Physics principles aside, LED technology is now frequently being used in live, hybrid, and virtual events as an alternative to projection or green screens. There are a number of advantages to each, of course, so let’s take a closer look at what are some of the characteristics that make LED work well for you!
Brightness and image clarity
In our article covering projection mapping techniques, we talked about the measurement of reflected light in lux. The measurement of direct light, which is the case for LED panels, is NIT. The equivalent of 1 NIT is 3.426 lux, which makes an LED display significantly brighter than a projected image. For an LED panel/wall to provide a high quality image (regardless of ambient light) is required to be 600 NITs or more.
Superior image clarity is another benefit of using LED panels, which is an absolute must for certain environments, for instance in virtual studios (more on that later). Whereas the light in projectors transmit the projected image to the surface (in this case, a screen), which in turn needs to travel to the audience’s eyes, LED emits its own light, which makes the image clearer, crisper, and brighter by the time it reaches our eyes.
When it comes to working in ambient light, LED walls are not restricted by it (unlike projection) as they emit light themselves, which makes their use perfect for outdoor conditions. Since they do not require dark conditions, both indoor and outdoor events held in bright environments can benefit from them, even in direct sunlight. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
Due to their thin and comparatively light structure, LED panels are easy to transport and install, quick to power up before use, and can be dismantled and moved more easily within a venue than a standard projection screen. All of these factors make LED screens the ideal choice when setting up an event and having to consider venue restrictions.
LED panels are made by the manufacturer in batches, and can technically be assembled in any shape and size, depending mostly on your venue’s conditions, and on how many of these panels you actually require to achieve the desired result. This flexibility of LED wall construction means that you can unleash your creativity in the event design phase and not be limited too much by the venue itself. Using the same brand and type of LED panels for your wall is, however, crucial to ensure the accuracy and consistency of content and color display. This also eliminates the risk of different levels of LED degradation over time in your panels.
It is no secret that LED panels do not come cheap (although they are much more affordable now than they used to be) and you will have to pay more upfront than you would for a projector, which can make it sound like a less attractive choice, however LED is much more cost-efficient when it comes to product lifespan. With the correct use and maintenance, LED video walls can last you between 50,000-200,000 hours!
Lower maintenance cost is another factor to consider: in the case of LED screens you do not have to set aside a considerable amount of money to regularly replace parts such as light bulbs or filters, as you would with projectors, nor deal with additional, hidden costs such as screens, blackout curtains, etc.
Brightness is an important technical parameter to measure LED displays. The manufacturer or supplier of LED screen displays always asks you what maximum brightness will you want for your LED screen. But many people don't know it well, all think that the higher brightness is better.
Actually, the suitable brightness is the best one. Otherwise, if the brightness is too high, the energy consumption will increase, and if the brightness is too low, the contents of the LED screen display cannot be seen in bright sunlight.
How Does the LED Screen Work?
An LED screen works by powering up a high number of closely-packed LEDs. Each LED is powered up separately, and when they’re powered and colored simultaneously, an image appears on the screen.
Generally, there are a series of optical parameters of LED screens such as brightness, contrast ratio, grayscale, and color saturation.
But the brightness plays an essential and decisive role, because only when the LED screen is under enough brightness can the other optical parameters be perceived. Suppose that an LED display is in super-low brightness, i.e. almost blackout, and no sharp colors will be shown, it’s meaningless to talk about color saturation and grayscale at that moment.
What is the Brightness of an LED Screen?
The Luminous Brightness of the LED Screen Display is measured in cd/㎡ or nit(s), which refers to the luminous intensity per square meter when the LED display is working normally. It’s easy to understand that the higher the value, the brighter the display.
It is the main difference between an indoor LED screen and an outdoor LED screen is the level of screen brightness. The higher level of brightness means the LED screen can appear visible even when there is strong ambient light.
Why is Brightness so important to LED displays?
It is important to Choose a Good-Quality LED Screen. If the outdoor LED screen is not enough bright, the contents of the image and video will not be visible to people in daylight, especially in areas where the sun shines very brightly.
Outdoor LED Screen Billboard Display is a long-term investment, and you need to make sure you’re putting your investment into the right product.
What is the type of Brightness for the LED Screen?
According to the application environment and brightness selection of the LED screen display, it can be divided into Indoor LED display and Outdoor LED display.
Outdoor LED Screen usually has a higher brightness level, ranging from 4,500 nits to 7,500 nits. Some LED panels which are made of high-grade materials can even reach as high as 10,000 nits.
Indoor LED Screen does not require a high level of brightness. The indoor environment has lower ambient light. If an indoor screen is too bright, it will affect the viewing experience heavily.
How much brightness does an LED screen require?
The suitable brightness of an LED screen depends on the application scenarios to a great extent.
Indoor LED Screen
500 to 1500 nits for most indoor LED displays.
Computer monitors and smartphone screens have brightness levels of 250 to 500 nits.
1500 to 2500 nits is ideal for indoor displays located in bright environments or close to the windows.
Outdoor LED Screen
2500 to 7500 nits is required for outdoor LED displays.
4500 to 6500 nits is the ideal brightness level for most outdoor applications, and it is sufficient to ensure a great viewing experience under strong sunlight.
8500 to 10,000 nits is possible by using DIP-based LED screen panels.
How to Choose Suitable Brightness for LED Screen Display?
In order to enable the LED screen display to perform well in different light environments, it is often necessary to adjust the brightness according to the use environment. It will be similar to the situation when you are dimming your mobile phone to the darkest under midday sunlight. You cannot see clearly. Thus your eyes feel tired. On the contrary, adjusting your mobile screen to its full brightness at midnight will not only waste electricity but also harm your eyes.
If the outdoor LED display is installed facing the south, and the direct sunlight is strong, the brightness of the display is relatively high, generally above 7000cd/m2;
If it is placed toward the north or in a northerly direction, the brightness can be appropriately lower, around 5500cd/m2;
If the brightness of the outdoor LED display in the shade of tall buildings and trees in the city is 4000cd/m2, it is enough.
Compared with outdoor LED display, the brightness of indoor LED display can be slightly lower, mainly depending on its actual use scene.
If it is installed by the window for external playback, the brightness needs to be above 2500cd/m2;
If it is installed on the side of the window and plays inward, the brightness needs to be around 2000cd/m2;
The brightness of indoor LED displays installed in general shopping malls needs to be around 1000cd/m2;
The brightness of the LED display in the conference room only needs to be 300cd/m2~600cd/m2.