In the build up to NAB Show 2025, PPDS, FX Design Group, and Digital Video Group (DVG) have completed the installation of a 28ft by 8ft curved Philips dvLED production wall inside the new 4,000ft2 PBS Appalachia Virginia studio in Bristol, Virginia.

Built inside the Hard Rock Casino, and featuring a 46ft glass public viewing window, PBS Appalachia Virgina is the nation’s first all-digital public TV station, dedicated to amplifying the voice of Southwest Virginia with local content and PBS network programming. It is also the first television network affiliate located inside a casino.

Designed for 24/7 use and capable of presenting content in resolutions beyond 8K, Philips Unite LED 6000 Series – which will be showcased during NAB Show 2025 – try to provide backdrop (16:9, 21:9 or 32:9) for any TV studio. Finetuned to suit its surroundings, whether positioned behind TV presenters or used as an additional display during weather forecasts and special news reports or features, it delivers on crystal clear performance during broadcasts, delivering depths of black, white and colours.

The curved Philips dvLED wall

The wall features a 1.5mm pixel pitch and colour accuracy, to try to support any type of content being presented.

It was as a “milestone moment” in media innovation and “the most spectacular studio within a 500-mile radius” by Julie Newman, the PBS COO and General Manager for PBS Appalachia Virginia, during an official ribbon cutting ceremony earlier this month (24 March). Speaking directly about the new Philips LED wall, Julie said: “I was hoping it was going to turn out as good as it looked in the drawings and renderings, I didn’t think it was possible… but it turned out even better!”

The Philips dvLED wall, together with an array of Philips Signage 3000 and 4000 Series displays, play an integral role for viewers across all form of media, including those both present and presenting in the studio, those watching from home on their TVs, online, and via the station’s mobile app, plus those viewing behind the public viewing window.

Robert adds: “This state of the art new studio deserved a stunning LED wall and we are incredibly proud that our Philips Unite LED 6000 Series was selected as the standout choice to ensure all ambitions were brought to life. It’s one of the biggest Philips dvLED walls installed in the broadcast industry to date and it sets a benchmark for what is possible and can be achieved with Philips Professional Displays”.

At NAB Show

The new PBS Appalachia Virginia studio was built life by PPDS partners, FX Design Group and DVG, that will be exhibiting together at NAB Show 2025. tvONE will also be present at the booth.

For this edition, the four companies will create a ‘TV studio’ designed stage, on which visitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center can discover, explore, and ask any questions.

In addition to the Philips Unite LED 6000 Series, other solutions featured in recent projects and being showcased by the PPDS team at NAB Show 2025 will include:

• Philips Videowall X-Line Series (55”): Designed for 24/7 operation with 4K picture quality. Its brightness and balanced white calibration have the intention to ensure text and image visibility both in the studio and to viewers tuning in. Ultra-thin bezels enable videowall design configurations of any size, while FailOver technology means screens never go blank, automatically switching between primary and secondary inputs to ensure content keeps playing even if the primary source goes down.
• Philips Signage 4000 Series D-Line (86”): The Android SoC Philips Signage 4000 Series D-Line is designed to engage audiences and to display content chosen. It features QuadViewer, transforming the display into a stylishly framed 2×2 videowall with no interior bezels, and FailOver, its modular design helps to extend product lifetimes, with specific components easily replaced, removing the need for entire unit upgrades.

Nick Begleries, Commercial VP, North America at PPDS, affirms: “PPDS continues to make some significant waves in the broadcast industry. Last year once again surpassed all previous records and 2025 is already kicking off strongly – as clearly demonstrated with our recent installation with PBS Appalachia Virginia”.

He concluded: “As a global business, we are in a unique position to respond to the market promptly and efficiently to deliver. As a result of that deeply aligned strategy, Philips Professional Displays are no longer a stranger in the dark but a prominent fixture in tenders for new or upgraded studios, with leading integrators and set designers in the broadcast industry continuing to tune into the power and possibilities with us at PPDS Displays. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas”.