You’ve probably heard the term pixel pitch thrown around here and there and you may be wondering why it should matter to you. If you’re considering purchasing displays for corporate conference rooms, a video wall for an airport, digital signage for a college campus or any other of numerous applications utilizing LED video display technology, then you should definitely know your pixel pitch to help you choose the very best solution.
What is pixel pitch?
Simply speaking, pixel pitch is defined as the distance between the center of an LED cluster (or pixel) to the center of an adjacent LED cluster on a video display. This measurement is in millimeters and typically ranges from 4mm to 20mm for indoor displays, but can now be as small as .7mm, with manufacturers consistently coming out with smaller and smaller pixel pitches. Outdoor displays typically range from 10mm to 34mm, but may be much lower or sometimes higher depending on the application. Basically, the smaller the pixel, the more pixels on your display so the better resolution the display offers and the closer a viewer can stand while still experiencing good resolution.
How do I know what pixel pitch is best for my application?
The closer a viewer gets to a display, the more detail they can see, and eventually they will see the actual pixels and the black space in between, degrading their viewing experience. If the pixel pitch is larger, the pixels are larger and the viewer will need to be farther from the display to view the image and have it appear seamless, as it is meant to be. When considering pixel pitch, the distance between viewers and the display(s) should allow for enough space that the gaps aren’t visible. Optimal viewing distance is considered to be about 1mm in pitch to 8 feet of viewing distance.
So, why wouldn’t you just always purchase displays with the smallest pixel pitch? The answer is cost. The smaller the pixel pitch, the more pixels (or clusters) a display requires, which means more materials for the manufacturer and therefore more cost to the consumer. The application and room design should be carefully considered to effectively balance performance and cost.
