Mitch Braff is the founder and CEO of LiquidView, which creates stunning virtual windows, anchored by Sony’s Professional BRAVIA displays – transforming blank walls into spaces with breathtaking views. With a background in filmmaking and a stint in corporate communications, Braff found himself supporting high-end video art for commercial clients through his previous business, Liquid Canvas. It was during this time that he visited a client with a beautiful home that featured amazing views from the front and back of the house, but the views from the dining room were of the side of the neighbor’s home. That’s when inspiration struck. Could a digital window be built on a wall to block the less than desirable view of a neighbor’s house and instead replicate the serenity of whatever backdrop or location a user desires? In that moment, LiquidView was born.
Since that fateful day, LiquidView has grown from a simple idea into a thriving business that has enriched the lives of customers across applications and environments – from residential installations and assisted living centers to healthcare and wellness facilities, as well as schools in underserved neighborhoods.
During Braff’s work with Liquid Canvas, he became familiar with Sony’s display technology, which was a natural choice as he designed his new company’s virtual windows. Sony’s vibrant Professional BRAVIA displays, including the BZ40L series featuring Deep Black Non-Glare technology, are used in the company’s Digital Windows to immerse viewers in the scene of their choice, converting a drab, closed-in space into a beautiful and serene atmosphere.
Sony’s BZ40L series of 4K HDR professional displays come in 55, 65, 75 and 85-inch sizes and combine remarkable picture quality with broad compatibility, installation flexibility, and ease of use. The models feature a state-of-the-art Deep Black Non-Glare Coating that provides anti-glare and low reflection capabilities, while maintaining deep blacks and high contrast – even in bright lighting.
When discussing his selection of display technology, Braff noted, “I love the quality of Sony’s camera technology and from my perspective, Sony makes the best displays out there. And the quality between the cameras and displays is consistent.”
He added, “I appreciated the display’s HDR and HDR10 capabilities, which we found to be true HDR and superior to other displays when we were in the specification phase. The HDR settings and calibrations can easily be stored on a USB drive and copied onto other displays, which makes installation easier for our partners and customers. In addition, the displays are built like tanks so we’re confident in using them and know they’re reliable. You can set them and forget them.”
With recessed, “InWall” options and mounted “OnWall” choices, as well as a selection of trims, screen quantities, orientations, and various content selections, the virtual windows are dynamic and can be customized to align with a specific aesthetic to provide a tailored look or experience and to match a user’s existing windows. This is another reason why Sony’s Professional BRAVIAs were a good match for LiquidView. The displays are available in a number of different sizes and can be portrait mounted, which allows flexibility in accommodating the diverse needs of a project.
The windows, which employ displays using Sony’s unique Deep Black Non-Glare treatment for anti-glare and low reflection, are then outfitted with tempered glass for customers who want to mimic the slight reflection a window typically provides. Doing so is one of the ingredients that tricks the user’s brain into perceiving their Digital Windows as an actual glimpse outside.
Additionally, views from around the world are captured on Sony’s VENICE 2 full-frame digital cinema camera in 8K during shoots taking over 30 hours. The content is edited into a 24-hour loop where color correction and stereo sound design are added. On location, over 60TB of storage is needed to record the ultra-high quality content. The content is stored locally on a media player where patented software synchronizes the content with the location the window is installed and date and time of day. This ensures sunrise, sunset, and everything in between are precise and match circadian rhythms. By delivering a true and accurate sensory experience, LiquidView’s virtual windows deliver real health benefits and are much more than just eye-candy.
According to research conducted by Stanford University, participants exposed to LiquidView’s Digital Windows experienced a measurable change in their physiological and emotional state, indicating that the windows have the potential to induce relaxation and provide similar benefits to those experienced when exposed to a traditional window. According to one of the study’s principal researchers, Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, “The initial results suggest that exposure to LiquidView Digital Windows improves mental health and well being.”
Because the windows run large volumes of content all day long, choosing a display that offered around-the-clock reliability was a key selling point. Bill Hofmann, Chief Technology Officer for LiquidView, explained, “In addition to top-notch quality, Sony remains dedicated to the professional market, as well as the consumer market. That is a very important distinction because LiquidView’s windows are designed for installation in both homes and
offices. For our use case, the windows need to work 24/7, and Sony’s professional displays are among the few on the market that offer 24/7 support, so this was a critical benefit. Also, very important to us is the remote manageability of the displays.”
Another aspect that provided the team with peace of mind was the pro BRAVIA’s strong warranty policy. Braff called Sony’s 5-year warranty “a really big deal” and indicated it made everyone feel “comfortable and safe knowing Sony will stand behind the product for five years.”
In addition to five-year warranties, the Sony professional BRAVIA displays also take advantage of a beneficial Advanced Replacement Program, which allows eligible displays under warranty to be exchanged, rather than repaired, in the unlikely event of damage or defects. This minimizes any potential downtime and ensures optimal performance.
For a project heavily focused on imagery, seeing the nuances of a picture is of the utmost importance. Sony’s professional BRAVIA displays feature processing technology that showcases fine detail. Braff reinforced this point. “The level of detail on Sony’s displays is amazing. For example, we have footage of a beach in Nice. You could see the details down to the sunglasses people are wearing and their bathing suit design because the resolution and quality are so high.”
One particular installation that Braff discussed was LiquidView’s work with The Inspired Community Project® (TICP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization in the Bronx that builds a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible system of care for neurodivergent children – particularly those from historically underserved Black, Latinx, and low-income communities. TICP operates New York State’s first behavioral therapy daycare model: a full-day, trauma-assumed, neurodiversity-affirming program designed for children who are often excluded from traditional therapy or childcare settings.
As the organization was looking to develop a new space in the footprint of an old, windowless drugstore, they happened upon LiquidView’s Digital Windows on Instagram and knew they would be a perfect way to create the feeling that each classroom had an open window and view, which would positively impact the students and staff. The digital windows bring the outside inside, and this has tangible benefits for the students and staff. Braff explained, “We were able to transform The Inspired Community Project’s windowless school into a stimulating space with the sounds and views of calming scenes, such as being by the ocean. This allowed them to lease a less expensive windowless property and get similar benefits to a property that had beautiful views, and was something this life- changing non-profit could afford.”
Jill Moses, Founder & CEO of TICP, added, “The LiquidView Windows in our classrooms have been an incredible asset. These immersive visuals help us transform our therapy spaces into calming, engaging environments that promote emotional regulation and reduce sensory overload for the children we serve. Our kids may not have access to safe, scenic spaces outside of our center, so this visual connection to the natural world is more than just aesthetic—it’s therapeutic.”
As LiquidView’s client list and use cases expand, they value their evolving relationship with Sony, as well as the ways in which the technology can grow to meet adapting needs. Hofmann said, “The level of support Sony provides, from pre-sales to sales support, has been really helpful in developing and refining our product as we move forward.” Braff added, “And with the APIs available, we can continue to make changes into the future, including instant remote support and streamlined color adjustments.”
