LED wall or display wall? A decision in four steps

Large picture surfaces have become considerably cheaper in recent years. So almost every project raises the same question: assemble individual displays into a wall, or build an LED wall straight away?

Viewing distance decides

LED walls are defined by pixel pitch, measured in millimetres. Rule of thumb: the smallest sensible viewing distance in metres roughly corresponds to the pixel pitch in millimetres. A wall at 2.5 millimetres looks clean from about two and a half metres; closer than that, you can see the individual dots.

So anyone planning a reception display where people stand one metre away is better served with displays. For the wall in a hall seen from ten metres, LED is superior – also because there are no seams.

Brightness and surroundings

LED is considerably brighter and therefore the right choice for surfaces in direct sun or with large window fronts. In darker interiors displays have the calmer, finer picture and match printed advertising materials better in colour.

Effort and upkeep

A display wall of four to nine units is installed in a day and can be swapped module by module. An LED wall needs structural engineering, power supply, cooling and a clean wall construction. In return it then runs for years without visible ageing if the modules come from the same production batch.

The honest summary

What an LED wall costs

The price depends almost exclusively on pixel pitch and area. A wall with 2.5-millimetre pixel pitch and three square metres we calculate including control, frame and installation for the specific site. The same area at four millimetres costs considerably less, but is only clean from four metres away.

A display wall of four 55-inch units with narrow bezels reaches roughly the same area for a fraction – with visible seams as the price.

Power consumption and heat

An LED wall draws noticeable power at full brightness and gives the energy off as heat. In small rooms without ventilation that becomes an issue. We calculate the consumption during planning and limit the brightness to what the room really needs – that saves power and extends the service life.

Maintenance: the underestimated point

With a display wall you swap a unit in case of a fault. With an LED wall you swap a module – but it has to be accessible. Flush-mounted installations without front maintenance access are a planning mistake that gets expensive later. That is why we build with front access wherever possible.