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The right led display for your project

Here’s how to choose the right led screen for each indoor or outdoor project.

DURING THE TIME

How the choice of best led displays has changed

In the past the basic motivation to choosing one LED display model or another was strictly connected to budget requirements more than to the specific use of the product. Being the cost of the main component, i. e. the light emitting diode itself, so high, there was a huge difference in price within the product range depending on the pixel pitch of the LED display. Normally a larger pitch, which means lower resolution, was finally chosen because of budget constraints.

Today, with the substantial reduction of costs of individual LEDs, there is not any longer such a big difference in price between an LED display model and another, so the main reason for selecting a product is based on technical requirements and characteristics of the precise location more than anything else.

HOW?

How to choose the right led display

LED screens based on DIP or PTH technology are very bright, low power consumption and reliable. More recently Surface Mount Technology (SMT) has become more and more popular, with miniaturised RGB diodes in a little casing welded directly on the printed circuit board. SMDs have always been considered the right LED option for indoor application, in shops, sports halls, TV shows, stations etc.

With some special treatments and protections that make them waterproof and brighter, SMDs are now also used for outdoor applications, advertising, stadiums, concerts, roads etc. Thanks to the smaller diameter, LEDs can be positioned at a distance that is shorter than 10 mm, down to 1.2 mm, ensuring excellent resolution from close distance also in a small screen size. 3.9 mm, 4.8 mm and 6.67 mm are the most popular SMD outdoor LED display models today.

In general the picture quality of outdoor SMD Led displays is perceived as superior at a shorter viewing distance, being individual colors and pixels less visible from there. SMD angle is the same (> 120°) horizontally and vertically, allowing for optimal vision from any position. A screen based on SMT is clearly better looking, notwithstanding its lower brightness and, at same brightness level, higher power consumption than DIP/PTH.

As far as reliability, durability and lifetime are concerned, it all depends on the quality (“dice” and encapsulation) of the components utilized, as not all SMDs are certified and guaranteed for permanent outdoor use (perhaps they are for mobile use only) but high-quality SMDs can offer performances that are generally superior to DIP/PTH.

For fine pixel pitch (less than 2 mm) indoor led displays, new technologies are challenging SMT leadership. In particular COB has similar pricing with generally better performance. COG, IMD, MIP are excellent but more expensive options for specific applications.

MacroPix can help you take the right decision at any moment.

How to make the right choice is a matter of combination of factors
We should always ask ourselves some questions before taking a decision, starting from the most obvious:

Will the LED screen be exposed to water, dust and other agents?
Will it be hit by direct sunlight too?
Will it be installed on a wall, rooftop, ceiling, floor, dedicated support structure or hung?
Are there any particular limitations for weight, volume or ambient light?

To end up with questions more related to the product itself.

What is the MINIMUM distance where the screen will be watched from?
And what about the MAXIMUM distance?
What kind of visual contents will have to be visualised on that LED display?
Who is the target of the message or the typical customer/user?

The market trend is definitely to go for tighter pixel pitch models but this is not necessarily the best choice. A larger pitch model might as well deliver the same or even greater visual impact with lower initial investment and operational costs.

For example, a 10 mm or even 16 mm LED display, the classical models of LED video technology, still represent a good choice for outdoor installations where audience are not so close and the screen size is the right thing to leverage on. However more and more today small pixel pitches down to 3.9 mm for outdoor and 1.2 mm for indoor (similar to other video technologies like LCD and OLED) are the best sellers. MacroPix Sales team is always available to help you make the right decision, www.macropix.com