How to Set Up a Perfectly Synced Video Wall

A video wall that drifts is worse than no video wall at all. A few frames of offset between panels turns a clean image into a jigsaw puzzle. This guide walks through every step of a Digipal video wall setup, from creating the wall configuration to achieving frame-accurate synchronisation across any number of panels.

Why Video Walls Drift

Most video wall solutions synchronise by starting all players at the same clock time. The problem is that video decoders buffer differently depending on the player hardware, network jitter, and the codec being used. Even a 40ms difference at startup compounds over time. After 10 minutes of playback, a wall that started clean can look noticeably off.

Hardware-based synchronisation (using genlock or SDI timecode) solves this precisely but requires expensive video wall controllers and rigid cabling. Digipal takes a different approach that achieves near-hardware accuracy using standard Android TV players and a Wi-Fi or ethernet network.

The Rebuild-to-Seek Approach

The platform uses a rebuild-to-seek synchronisation model. Rather than trying to keep all players in lockstep through continuous micro-corrections, it designates one player as the reference. When a screen falls behind by more than a configurable threshold, it pauses, calculates the exact position the reference player will be at when the seek completes, seeks to that position, and resumes. The result is a hard cut to the correct frame rather than a gradual drift correction that looks unnatural.

Step 1: Create the Video Wall

Open the Video Walls section of your Digipal dashboard and click New Wall
Give the wall a name and choose Grid or Freeform mode
In Grid mode, specify the number of rows and columns
In Freeform mode, position each screen on a canvas using pixel coordinates

Step 2: Add Screens to the Wall

Drag paired screens from the screen list into the wall grid. Each cell in the grid represents one physical panel. The position of a screen in the grid determines which portion of the source content it displays. If you need to rearrange panels after adding them, drag and drop between cells without removing and re-adding.

Step 3: Configure Bezel Compensation

Physical bezels between panels consume space that the content needs to account for. In the wall settings, enter the horizontal and vertical bezel width in millimetres. Digipal calculates the crop offset for each panel so the image appears continuous across the physical gap.

Step 4: Assign Content

Assign a video or playlist to the wall just as you would to a single screen. The content must be in a supported format (MP4, H.264 or H.265) and should have an aspect ratio that matches the total wall dimensions rather than a single panel. For a 3x2 grid of 1080p displays, your source video should be 5760x2160.

If you are displaying a Design Studio composition rather than a video file, Digipal handles the cropping internally. Each player renders only its portion of the canvas, so there is no need to pre-render separate crops.

Step 5: Use the Manual Offset Nudge

After publishing, view the wall and compare the panels. If one screen is slightly ahead or behind, use the per-screen offset nudge in the Video Wall settings. Increase the offset value to push the screen forward in time, or decrease it to pull it back. Offsets are applied in milliseconds without requiring a full content reload.

Freeform Mode

Freeform mode is designed for irregular wall layouts where screens are not arranged in a uniform grid. Common examples include an L-shaped installation, a lobby with screens at different heights, or a curved display surface. You position each screen visually on a canvas, set its width and height in pixels, and Digipal calculates the correct crop for each panel based on its position relative to the total canvas area.

Common Issues and Fixes

Wall starts clean but drifts after 10 minutes: lower the sync threshold so panels resync more frequently
One panel consistently lags: check the network connection quality for that specific player and try a wired ethernet connection
Visible seams at bezel join: re-measure bezels in mm and check that you are measuring the correct edge (outer frame, not inner screen edge)
Freeform layout looks incorrect: confirm pixel dimensions in the wall canvas match your physical screen resolutions