LED Pixel Pitch 101
Worcester | 2023
LED walls are becoming the new normal for contemporary organizations, ranging anywhere from businesses to churches alike. They’re versatile, creative display outlets with a wealth of utilization for signage, using both motion and still graphics. So you want one, but where do you start? Planning for an LED wall install requires a little technical jargan knowledge. Here, we’ll give a quick explanation of pixel pitch.
LED Wall > LED Tiles > Pixels > LEDs
LED Wall > LED Tiles > Pixels > LEDsLet’s break down the composition of an LED wall. LED walls are an assembly of LED tiles. Each tile is full of small pixels, each containing three colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) – red, green, and blue. Perhaps you’ve heard the term ‘RGB’ – that refers to the colors: red, green, blue. These colors blend together in different formations to create the rainbow of colors you would see on the screen.
What is Pixel Pitch?
Pixel pitch refers to the distance (in millimeters) from the center of one pixel to the center of the next pixel. It correlates to resolution, and the density of pixels. That being said, a smaller pixel pitch equals less space in between pixels and a better resolution. On the flip side, a higher pixel pitch has more space between pixels, and therefore, a lower resolution.
Why Are There Different Pixel Pitches?
So, if smaller pixel pitches are for better resolution, why would anybody bother with higher pixel pitches, right? The answer is based on two things: budget, and the optimal viewing distance of the LED wall.
In general, a higher resolution wall (with a smaller pixel pitch) costs more than a higher pixel pitch wall.
Optimal viewing distance – what does that mean? Basically, there’s a ‘sweet spot’ for viewing the LED wall based on the pixel pitch selected. If the wall will be viewed by a close audience, then a higher resolution (smaller pixel pitch) is required for clarity. Conversely, if the wall will be viewed from farther away, the pixel pitch could be higher and your eyes will naturally make up for the loss of resolution. There’s a point at which the added expense of a higher resolution is wasted.
Think of the optimal viewing distance as being similar to looking at an impressionist painting. The closer you are to the painting (LED wall), the more ‘pixelated’ it looks, but as you back away a greater distance, the picture comes into focus. The point where the painting (LED wall) becomes clearest is the optimal viewing distance. Anything further away from that point makes no real difference.
How to Determine Optimal Viewing Distance
There’s a basic estimate formula for calculating pixel pitch and distance…
Multiply the pixel pitch by ten and the result is the approximate viewing distance in feet. To the contrary, if you know the approximate viewing distance away from the LED wall and divide by ten, the result would be about the correct pixel pitch needed.
Pixel Pitch (mm) x 10 = Approximate Viewing Distance in Feet
For instance, if you’re installing an LED wall at the front of a church, and the first row of seating is about 20 feet away, the pixel pitch would optimize at about 2 mm. There are some outdoor applications that may use a pixel pitch of up to ten, and then there are some applications that can go less than one for extremely close up viewing!