Pixel pitch is the single biggest decision in an LED screen. Get it right and the picture looks sharp and the budget holds. Here is how to think about it.
Pixel pitch is the distance between the LEDs, in millimetres. A smaller number means more pixels packed in, sharper detail up close, and a higher price per square metre. The trick is to buy only as much resolution as the room can actually show.
Before anything else, ask how close the nearest viewer will stand. A screen read from across a boardroom needs a finer pitch than a billboard seen from the far side of a car park. Pitch follows distance, not the other way around.
As a rough guide, the closest comfortable viewing distance in metres is about the same as the pixel pitch in millimetres. A 2mm screen looks clean from around 2 metres back. Closer than that and the eye starts to pick out individual pixels. Use it as a starting point, not a hard limit.
Once you know the pitch and the screen size, you know the resolution. A wall that has to show fine text, spreadsheets or a full HD source must clear that resolution, or the content looks soft. If it is mostly big imagery and video, you can relax the pitch and save money.
Finer pitch costs more per square metre, so the honest goal is the largest pitch that still looks sharp at your real viewing distance. Paying up for a pitch the room cannot resolve is money on the floor. Going too coarse and seeing pixels is a screen people notice for the wrong reason.
People walk past about 2 to 3 metres away. A pitch around 2mm reads cleanly at that distance, holds up for the occasional closer look, and keeps the budget sensible. A 1.2mm screen would look no better from there and cost a good deal more.
Want this worked out for your space? Try the LED Designer, brush up on the terms in the LED glossary, or talk to us.
Tell us the room and the viewing distance, and we will recommend the right pitch and configuration.
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