Video Systems in AV
Basic and Advanced Theory - Part 4
So far we’ve covered the following:
Origins of Projection Technology
Projection Evolution
Projection Screens
LCD, DLP, LED and Laser Projectors
Basics of Projection Mapping
In this article we go through the following:
Rental and Integrated LED Screens
The differences between Rental and Integrates LED Screens
Pixel Pitch
Pixel Mapping and LED Controllers
Rental and Integrated LED Screens
Integrated LED Screens
Integrated LED Screens are designed to be used in a permanent or fixed position within a specific location,
such as a wall in a meeting room or conference hall. Integrated LED Screens typically are produced with a
narrower pixel pitch compared to Rental LED Screens, meaning the overall screen resolution will be better.
Manufacturers of Integrated or Fixed LED screens will provide all the required specifications for each LED
panel, suggest the optimal conditions for their product, best practices when it comes to installing and aligning
the LED panels and suggested LED Screen Controllers, to process the video signal to the LED Screen. I
ntegrated LED Screens are typically not meant to be dismantled and assembled again over multiple occasions,
as the interlocking mechanisms and LED panel frames are not as robust when compared to Rental LED Screen.
Depending on the LED Screen manufacturer, most prefer to make use of a front access system, so that technicians
have access to remove LED panels from the front. This makes it simpler for technicians to service or replace
faulty LED panels.
Certain LED Manufacturers make use of a magnetic system for securing the LED panels to frames, hence
making it relatively simple to remove LED panels from the front.
Rental LED Screens
Rental LED Screens are primarily used temporarily in different locations, meaning they are very easy to
assemble and dismantle. The quality of the LED’s and parts used to manufacture Rental Screens are considered
to be not as good as Integrated/ Fixed LED screens.
The reason for this is because Rental screens are assembled and disassembled multiple times during its lifespan,
which requires the frames and hardware to be robust to last for a certain period of time.
Due to this contact usage in different locations.
Rental screens require constant maintenance to ensure that the LED Panels, receiving cards and power supplies
remain in working conditions, which ultimately adds to maintenance costs.
Servicing of Rental LED screens is a lot simpler than Integrated/ Fixed LED screens.
Depending on the manufacturer, LED panels can either be removed from the front or the rear of LED frames,
making replacing a faulty LED panel very quick and simple.
So what are the main differences between Integrated/ Fixed and Rental LED Screens?
The main difference between a Rental and an Integrated/ Fixed LED screen display is their intended usage and
installation method.
A Rental LED screen display is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled for temporary use at events
such as concerts, trade shows, and conferences. It is often larger in size than a fixed display and can be quickly
installed and disassembled by a professional team. Rental displays are usually equipped with handles and
wheels for transport and are constructed with lightweight materials. Rental displays are also generally
less expensive than fixed displays.
An Integrated/ Fixed LED screen display, on the other hand, is designed for permanent installation in a specific
location, such as a stadium, building façade, conference or event venues. They are typically larger in size, with
higher resolution and brightness capabilities, and are built with higher quality materials to withstand
environmental factors such as weather and vandalism. Fixed displays are generally more expensive than rental
displays but offer a longer lifespan and require less maintenance.
Rental displays are used for temporary events and are easily assembled and disassembled, whilst fixed displays
are used for permanent installations and are built to last with higher-quality materials.
What is Pixel Pitch?
The pixel pitch is the center-to-center distance between two pixels, usually measured in millimeters.
If you have a 10mm pixel pitch, it means that the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the
adjacent pixel is 10 millimeters. This results in low resolution and a grainier image quality.
Tiles with lower pixel pitches have a smaller distance between two different LED clusters.
That is less empty space and, thus, more pixels available on the LED module.
This increased pixel density leads to high resolutions and more detailed content, but also increases the purchasing
cost.
While it might seem obvious to always go for the highest potential resolution possible – and therefore a lower
pixel pitch – for some applications that can be overdoing it.
There may be no need to overpay for lower pixel pitch. Aspect ratio also matters.
