We’re all familiar with LED (light emitting diode) displays. Even on the consumer side, we’ve seen today’s LED TVs in the stores and probably have them at home. But the digital signage industry indicates that a technology known as Direct View LED has become increasingly popular and is poised to be a big deal this year.
Direct View LED? What’s the difference?
First of all, the LED displays or TVs we see these days are actually LCD (liquid crystal display) panels that are backlit or edge-lit by LEDs. Ever since LEDs replaced the CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) as the display lighting source the LED descriptor has been used.
Direct View LED, however, is an entirely different animal. Direct View LED eliminates the LCD layer, and instead, uses a vast array of tiny LEDs to create the picture. These individual LEDs are remarkably bright, and arranged into clusters that serve as red/green/blue-producing pixels. So when you look at the image, you are viewing the LEDs directly. No additional lighting source is needed.
Direct View LED is prized for bright pictures, wide viewing angles, high color uniformity and a long, reliable life. And LG offers a broad range of them. LG’s LAP Series Premium Finepitch Indoor Direct View LED displays, for example, deliver stunning images that can attract, engage and inform any audience. The LAP Series is ideal for the most demanding venues; from automotive and retail to museums and galleries to control rooms, boardrooms and broadcast studios.
With 1,000/1,200-nit brightness the LAP Series displays ensure a striking presentation of content. A 6,000:1 contrast ratio makes images truly pop, even more so with LG’s exclusive dynamic contrast algorithm for vivid, consistent color across the entire screen.
LAP Series displays also deliver excellent off-axis viewing, so the outstanding color and contrast remain consistent even across a big room or for everyone in a large crowd.
What about image clarity?
Here’s where things get interesting. Direct View LED displays are classified by pixel pitch, which indicates in millimeters how close the LED pixels are to each other. Viewing distance is a key factor when choosing the proper pixel pitch, and the right display for a particular job. The smaller the pitch, the closer viewers can get to the display before they start to discern the individual pixels making up the image. A general layman’s rule of thumb says the minimum viewing distance is roughly three times in feet what the pixel pitch is in millimeters.
The LAP Series offers pixel pitches in 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 mm, for beautifully clear, sharp and captivating pictures. The series consists of three models: the top-of-the-line LAP010BL2 in addition to LAP015BL2 and LAP020BL4. With their varying sizes of pixel pitch, these displays can suit virtually every environment and use-case scenario. The LAP020BL2, for example, has a pixel pitch of 1.00 mm and a 1,000,000 pixels/m² physical pixel density for an incredibly crisp, lifelike image even when viewed up close.
What do you get with the LAP Series?
Each model in the LAP Series is an individual module, sold in packages of 2 x 2. They can be assembled into nearly limitless arrays to create immense video walls, with a bezel-less design that enables virtually seamless viewing on the giant screens.
LG webOS 3.0 control manager software, a web-based solution supporting virtually effortless control and monitoring via PC or mobile device, is included free of charge. All models work seamlessly with the LCLG001 LED Controller (sold separately). This off-board controller relocates the system power supply and other electronic hardware—traditionally a part of the display itself—outside and away from the video wall. The controller houses multiple in/out and control ports, as well as a built-in media player and scaler for greater convenience. The LAP Series also provides easy rear access to the LED panels for simplified maintenance.
LG’s unique power module design enables high luminance with efficient power consumption, and is combined with an LG power-saving algorithm. Advanced auto module protection monitors and controls system temperature for reliable performance and longevity.
The LG LAP Series Premium Finepitch Indoor Direct View LED displays offer a bold, clean style worthy of the most prestigious installations with the stellar performance that can both empower employees as well as dazzle guests and potential customers.
(BTW, LG custom builds Premium Outdoor Direct View LED displays, too. But that’s another post.)
Have a look at the LAP Series here.