LED displays have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Their advertising outcome has gained acceptance as a means to ease the market demand. They’ve also defined the standard for quality viewing experience and changed it completely.
LED displays have become important as publicity media and information release, being widely used in
- business,
- sports,
- government
- other fields.
You will find LED displays everywhere: conferences, exhibitions, indoor, sessions & outdoor events.
LED display’s resolution, viewing distance, and screen size are three important factors affecting its final display effect and application scenarios.
Each one requires careful consideration. In this article, we’ll explore the maths behind LED display resolution, size, and best viewing distances alongside how to measure each,
What is LED Display Resolution
LED display resolution is a critical measure of how much detail a screen shows. It’s based on the total number of pixels in the display area and is important for defining the quality of the image. In other words, it’s the sharpness and delicacy of the image or video display.
The higher the resolution, the clearer and finer the display. An example would be 3840×2160, 1920×1080, etc. The first number is the number of horizontal pixels on the screen, and the second number represents the number of vertical pixels on the screen.In practice, the resolution of the LED display will also be adjusted according to different needs and scenarios. For example, in commercial advertisements, the resolution generally needs to be higher. This gives clearer display and more detailed product pictures.
In sports, the Stadium screen resolution is generally lower, because the audience only needs to see the general situation of the game and the score most of the time.
To achieve the conventional ideo effect on the LED screen, it will require a total resolution of 50,000 pixels minimum.
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How to calculate LED Resolution
LED display resolutions are generally in terms of width × height, with the units in pixels: for example, “1440 × 1080” means the width is 1440 pixels and the height is 1080 pixels.
The LED display consists of an LED unit board, the pixel pitch and LED screen size. Different LED display companies have different module dimensions.
Let’s take P16 LED display as an example first.
Usually, the module length of P16 pixel pitch has 16 dots, the width has 8 dots, and for P16 the pixel pitch is 16mm, thus,
16 dots × 1.6cm= 25.6cm.
8 dots ×1.6cm= 12.8cm.
Another example would be P10. Generally, the module length of P10 pixel pitch has 32 dots, the width contains 16 dots, and for P10 the pixel pitch is 10mm, hence,
The length is 32 dots × 1.0cm which is 32cm,
The height is 16 dots × 1.0cm which is 16cm.
These specifications are simple to calculate.
What is LED size?
LED size refers to the size of its display area. It is generally described in terms of length and width. In practice, the size of the LED display will be customised according to different scenarios and needs.
A thumb rule is: the larger the size of the LED display, the stronger its display effect and visual impact.
For example, in commercial 3D outdoor advertising, the size of the LED display is usually adjusted to the design requirements of the advertisement to utilise the best publicity effect.
In sports leagues, the size of the LED display is to be set according to the size of the venue and the seating distance of the audience to achieve the best spectator effect.
How to calculate LED size?
First, we only know the specific height, width, and the LED display module size. For example, suppose we wish to construct a P5 outdoor LED display.
The height is 3 metres and the width is 10 metres. The module size is 320mm*160mm. Then we have to calculate how many LED display modules we require using the following formula.
Derive the quantity of horizontal LED display modules by dividing the width of the LED display with the width of the LED display module generally.
Then, derive the quantity of vertical LED display modules by dividing the height of LED display with the height of LED display module
This formula may be confusing for some. You may wonder why we calculate the length and width when we already know them?
This is because the large LED screen consists of multiple unit LED display boards, so it’s important to calculate the number of unit LED boards needed for a screen.
After you get the specific quantity of LED display modules needed, then you can calculate the exact size of the LED screen with the following formula.
To get the width of LED display = quantity of LED display module in horizontal x the width of LED display module.
The LED display’s height = The quantity of LED display module in vertical x the height of LED display module.
What is Viewing Distance
Once you purchase your LED screen, it doesn’t just end there. You’ll have to be responsible for its installation and maintenance so that you enjoy optimised and long term use.
This also includes accounting for the LED display viewing distance. Ideally you should place the screen at a point where you can best enjoy its viewing experience.
So, that way — LED viewing distance means the point of reference where a person must be in the LED display’s proximity to clearly see what’s shown on the screen without noticing the outlines and spaces between them. It is a numerical quantity.
When it comes to the LED display viewing distance, a minimum is often set. It is the minimum distance at which your eyes can adjust and see the picture in front clearly.
From there, you can go as far as you want as long as you can still see what’s on the screen.
However, it would be wrong to isolate viewing distance as a spec without talking about its relationship with other elements like screen size and pixel pitch. This way, you can make use of the LED displays to its fullest.
Size and LED Viewing Distance
The LED viewing distance is impacted by the size of your LED display. The bigger the LED screen size, the greater the LED viewing distance. Both of these elements are also used to choose the LED pixel pitch viewing distance.
Bigger screens are more impactful for the audience compared to smaller screens, keeping aside the resolution and pixel pitch from the equation.
In the end, the screens do look the same at a certain distance but it’s important to take into account the LED viewing distance if you want to make sure that the LED screen can be clearly seen from where the people are.
LED Pixel Pitch and Viewing Distance
The pixel pitch can have a direct influence on the LED viewing distance. The LED viewing distance for indoor displays is often limited compared to outdoor displays.
Indoor LED screens have a smaller pixel pitch which means that the minimum viewing distance is also smaller and nearer. Similarly, outdoor LED displays have higher pixel pitch, which means that the minimum viewing distance is farther and bigger in distance.
How to calculate Viewing Distance
When estimating your display’s LED viewing distance, the first thing you must know is the pixel pitch. The pixel pitch is the minimum viewing distance a person can have from the screen. Although, knowing the pixel pitch is not enough to get your LED display’s optimal viewing distance. Here are the steps to follow:
- Convert the mm of the pixel pitch to metres (E.g. 1.96 mm – 1.96 metres)
- Multiply the resulting number by 2 – That is the minimal optimal LED viewing distance (1.96 x 2 = 3.9 metres)
- Multiply this by 3 – This is the maximum optimal viewing distance for your LED display (1.96 x 3 = 5.8 metres)
- If you want the optimal viewing distance in feet and with only the average to consider, multiply the pixel pitch by 8 (1.96 x 8 = 15.6 feet)
- If you want to get the maximum screen height, multiply the pixel pitch by 30 (1.96 x 30 = 58.8 metres)
Conclusion
These methods can be used to calculate LED resolution, viewing distance and size. It is critical to take into account the brightness when determining a specific visual distance.
The distance is another essential to be adjusted to suit the conditions on-site. Calculating LED screen resolution and accounting for pixel density, viewing distance, content resolution, with a balance of all of these factors is the key to achieve an optimum display quality.
By following these guidelines, you can accurately calculate the LED display resolution, size, and viewing distance to ensure that your content looks its best on the LED screen.
