June 24, 2020

by admin

What is Pixel Pitch and Why Does It Matter?

With LED walls, each individual LED is a pixel. The pixel pitch number indicates the distance between LEDs on the wall in millimeters, as well as the minimum viewing distance in meters. The optimal viewing distance is typically 2-3 times the pixel pitch number in meters. Pixel pitch affects both the viewing distance and visual performance of LED displays.

The lower the pixel pitch, the closer together the LEDs are on your display, and the closer your viewing distance would be for the video board. For example, a fine or narrow pixel pitch of 2 would allow viewing from just two meters away, whereas a pixel pitch of 10 would require at least a distance of 10 meters to experience optimal detail.

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 pitch can go as high as 40 for strictly outdoor applications while some manufacturers are beginning to build products with a pixel pitch of under 1.

Typically, the higher the pixel pitch the lower the cost. Lower pixel pitch universally provides greater resolution, but is more expensive due to increased materials and production costs. Simply put, more LED clusters require a higher pixel density. Additionally, a higher pixel pitch LED screen may require more maintenance, which can increase the cost of ownership.

Consumers can get the best value for their LED screen by giving careful consideration to the complexity of their content and what resolution will sufficiently display it before determining the optimal viewing distance of their screen. The optimal viewing distance is the point where image fidelity is retained, but if the observer moved much closer, the image quality would decrease or the screen would appear pixelated.

If you require a display for close viewing, you may wonder if a traditional display would be a better choice. A helpful rule of thumb to use is 110 inches. If your overall display is fewer than 110 inches, a backlight LCD display is often a more affordable solution to deliver the detail you need. Over 110 inches, an LED wall can be the better overall choice.

Often, when choosing a display, you hear statistics about the resolution — for example “1080p” or “4k” displays. The pixel pitch for your LED wall is a direct measure of the potential resolution: The lower the pixel pitch, the higher the potential resolution. For most LED wall applications, 1080p resolution is available using the standard rules of thumb for pixel pitch and distance. If you desire a higher resolution, a lower pixel pitch may be in order. But an important consideration is the quality of the image and content that you’re rendering on the LED wall. For example, a low-quality image will result in low-resolution results, regardless of the pixel pitch you’ve selected.

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. The aspect ratio also matters. Most content is formatted for a 16:9 ratio and your wall should align with the content you share. You may not need to overpay for increased resolution.

Choosing the right LED wall and pixel pitch doesn’t have to be a challenge. Contact the experts at UltraLEDDipslay to pick the right LED wall in the context of your overall project plan. With their game-changing Modus virtual reality technology, you can experience your new wall in your space before it’s built. LED-wall costs have been falling dramatically, and with an expert partner like UltraLEDDipslay, you can impress your audience without breaking your budget.