“Wow” is probably the best “technical” term to describe the quality of the entries in the first-ever Samsung Best Install Contest, held in conjunction with CE Pro.

This contest, which was open to any U.S.-based custom install dealers attending CEDIA Expo Virtual, recognized top-notch installations features various Samsung displays. Winners were announced during the CEDIA Virtual Expo.

The category winners are: 

• Best Indoor Video Install – Maxicon in Miami, Fla.
• Best Outdoor Video Install – Media Innovation Technologies in Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Best dvLED Wall Residential Install – Wilshire Media Systems in Westlake Village, Calif.

“We were blown away by the dazzling array of entries we received in the inaugural Samsung Installation Contest with CE Pro,” says Jim Mayo, director, custom install channel for Samsung.

“Integrators showed amazing ingenuity, creativity and skill in their installations. In many cases they had to overcome obstacles related to mounting and design criteria to make these installations of Samsung displays spectacular. We wish we could have had more winners, thank you to everyone who entered.”

Each of the three winning entries will receive a 65-inch QLED 8K TV from Samsung.

Here are some details on the award-winning projects.

Best Indoor Installation

Maxicon’s 8K Video Wall Project used four Samsung QN85Q900T to create a 170-inch videowall in a home. The bezel-less design from the Q900T allowed the company to create a perfect unified image. The 8K Samsung displays are connected to a Savant 4K video matrix with tiling. The customer has 20 different video sources that he uses to display entertainment presets for Sports and News.

“In order to make the video displays look bezel-less, we had to invert two displays leaving the bottom part of the display upside down. The Samsung software allowed us to flip the image and with the help of Blackmagic color correction hardware we were able match and calibrate all four displays. From now on will do nothing less than 170-inch displays for this customer,” says Andres Klein of Maxicon. “At first he did was not convinced on using the 8K panels, after looking the final result in terms of brightness and up-conversion quality he is convinced we did the right choice.”

Best Outdoor Installation

Media Innovation Technologies used the new 75-inch Samsung The Terrace for an installation pristinely placed on reclaimed wood that surrounds a fireplace. The installation went without a hitch, according to the company. in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Available in 55-, 65-and 75-inch models, The Terrace is IP55 rated for resistance to dust and water. It has a thin 10mm bezel and a depth of 59mm, with 2,000 nits of brightness, a motion rate of MR240, and a 2% reflection rate using an anti-glare coating.

The Terrace comes equipped with Tizen, Samsung’s Smart TV platform, which powers features such as Samsung TV Plus, a free linear TV video service with over 120 channels, Samsung Health, a fitness and wellness platform that launches in the U.S. next week, as well as the leading subscription streaming services. In addition to supporting mobile viewing capabilities like Multi View and Tap View, the Terrace also supports multiple voice services including Bixby, Amazon Alexa and soon Google Assistant.

Best dvLED Wall Residential Install

Wilshire Media Systems in Westlake Village, Calif., installed a 5 x 5 1.2mm videowall that takes up most of a wall in client’s living room. In all, the Wall is 13.2-feet wide x 7.4-feet tall.

Getting the right size installed was the main challenge, with the client wanting the Wall as big as possible.

“We were not sure it was doable, because of power consumption and venting. We went big and it all worked out. The client could not be happier. His whole family uses it every day. They play video games and watch movies on it. They also use as a giant video mural displaying digital art. The quality is amazing and we were able to exceed our client expectations “ says Bennett Bowman, sales designer.