2011 September | NanoLumens

Archive for September, 2011

Simple Really Is Better

Last week, myself and one of my colleagues took a trip to Detroit to introduce NanoLumens technology at the Bluewater Technology Tech Expo. The venue, the legendary Fillmore. Most of the players in our industry were there and we were honored to showcase alongside them.

When setup began, the two of us brought our display in, connected the power and data cables and we were up and running. The display only weighs 85 pounds and has two cables to hook up even though it’s 112” (about 8.5 ft x 5.5 ft) Total setup time from start to finish was less than 10 minutes! As we looked around at everyone else, immediately we noticed something interesting. The rest of the exhibitors had barely gotten started. It took most of them hours, heavy equipment and significant manpower to get their display set up and running. We used the extra time to walk around and introduce ourselves to the other vendors. It then became very apparent that our efforts to be cordial were not well received since everyone still had hours left of set-up to do.

We had a amazing time at the show, met lots of great people who couldn’t believe the brilliant image quality of our display in such a lightweight, thin and even flexible package. We look forward to working with many of them soon on their unique projects. Bluewater Technology put on an awesome event.

When it came time to break down and load out, it was the same situation as before. We broke our display down and loaded out in less than 10 minutes. I really felt for the guys that had to stay there all night breaking down. I was once again very thankful for the thought our designers put into our display making it simple. This is the kind of forward thinking that makes me proud to work for NanoLumens.

What Is Pixel Pitch And Why Should I Care?

If you are researching digital display technology, when you get to LED displays you will come across a term you may not be familiar with: Pixel Pitch.

So what exactly is pixel pitch and why is it so important?

In the simplest of explanations, pixel pitch is the distance from the center of an LED cluster (or pixel) to the center of the of the next LED cluster (pixel) measured in millimeters. Typically for indoor displays, the pixel pitch will range from 4mm up to 20mm and outdoor pixel pitches can range from 10mm all the way to 34mm or higher. At NanoLumens, we offer displays ranging from 4mm to 10mm, depending on the model.

The reason pixel pitch is important is that it directly correlates to resolution and optimal viewing distance. The smaller the pixel pitch number, the more pixels used to make up the image on your display thus the improving the resolution and optimal viewing distance. For instance, if your display is to be used in a space where your target audience will be closer to the display such as a retail environment, a 4mm pixel pitch might be your best bet. If you are hanging your display higher where your target audience is further away, such as airport signage, a 5mm or 6mm display might be a better fit.

So why wouldn’t you want the highest resolution and closest viewing distance available? Good question.

As I mentioned, the smaller the pixel pitch, the more pixels that make up the display. A NanoLumens 114” 4mm display is made up of 245,760 pixels whereas our 114” 6mm is made up of 96,000 pixels. The more pixels in the display, the higher the cost and sometimes the higher expenditure is not necessary to achieve the desired impact.

There are several other factors which affect quality and cost as well but I will save those for a later post. If you would like to learn more about which pixel pitch might be right for you, we would be happy to discuss your project with you. Contact us via web or call us directly at (678) 974-1737.

Decisions – LED vs. LCD

Digital displays are everywhere these days and chances are, if you are reading this, you are at least curious what all the hype is about. Before we dive into the world of LEDs though, let’s talk about why digital signage is so important.

Digital signage is an industry which some sources claim will reach almost $14 Billion by 2017. Pretty much everywhere you look in airports, train stations, casinos, stadiums and commercial buildings there is some sort of digital signage. Advertisers and businesses continually gravitate towards digital signage to take their message out of the home and engage with audiences in compelling new ways.

Now that you know why digital signage is important, let’s talk about the difference between LED and LCD displays. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and the picture is made by passing backlight through tiny liquid crystals in the display. This technology is often used for TVs, computer monitors and smaller scale indoor digital signage. LCD has a higher resolution and can be viewed at close range. These displays tend to get fragile and heavy as size increases, though. So often times you will see LCD displays “tiled” together in repeating fashion. This works and can be beautifully done but there are seams in your content and the installation infrastructure may require some special attention.

LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode and a display is made up of columns and rows of individual LEDs. This technology offers some unique advantages over LCD. LEDs are significantly brighter and will show up in most any ambient light conditions, both indoor and outdoor. The colors are more brilliant and contrast is significantly richer as well. LED displays are thin, lightweight and are also a greener solution because they draw far less power. So much less that if your display is on continuously, the power savings may pay for the display! Lastly, LED technology allows displays to be built to virtually any size, making them perfect for large display applications.

At NanoLumens, we believe wholeheartedly in LED technology and are investing countless resources to bring you the best products in this exciting field. We build them in virtually any size, shape or even flex. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you understand if an LED display is right for you.