The LED Display Buyer's Guide

LED display quotes can vary by a factor of five for what looks, on paper, like the same product. Almost all of that variance comes down to five decisions. Get these right before you talk to a supplier and you'll spot a bad quote — or a bad product — immediately.

1. Pixel pitch — matched to viewing distance, not budget

Pixel pitch is the distance, in millimetres, between LEDs. Smaller number, sharper image up close, higher cost. The only question that matters: how close will people actually stand?

• Arm's length (bar fronts, shop windows, entrances): P2.5 or finer
• A few metres away (casino floor walls, retail aisles): P3–P6
• Across a room or outdoors at distance (giant screens, stadium-style): P6 and above

2. Brightness — matched to the room, not a spec sheet

Indoor panels typically run 800–1,200 nits; outdoor panels need 5,000+ nits to stay visible in direct sunlight. A panel that's right for one environment will look wrong — washed out outdoors, blinding indoors — in the other. Insist on auto-brightness sensing tied to ambient light rather than a fixed setting.

3. IP rating — for anything outdoors or near moisture

Outdoor and near-window installs need a genuine IP rating for water and dust ingress, plus conformal-coated components for temperature and humidity swings. This is not an area to save money — a failed IP rating means a dead display, not a dim one.

4. Content management — ask before you buy, not after

• Can our own team update content, or does every change need a technician?
• Can content be scheduled in advance (holidays, promotions, tournament weekends)?
• Does the system support multiple zones on one physical display?

5. Retrofit vs. rebuild

Ask explicitly whether the install fits your existing footprint or requires structural changes. This single question is the biggest driver of both cost and disruption, and the answer varies enormously between suppliers for what looks like the same product on a spec sheet.