Is it time to upgrade to the latest commercial video technology?
As technology advances, video installations evolve. While a giant LED video wall made up of individual monitors used to turn heads, direct view LEDs provide similar capabilities – with brighter pictures, truer colors, and a wide color gamut.
Direct view LED walls from brands like Samsung, Christie, LG and others are rapidly replacing projectors and individual monitors in indoor video installation projects across the New York Tri-State area. These direct view LED walls are also more energy efficient, which reduces your electric cost over time.
If your indoor LED project requires high brightness, a wide viewing angle, and larger-than-life screen size, Dara AV can provide you with a fine pixel pitch Direct View LED wall that meets these needs.
If you’re curious about this technology and how it might help your business, read on.
The Evolution of Video
Over the past decades that I’ve been in this industry, we’ve seen the evolution from CRT TVs to plasma monitors, then LED-backlit LCDs.
In the early 2020s, OLEDs became common in homes and commercial applications. Unlike LCDs, OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) do not require an LED backlight since the pixels emit their own light.
Around the same time, another technology for indoor displays emerged. Direct view LED screens offer brighter, clearer pictures in any setting. These screens come in sizes that could only be accomplished, previously, through projection systems or a multi-screen video wall.
There’s nothing wrong, per se, with a well-placed LCD video matrix. But direct view LEDs provide the same wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor viewing area without distracting bezels. Systems like Samsung’s WALL direct view microLED are fully configurable to any size and virtually any shape.
The technology has dropped in price so dramatically in recent years that a direct view LED video wall now provides a cost-effective solution for many bar and restaurant owners, not to mention hotel or corporate lobbies, retail venues, and any other space where you want to make a big visual impact.
Whether you’re upgrading older systems or building a new neighborhood gathering space, let’s look at how direct view LEDs can set your space apart from the rest.
What Is Direct View LED?
When you hear the words “LED screen,” or even “smart TV,” today, you probably think of what is actually a backlit LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen. These screens use a liquid crystal display illuminated by LEDs (light emitting diodes) from behind.
By 2007 through 2010, these types of screens basically replaced plasma screens and fully replaced old CRT tube televisions in homes and commercial applications.
A direct view LED, on the other hand, is a system where each individual LED gives off light. You’ll often see these in stadiums and arenas. These displays perform well in large venues, where the viewers are a great distance from the display.
But the next evolution of direct view LED is designed for indoor use, delivering a clear, bright picture through microLEDs. Even close up, viewers enjoy super high-quality picture.
Outdoor LEDs vs. Indoor Direct View LEDs: It’s All About Pixel Pitch and Viewing Distances
Pixel pitch in a direct view LED describes the distance between the center of LED pixels in the video wall. Pixel pitch affects the pixel density, or how many pixels are in any given area of the screen.
Standard pitch LED walls, like those you see in stadiums and arenas, typically have pixels spaced more than 2.5 mm apart. These are designed for long viewing distances. In general, the wider the pixel pitch, the further away you have to be to see a crisp, sharp picture.
For instance, a 10 mm pixel pitch video wall looks crystal clear, where the pixels virtually vanish, from a distance of more than 112 feet, according to a white paper published by video wall manufacturer Planar. Most people will be able to view the image comfortably from roughly 56 feet away – that’s considered the “average comfortable viewing distance.”
For indoor applications like restaurants and bars, you’ll want a video wall with a pixel pitch of 2.5mm or less. This is considered “fine pitch.”
Price Drops in Direct View Technology
Until recently, fine pitch direct view LEDs cost too much for an average installation project. As technology advanced, prices dropped. Now, indoor fine pitch direct view LED video walls can replace traditional multiscreen setups.
With no bezels, a bright picture, and giant screens measuring 100 inches or more across, direct view LEDs provide a seamless viewing experience in any venue. As with a video wall made up of separate monitors, you can still send multiple sources to the screen. A direct view LED can fill the role of multiple monitors or you can display one seamless image across every section of the video wall.
See more advantages of direct view LEDs in bars and restaurants here.
From Digital Signage to Fine Dining: Direct View LED Wall Applications
Dara AV has installed video walls across the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, as well as in top entertainment venues in Chelsea Piers, NYC.
View our work at American Dream’s House of Que here.
Video walls can add to the ambiance and offer a superior viewing experience in:
- Corporate lobbies and boardrooms
- Hospitality venues
- Retail
- Entertainment venues
- Schools and auditoriums
Choosing the Right Video System – and the Right Audiovisual Integrator
Not every application requires a bar-to-ceiling video wall. The technology still costs more than individual screens. But if you’re looking for a way to make your venue stand out, visually, a fine pitch direct view LED can be the solution.
When you call on Dara AV for your audiovisual design and installation project, we work with you to create systems that meet your needs – and your budget. As AV technology delivers more options than ever, we like thinking outside the box to create something truly unique.
We don’t promise the lowest prices.
But we promise creative (not cookie-cutter!) designs that will elevate your brand, along with training, support, and the renowned, responsive customer service our clients have come to expect after decades in the industry serving New York City, New Jersey, and Staten Island.
FAQ
What is the difference between OLED and direct view LED?
OLEDs and direct view LEDS (DVLED) are both high-end display technologies delivering excellent picture quality. OLED screens use organic light emitting diodes to create a crisp, brilliant picture in home and commercial applications, while a direct view LED has a surface array of LEDs to provide super bright imagery, even in large-scale commercial applications.
Which is better LED or direct LED?
LED screens, or more accurately, LED-backlit LCDs, use an older display technology, providing an affordable solution for a budget-friendly commercial installation. Fine pixel pitch direct view LEDs (DVLEDs) provide a high-quality, seamless display with excellent picture quality and contrast, even at large sizes. Dara AV will work with you to specify the appropriate video display for your commercial AV installation project.
What is the lifespan of a direct LED TV?
Direct view LED displays typically have a lifespan of more than 100,000 hours, or 10 to 11 years if they are running at full brightness. Other factors affecting the longevity of your DVLED include its environment (proper cooling is needed), the power source, and the content you display. Most LEDs last longer than 10 years.
