A video wall is the centerpiece of your mission critical operations center. As an essential piece of your common operating picture, your video wall system requires careful thought and planning to help you best reach your operational goals.

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There are a lot of options for video wall technology on the market, and deciding what&#;s best for you can feel overwhelming. The pressure to choose wisely is especially felt in mission critical, where the display&#;s performance, reliability, and capabilities play a vital role in high-stakes functions.

If you find yourself asking &#;LED vs. LCD, which is better&#;. Don&#;t worry, LED vs LCD is a common debate when choosing a video wall. Both technologies are reliable and well-suited to mission critical use cases but have differing strengths to take into account when considering which may best suit your space. Key differences between LED and LCD video walls include:

Bezels

As you consider video wall technologies, you need to keep in mind the content you plan to display. Will you need to spread a single application across the entire video wall? Or will the display consist of several types of content boxed within individual displays? LED video walls are the only kind to offer a truly seamless viewing experience, making them the better choice for extending visuals across multiple display panels. However, if you plan to display multiple applications where a perfectly seamless display isn&#;t as important, LCD is a good choice. Many LCD panels now have ultra-narrow bezel options where the bezels won&#;t interfere as much with viewing.

Viewing Distance

The layout of your control room will also affect the best choice of technology for your space. Room size and number of operators may determine whether LED or LCD may fit best since the viewing distance and angles affect display quality. In larger rooms, LED walls may be a smart choice, since they are suited to a greater viewing distance. Mission critical LED walls have a smaller pixel pitch than other LEDs on the market and therefore can be made to fit in any size of the room. One thing is important to note, however: the lower the pixel pitch, the higher the resolution &#; and thus, the higher the cost. On the other hand, LCD video walls work well in rooms of all sizes due to consistent image quality even from a short viewing distance. In cases where you need fine details like text visible from a close distance, LCD may be the better choice.

Display Quality

Both LED and LCD video walls offer a high-quality display experience with great color accuracy and brightness. Years ago, mission critical spaces had to be kept dark in order to prevent interference with the visibility of the displays. Technology has since advanced to the point that both LED and LCD video walls produce enough brightness with high contrast to function well even in well-lit rooms. However, the way they may reflect the room&#;s light does differ slightly.

Of the two, LCD is more likely to act as a specular reflector, meaning it can directly reflect the light coming from lamps. This isn&#;t necessarily a big issue, as the positioning of the light sources within the room can alleviate most light interference.  LED video walls are more likely to act as a diffuse reflector, reflecting light equally in all directions. Both LED and LCD video wall technologies provide visuals at a  high enough quality that lighting won&#;t provide much interference, but it&#;s still a factor to consider as you weigh your options for video walls.

Power consumption

When it comes to power usage, LED technology is the winner. While energy consumption is generally proportional to size, LED screens have greater energy efficiency than LCD displays. This is in part due to the display technology and LED&#;s ability to dim the backlights, even creating absolute black on the display.

Maintenance and reliability

At the level of quality that you will need for mission critical, both LCD and LED display technologies are built to last under consistent use. However, even the best display technology can require maintenance. LED display maintenance is simple, as individual modules can easily be replaced. Many LED panels also have lifetime ratings of 80,000 &#; 100,000 hours, making them smart long-term investments. LCD panels, on the other hand, have less fine-tuned maintenance. If one part of the screen goes out, then that entire panel needs to be replaced. However, LCD technology is also optimized to mitigate the potential of burn-ins and discoloration on the screen, reducing the possible need for maintenance due to an image remaining static for a prolonged period of time.

Cost

Especially at the indoor, mission critical quality level, LED displays are more expensive than LCD displays. However, while LEDs are still the more expensive option, technology is constantly improving and as the market shifts, the entry price to LED is coming down while quality is going up.

While the up-front cost is important to consider, there are also factors that contribute to the total cost of ownership including power consumption, maintenance, reliability, and cooling requirements. Both LED and LCD displays come at a high price point when you&#;re purchasing for mission critical reliability, but technology built to a higher standard than consumer displays will protect your investment in the long term.

LED vs. LCD: Which is the Better Option?

Ultimately, there is no universally accepted right answer in the LED vs LCD display debate. It all comes down to your specific use case. An industry-specific integrator like Constant can help you weigh all these considerations to help you decide which is best for your space.

With a project as important as a mission critical operations center, you need an integrator you can trust to help you make the right choices for your video wall system. At Constant, we&#;re dedicated to ensuring your mission critical space operates at peak performance. We have decades of knowledge unmatched in the industry and offer custom design services and long-term service contracts.

If you are preparing to build a video wall for your mission critical control room, contact us today for a free design and budget consultation.

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About Constant:

Constant Technologies, Inc. provides AV integration for 24/7 video walls and custom operation center furniture. With 30+ years of experience, we can work with sensitive environments in the public and private sectors. Constant designs and installs projects of all scopes and sizes around the world. We also offer long-term service and support. We create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics and functionality in mind.

Factors to consider when choosing between LED and LCD video wall technology

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Many people know Christie for our projectors &#; which makes sense, we&#;ve been manufacturing projectors for almost 65 years &#; but we also specialize in video wall solutions. We manufacture secure, TAA-compliant LED and LCD video wall displays, and content management and processing technologies to create complete AV solutions. We help partners and customers around the world determine the best video wall solution for their projects, whether it&#;s a mission-critical control room, a stunning lobby installation, or an engaging retail display.

