Why does overseas integrator APG recommend broadcast and television customers to use small-pitch LEDs?

Recently, foreign radio and television media "NewscastStudio" visited Mr. David Weatherhead, CEO of APG Displays, to discuss issues related to the application of video wall technology in the radio and television industry. Regarding this technology, the reporter and David Weatherhead discussed important issues often encountered in the sales process of the radio and television industry, such as product selection, budget, product life and display effects.

APG Displays CEO David Weatherhead

What factors do radio and television users consider when purchasing video walls?

If a customer wants to purchase a video wall, the first factors to consider are budget, appearance, display effect under the camera, and the service life of the product. Budget is the first and most important consideration, and prices vary widely between products. At present, many small-pitch LEDs meet the usage requirements, and customers can choose products of the right size within their budget.

LCD video walls have long been widely used in the field of radio and television. Nowadays, the price of LCD products has been greatly reduced compared to previous years, but they have a lot of defects. After being used for the above period of time, the picture will be uneven and the color temperature will appear. In addition, the seams of the LCD splicing wall will also interfere with the sight of TV viewers. Therefore, if the budget allows, I strongly recommend that broadcast and television customers choose small-pitch LED display products, which do not have these defects of LCD products and have a longer service life.

The actual display effect of the video wall in the studio is another important factor in product selection. The change of camera positions and multi-camera shooting place high requirements on the viewing angle and color temperature of the video wall, and LCD splicing is obviously not suitable. If you need a camera to take a close-up of a video wall, moiré on the LCD screen can also be a headache.

Product life is also one of the factors. Under low-brightness conditions (a common studio environment), LED video walls can maintain a long-lasting display effect after 5 to 10 years of long-term use. Therefore, in the long run, the overall cost performance of LED video walls is higher than that of LCD splicing products.

Why is pixel spacing so important? How did it develop step by step?

The pixel spacing of the LED display determines the resolution of the video wall. In the past few years, P3.9mm LEDs have been considered advanced products. Now, the LED pixel pitch has been reduced to 0.9mm! 3.9mm is completely unsuitable for application in the broadcasting and television industry. Instead, small-pitch LED products below 2.5mm should be selected based on actual conditions.

The substantial reduction in pixels has opened up a new opportunity for radio and television customers and system integrators. It is now possible to create ultra-high contrast HD 4K+ resolution video walls that are truly seamless. Some leading LED manufacturers have launched 0.9mm fine pitch LED products, which means we are approaching the resolution of LCD displays. What’s even more amazing is that I saw a 0.7mm LED module!

How to choose a manufacturer of LED small-pitch products?

APG Displays has inspected many manufacturers over the years and not all LED video walls meet the requirements for broadcast display.

First of all, the competition in the small-pitch LED video wall market is becoming increasingly fierce. Due to technological advancement, it is becoming easier and easier to produce small-pitch LED products, leading to the emergence of a large number of new manufacturers. Moreover, many companies provide OEM products, so it is difficult to determine who is the real manufacturer. In this case, you cannot simply assume that the products labeled by a certain company are produced by them, otherwise customers may spend money in vain.

One of the main factors that distinguishes many LED small-pitch products is the small-pitch LED lamp beads. The use of all-black packaged LEDs is particularly important for broadcast and television displays that require high contrast. Therefore, you can’t just compare the prices of two 1.9mm small-pitch displays, you also need to know what kind of lamp beads their products use.

The video processor will also affect the refresh rate and image uniformity of small-pitch LEDs. For example, some manufacturers have launched LED displays equipped with moiré filters. In our experience, using this device can have an impact on LED image clarity. To truly eliminate moiré, we recommend using a display with a smaller pitch. One of our heavyweight radio and television customers in the United States adopted a 1.2mm small-pitch display and completely eliminated moiré. There is also a driver IC to reduce the overall energy consumption of the LED video wall, which is a value point for broadcast and television customers who care about energy conservation.

Due to these differences, we always recommend that broadcast and television users use cameras to test modules or panels to confirm their performance.

What is the feasible budget range for using small-pitch LEDs in radio and television studios?

For a typical studio, the cost to install an LCD video wall ranges from $5,000 to $300,000. The pricing of LED video walls mainly depends on the pixel pitch of the display, with budgets ranging from US$400,000 to US$3 million. Adding some other equipment such as video processing, you need to add a budget of US$30,000 to US$200,000. Often, existing video processors can be used directly with new LED video walls.