Most content is formatted for a 16:9 ratio and your wall should align with your company’s content strategy.
You may not need to overpay for increased resolution. Below is a guide to determine what Pixel Pitch would
suit your needs.
Pixel pitch is often stated with a “P” next to the number. For example, a P10 LED wall or panel would have a
pixel pitch of 10. Pixel pitches can go as high as 40 for strictly outdoor applications while some manufacturers are
building products with a sub 1 pixel pitch, which is more suited for indoor use.
What’s the difference between an Indoor and Outdoor LED Screen?
Outdoor LED displays need to have a high level of protection to withstand wind, rain, dust and other adverse
weather conditions. Common outdoor LED displays have IP65 or higher protection levels.
The indoor LED display does not need such a high level of protection, generally IP20 or lower.
Outdoor LED displays brightness is much higher when compared to indoor LED displays.
Indoor LED displays on the other hand produce higher resolutions when compared to Outdoor LED displays.
Outdoor LED displays are typically further away from viewers, so pixel pitch will typically be greater than
Indoor LED displays.
LED Screen Components
Screens are made up of several different components, all working together to bring the content to the viewer.
An LED panel includes the frame or cabinet, a power supply, a sending and receiving card, and an LED module.
Each module includes diodes, drive ICs, and a PCB board.
The LED panels are connected to each other, creating a connected LED display.
The display and content source are wired to the controller. The controller takes the content and sends a signal
to the LED panels. Depending on the source and controller, the content might require scaling if your source
content and display don’t have the same aspect ratio.
All these components of LED display screens come together to create video walls that serve various purposes.
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| LED Screen Component layout explanation |
Pixel Mapping
When deciding to build an LED screen, it’s also important to choose the correct LED screen processor.
There are many LED screen processors available on the market, the most popular are the Novastar LED screen
processors, available either to process HD or 4k resolution.
Below is an example of how the signal flow is connected to the LED screens, making use of just one 4K
controller, connecting to two side screens and one main screen.
However, it is highly recommended to make use of a second 4K controller to process a failover or backup signal,
should the primary controller fail.
For a Video Tutorial on how to setup a backup using NovaStar NovaLCT, check out this video
The screens used in the below examples are P3 LED panels 50x50cm
Screen sizes are 2 x 2.5m wide x 4.5m high and 1 x 8m wide x 4.5m high
Screen 1 & 2: 2.5m wide x 4.5m high
Screen 0: 8m wide x 4.5m high
The maps also show each screens total resolution, pixel count and number of LED panels
Screen layouts
Output Map
3840 x 2160 Canvas
Processor Views
All the above Pixel Maps were generated online with Pixel Mapulator
LED Screen Controllers and Software
There are a number of LED Screen controller manufacturers available on the market, but the most common
brand is Novastar.
Novastar offers a range of LED Screen controllers, switchers and control software.
The most commonly used Novastar controllers are the Novastar MCTRL4K and MCTRL R5 controllers for 4K resolution and the Novastar MCTRL660 and MCTRL660 Pro controllers for HD resolution.
Controllers
4K
MCTRL4K REAL 4K LED Display Controller 4K×2K Resolution
MCTRL R5 4Kx1K Resolution
HD
MCTRL660 1920×1200 Resolution
MCTRL660 Pro Independent Controller 1920x1200 Resolution
Software
Novastar SmartLCT LED screen configuration software works with sending and receiving cards to allow
smart configuration of various complex LED displays, including building-block screen configuration,
offline (online) design, seam brightness adjustment, cabinet rotation, etc.
Quick Recap
So far we’ve learned the following:
* The differences between Rental and Integrates LED Screens
* Considering the appropriate LED screen Pixel pitch for your intended use
* How to create an LED screen map, taking into consideration the screen configuration and number of
LED screen controller needed
* There’s a number of LED screen and controller manufacturers on the market, providing indoor and outdoor
LED screen panels and control software.
Next Up…
Commercial LED screens/ Panels
Touch Screens
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