Draper, Inc.

Today’s post is the first in a series by Grant Wylie, Director of AVMS Product Management at Draper.

June 7, 2023 - One thing many people find confusing about LED technology is the terminology surrounding it. Different manufacturers even have different terms for the same things.

For example, an LED display is made of building blocks placed into an array of various sizes and configurations. These building blocks are known as LED Panels or LED Cabinets, depending on who you talk to.

LED Panels (A.K.A LED Cabinets) are typically constructed of an aluminum or carbon fiber frame which has all the LED electrical parts assembled within. The front face is comprised of red, blue, and green LEDs applied to a printed circuit board (PCB). These are called either Modules or Pixel Cards. But whatever they are called, LED Modules or Pixel Cards, they are the front face of the LED panel, with various integrated circuits, connectors, and magnets on the back.

Here are some other terms you’re likely to come across in the world of LED displays:

Contrast: The difference in appearance of two or more parts of a field seen simultaneously or successively. Contrast can relate to differences in brightness or color.

dvLED: Direct View LED. Light-emitting diodes are mounted directly on a printed circuit board.

Faceted: A faceted display uses flat LED panels on a curved mounting structure to create a radiused display.

Half-life (AKA Pixel Card): This is the point where the LED, LCD, or projector lamp is half as bright as it was new.

LCD: Liquid Crystal Display. These displays have a layer of liquid crystal between two pieces of polarized glass. Backlights are used to illuminate the display.

LED: LED stands for light-emitting diode. An LED uses each diode as a pixel.

Nits: This is a unit of measurement of luminance, or the intensity of visible light. One nit is equal to one candela per square meter.

Narrow Pixel Pitch (NPP): NPP refers to displays with very small pixel pitches-2.5 and below. This greater pixel density means a better image.

OLED: Organic LED: A film of an organic compound emits light in response to electric current.

Pixel: “Pixel” is short for “Picture Element.” These are small dots that are the building blocks for images on displays.

Pixel Pitch: “Pixel Pitch” is the space between pixels in millimeters. The smaller the pixel pitch is, the higher the resolution and the closer viewers can be.

Sub-Pixel: This is one part of the pixel. Each pixel is made up of three sub-pixels – red, blue, and green. In some technologies (LED and OLED) other colors like amber and white are added to increase brightness.

Whatever viewing technology and terminology you’re getting into, however, you can always count on one thing: The Draper audiovisual team is knowledgeable and ready to help. Reach out to us today via email for answers and quotes!

By Terry Coffey