AV integrators, architects and interior designers have a new tool to help them envision and plan display environments, with Planar Systems releasing an augmented reality app to help customers visualise how video walls will look in their actual environment.

The display and digital signage vendor says customers can overlay Planar video wall displays on top of photos of their actual spaces and design product arrays, enabling prospective buyers to visualise how a product will look in its environment.

Users can scroll through a list of products to determine which displays they want and add them to their environment, creating a customised configuration which can then be brought to life by adding video content to create a dimension of realism.

The free PlanarView Visualization App was created in conjunction with US developer SpaceView and available for iPhones and iPads.

Planar Systems says using the app enables AV integrators, architects and designers to streamline the design and planning process by offering a ‘never-before-possible realistic design for commercial display solutions to their customers'.

“The tool is also ideal for corporations, retailers, hospitality firms and other end users who want to visualise ethe exact configuration of their selected Planar displays in their real-world environment before making a purchase,” Planar Systems says.

Jennifer Davis, Planar Systems vice president of marketing and product strategy, says the offering will reduce sales cycles and spur the market for digital displays and video walls by making it possible for customers to precisely picture what different configurations will look like in their actual environments.

Milos Jovanovic, SpaceView chief executive and founder, says PlanarView demonstrates the promise of augmented reality.

“A large barrier to effective sales can be the inability to envision a specific product,” Jovanovic says. “Planar is using the latest technology to break down that barrier.