For more 55 inch lcd video wallinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

So how do you know what video wall technology is right for you? Should you choose an LED video wall or go with LCD?

Let&#;s look at the factors you need to consider and the advantages and drawbacks of different direct-view display technologies for each.

Seal Telecom, a Convergint company, selected Christie LCD panels for a control room in Brazil.

Brightness

Brightness requirements vary, so the key is to find the right amount for your application and space. You&#;ll need higher brightness to improve overall contrast in environments where ambient light is high &#; such as rooms with walls of windows. However, if people work close to the video wall, for example in some control rooms, too much brightness can cause headaches or eye strain over time. On the other hand, if the wall isn&#;t bright enough, the contrast will likely be too low, making it difficult to discern detailed images and text on the wall.

If you start with a higher brightness display, 700 nits up to , you can reduce brightness to an acceptable level for the ambient light in your space. This has several benefits, including:

• Power efficiency &#; Running a 700-nit panel at 500 nits draws less power than a 500-nit panel at 500 nits

• Extended life &#; Running at reduced power lowers the thermal profile on the display, extends the life of the LEDs or LED backlight, prevents failures, and reduces cooling requirements

• Improved black and low-level gray on LCD panels

LED video walls can display content clearly even in high ambient light environments. This is thanks to the high brightness typical of LED tiles and high contrast ratios. The result is an outstanding perceived level of black that results in a high-contrast image even in elevated levels of ambient light.

Seamlessness

For a greater viewing experience, a video wall display should be completely seamless so that viewers don't notice the transition from one screen to the next in a tiled array.

LCD panels minimize this transition with bezels that are less than 1mm. For large video walls, where viewers are typically three meters (10 feet) or more away, we can consider any gaps, in combination with the bezel, as negligible. Near-seamless LCD panels can be fragile to handle &#; but you can overcome this by having trained professionals build your wall.

By contrast, best-in-class LED tiles are truly seamless and are designed to touch each other without increasing the distance between the pixels from one tile to the next. They include direct-mount systems with advanced mechanical design integrating x, y, and z-axis&#; to fine-tune physical adjustments for near-perfect alignment. Advanced software capabilities should include automatic seam correction to further enhance the seamless image quality.

Are you looking for more tips and advice for selecting video wall technology? Check out our tech brief Discover the advantage of LED video walls. (You just need to add your address to access the guide.)

Image quality

Your content should look brilliant on a new video wall system, but will it maintain that same level of performance over time?

If factors such as color uniformity, brightness uniformity, and imaging quality aren&#;t your highest priorities, then LCD panels may be the best and most cost-effective solution &#; especially if your application doesn&#;t require 24/7 operation.

However, if image quality is paramount, LED displays might be the best choice. Best-in-class LED walls offer advanced capabilities that optimize the image and automatically maintain color uniformity and brightness over its lifetime.

Viewing distance

The optimal viewing distance is the point where the viewer can no longer distinguish individual pixels. For LED, we calculate viewing distance by multiplying the pixel pitch (mm) by 8. For a pitch of 1.25mm, the optimal viewing distance is 10 feet (1.25 x 8). While tiled LCD solutions can achieve a pixel pitch as small as 0.37mm, making close-up viewing possible and viewing distance a non-issue.

Initial cost vs. total cost of ownership (TCO)

A big benefit of LCD panels is their low initial price. LCD panels can be a fraction of the initial cost of an equivalent LED-based system. Although operational lifetime is lower and there are other performance compromises, LCD panels could be the most appropriate solution for an application with a tight budget.

A video wall forms a complete and integrated solution when it&#;s combined with content management and processing technologies.

All displays consume power and require cooling &#; so you need to consider ongoing operational costs such as power consumption and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) &#; but not all display technologies are the same.

LED displays generally draw more power and require more HVAC than LCD displays. However, LED video walls are more energy-efficient than LCD panels. The difference in efficiency can be as high as 400% or more, depending on which displays you compare.

Complete solution

A video wall forms a complete and integrated solution when it&#;s combined with content management and processing technologies.

You can directly integrate Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE) solutions into your video wall for uncompressed, zero-frame latency, artifact-free content over 10G networks.

With the right image processing solution, you can display 4K@60Hz content and scale and position content across synchronized outputs. For environments like control rooms, some video wall processors can securely display, arrange, and operate multiple sources.

Service and support

Best-in-class LCD and LED video walls enable full service from the front to reduce repair time and downtime and don&#;t require special mounts that add cost and complexity. The best systems leverage remote video sources, controllers, and power supplies to simplify maintenance and minimize disruption.

Christie Professional Services is one of the industry&#;s most trusted advisors in designing, manufacturing, deploying, and supporting professional AV display systems, including video walls. With strategic locations worldwide and a comprehensive network of customer service engineers, project managers, and training and service technicians, Professional Services can rapidly dispatch the expertise, parts, and replacements required.

Conclusion

Selecting the right technology for your video wall can be daunting, but we&#;re here to help. We have the experience and expertise to help you choose the right technology, the right content management and processing solutions, and support you with warranty and services for the lifetime of your video wall.

Are you looking for more tips and advice for selecting video wall technology? Check out our tech brief, Discover the advantages of LED video walls.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website commercial display products.