LED Lessons: Types of LED Screens

Indoor Event

Published on Tuesday, 15 September 2020 09:15

Fire Up Video

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What are the Different Kinds of LED Video Screens

Now that we have covered what an LED display is in our last LED Lesson, we will now go over the different kinds of LED screens. There are a couple different ways to categorize these video screens. Many of these overlap or can fit into multiple categories. Find out more about each kind below.

Classified by environment of use:

Indoor LED Screen
Typically LED boards built for indoor use have a higher resolution, mostly because they are made to be viewed at a closer distance. Largely because of the high resolution, they are often more expensive than outdoor screens. Most indoor screens use SMD technology for their LED tiles. These video tiles are typically not made to be as bright, simply because they don’t need to be. When used in indoor applications, these screens aren’t competing with the sunlight and don’t need the high brightness of outdoor screens to still look great. They often have larger viewing angles so they can been seen clearly from almost any angle. The IP rating is usually much lower because they don’t need to be as weatherproof as outdoor LEDs. This type of screen can be found in airports, bars, stadiums, convention centers, restaurants, and more.

Outdoor LED Screen
Outdoor video walls are made to be much brighter than indoor screens because they are competing with the sun. More often than indoor LEDs, they are built using DIP technology rather than SMD. These outdoor tiles use a seal to make them weather and water proof. They need to hold up in much tougher conditions such as rain, snow, wind, and dust. Typically the viewing distance is a little further away because these screens are often not as close to the viewers. They might also have less of a viewing angle. However, these are not always the case, it just depends on teh brand and the model of LED tile. These kinds of screens are used for billboards, street signs, outdoor stadiums, outdoor venues, and more.

Indoor/Outdoor LED Screen
Some LED tiles are built to work well in both indoor and outdoor applications. These kinds of tiles often combine the best of both screens. They are still made to be very bright, both in direct sunlight or indoors. Like all LEDs, there is different settings and programming that can be done to adjust brightness, color, and more. The LEDs usually still have a good viewing angle, and are made to be weather proof.

Our two FireFly SS screens are both made for indoor/outdoor application. The Fire Up Creative modular tiles also use the same exact tiles for indoor and outdoor use. Our two DragonFly screens use outdoor LED technology, but also work great in indoor settings if it is a large viewing space.

Classified by Length of Use:

Rental Screen
This simply refers to if the video screen will be rented out for multiple events and will be setup and torn down frequently throughout the life of the product. These types of LED screens are built with quick connections so they can be built easily for an event or single use. They are lightweight and can be handled easily. They come with traveling cases that protect the the pixels and the tile itself. Rental screens are built to handle rough situations that occur with travel and frequent set up and tear downs. They might not have as high of a resolution as permanent installations simply because the more pixels, the more fragile the tiles become. These are typically used for a wide variety of one-time or annual events or pop-up shops or special occasions.

Permanent Screen Installation
For a permanent LED installation, there is a lot more time and equipment that goes into setting the screen up. There needs to be more building around the screen, such as the framing, power and electrical needs, and more. These need to be build to last, so they require different rigging and attachment methods. They need to be able to accessible to swap out for maintenance as well, because over time, pixels, tiles, or modules will eventually go bad. These are often seen in stores, bars, airports, billboards, stadiums, venues, churches, malls, large signs, convention centers, traffic signs, and more.

All of our mobile screens as well as our modular tiles are made for rental applications. We have also used other LED tiles for permanent LED screen installations and digital signs.

Classified by type of setup:

Mobile LED Screen
A mobile video wall is just what it says, it is a mobile, portable screen. They come pre-built in a trailer or on a vehicle and require minimal setup time. This makes them more affordable because the labor to set up and tear down is much lower than a modular screen. The time to set up is much less, so they can be put in place at an event quickly. They also come down even faster, so they can be used at multiple locations at a single event without much downtime, rather than renting multiple LED screens. If you have an event that moves the focus of the action changes throughout the day, this is a great solution. These screens can be used at any event as long as their is room for the vehicle and power available or the ability to run off an on-board generator.

Modular LED Screen
One way to think of modular screens is like Lego blocks. They are made up of individual tiles, like the mobile screen, but they are custom built to specific size and shape for that event. With modular screens, you have the ability to get much more creative with your screen design. There all kinds of unique screen configurations that can be done with modular screens, such as any shape or size, curved screens, dance floor screens, hanging ceiling screens, dislocated 3D screen setups, angled sports perimeter, and more. These are great to create a more interesting visual piece for your event, and there is a lot more flexibility of where they can go. They can built from the ground up, or hung from truss or other rigging structures, and can be done easily indoors and outdoors.

We have a fleet of four mobile video screens, as well as a large inventory of modular tiles from Fire Up Creative.

About Fire Up Video
Fire Up Video provides jumbotron LED displays for rent at events across the Midwest and beyond, including states such as Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and more. For more information, please contact us at 612-759-1012 or baum3@earthlink.net.