom mounts are mounted to the floor and tied back to the wall, and, in doing so, this ensured the mounting system had control over any movement or shifting within the building.

McDonald says the Peerless-AV team meticulously calculated the radius and the Z-adjustment on the mounting system for the concave 16′ X 16′ cabinet display.

“And for the 12′ X 9′ custom convex video wall, the tilt made this even more complex. Again, the adjustment on the mounting system made this install a straightforward success, resulting in digital canvases that are perfectly aligned without visible seams,” says McDonald.

The technology portion of the museum was overseen by Georgia-based integration firm Southern Digital Design, with Daniel Purcell spearheading the specific designs needed for each DVLED display.

“This is the kind of project that shows what’s possible with the latest display technologies,” states Purcell. “We brought together the right partners with the right skill sets to achieve an awe-inspiring digital experience that I think is unmatched by any other Georgia event venue, except perhaps some sports stadiums.”

Everyone involved agrees the project was a huge success and contributes to the positive reception the new museum has received since holding its grand opening in December 2021.

As a membership-based organization, the Savoy museum recognizes that the featured technology encourages members to think of the museum as an event space that can be utilized for various purposes moving forward.

Shinall concludes, “We issued a tall ask to our partners, and Southern Digital Design, LG, and Peerless-AV delivered incredible results that helped us make a statement. When people visit the museum, we want them to be wowed and walk away with memories and photos to share with their family and friends. I have no doubt that our classic vehicles, rotating exhibits, and awesome technology will excite and enthrall everyone who walks through our doors.”