To determine if an LED screen display is of good quality, check its resolution, pixel pitch, and color accuracy. A high-quality display typically has a pixel pitch under 3mm, covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut, and a contrast ratio above 3000:1. Additionally, ensure it offers a refresh rate of at least 60Hz.
Display Clarity
Market research has shown that 70% of all screen consumption comes from consumers using higher-resolution and clearer-image LED screens. Resolution clarity is related to pixel pitch directly. For example, screens with a P2 pixel pitch of 2mm and P3 pixel pitch of 3mm have enough image detail that even when watching from a distance of about 5 meters, the picture is still very clear. On the contrary, P10 (10mm) pixel pitch display shows some blurriness when viewed in close proximity, especially in commercial advertising and exhibition situations.
According to the general requirements of the industry, the brightness of indoor LED displays should usually reach 1000cd/m², while outdoor screens have to reach 2000cd/m² or higher. Some high-end LED displays can go up to 2500cd/m² to ensure that images are clear and distinguishable under direct sunlight. The contrast ratio of some high-quality screens can go up to 4000:1, while some low-end products only offer 1000:1. Displays with high contrast ratios can provide clearer images both during the day and at night, especially in strong light conditions, effectively avoiding image distortion or overexposure.
Generally speaking, the refresh rate should reach 60Hz or higher when using LED displays. In the case of high-quality LED displays, the refresh rate can go up to 120Hz for smoother and more natural screen displays, with even more advantages in rapid response situations in movie theaters or sports areas. Tests that measured the color performance of LED screens revealed that, indeed, those LED displays which could cover 100% sRGB color gamut are far more color saturated and correct. Some other good-quality LED screens boast viewing angles of as large as 140-degree, thereby assuring continuous clarity and color precision from every angle of view.
Contrast
Generally speaking, based on industrial standards, for any given high-quality LED display, the minimum required contrast ratio should be at least 3000:1. In the high-end line, like ultra-high-definition LED screens in some of the top-tier market available screens, this static contrast reaches up to 5000:1 to keep all details of high-brightness scenes clear with black areas showcasing richer depth and layers. Some test reports of LED displays also show that the displays at 4000:1 contrast ratio have an ideal display effect under strong sunlight, while those lower than 2000:1 will show image blur or distortion.
The contrast performance of modern LED displays far exceeds that of traditional LCD displays within the range of 1000:1 to 1500:1. Specifically, high-end commercial displays boast a very remarkable contrast ratio: 5000:1. And this makes displays vivid with more depth or layer. Actually, when playing vibrant videos or in the case of complex graphics displaying, higher values may show more critical details. In a test, there is one offering 16 bits or higher grey scale levels—which means image transitions are softer; even the display was really smoother. Some OLED displays boast of a contrast ratio as high as 1000000:1, allowing the refining of image information in even very bright environments, with dark images remaining visible.
A commercially available display boasts for the year 2023 an adjustable DCR of up to 10000:1 and is hence very popular among major advertisers. A few LED displays developed for sports or video playback combine refresh rate with contrast ratio to provide greater clarity of motion details. With a refresh rate of 200Hz and a contrast ratio of 2000:1, this display is able to show fast-moving objects smoothly. Mini-LED displays can improve the contrast by shrinking the size of the LED backlight module, keeping details and layers rich even in high-brightness environments. Contrast in Mini-LED displays is more than twice that of traditional LED displays, according to test data.
Viewing Angle
Most commercial screens tend to stop at about 140 degrees. In the case of high-end screens like OLED or Mini LED, the best viewing angle they will have is over 160 degrees. This ensures that even if the image is viewed at quite a side angle, it will still remain clear. Whereas the viewing angle for normal LED screens can go as high as 10% when the deviation is at 30 degrees, this screen with advanced technologies may provide color variation within 5% at a 45-degree deviation, as in some high-end OLED displays available in the market today.
Some brands of LED displays have a maximum viewing angle of only 90 degrees. Ultra-wide screens with a 180-degree viewing angle ensure that viewers from any angle can experience a consistent visual effect. Industry data shows that LED screens with smaller pixel pitches typically offer wider viewing angles due to higher pixel density. For example, P2 pixel pitch displays exhibit minimal color and brightness degradation at a 60-degree offset angle.
Traditional LED displays tend to have poor viewing angles, with noticeable degradation in display quality when the angle exceeds 45 degrees. With the development of new technologies like OLED and Micro-LED, OLED displays now have nearly 180-degree viewing angles. High-end displays typically offer a viewing angle of over 140 degrees. For instance, a certain brand’s large LED display has a viewing angle of up to 160 degrees, providing optimal viewing for audiences from multiple directions.
Color Accuracy
For example, with the AdobeRGB color gamut, some high-end LED screens can cover up to 99% of the AdobeRGB color space, while mid-range devices typically cover around 85%. Tests have shown that at a brightness of 10,000 nits, LED screens with high color accuracy maintain stable color reproduction in different lighting conditions. On average, LED screens that have been in use for over two years show an 8% decrease in red accuracy, while high-quality displays typically experience a color degradation of less than 2%. At a color temperature of 6500K, many high-quality LED screens can achieve near-perfect color reproduction, while lower-end devices tend to deviate from the standard color temperature. Some professional-grade displays use hardware-level color calibration technology, with errors typically less than 2Delta E.
For a 55-inch smart TV, if it achieves 95% of the P3 color gamut, it can deliver richer color depth and more realistic image effects, while regular TVs generally only cover about 70%. Scientific studies have shown that displays with a Delta E value below 2 are considered to have high color accuracy. Outdoor LED advertising requires that the color accuracy of the screen meets the 5,000 nits brightness standard.
Water Resistance
Practical tests have shown that an IP65-rated waterproof display can withstand water flow of 6.3mm per hour and remain unaffected during a 30-minute spray test. The IP66-rated LED display requires the screen to withstand water flow of 12.5mm per hour and continue working without impact in heavy water flow conditions. IP67-rated displays can be submerged in water at a depth of 1 meter and continue functioning for up to 30 minutes without damage. Market research indicates that displays with higher waterproof ratings have about 80% fewer failures in harsh weather conditions than regular displays.
Test data shows that devices sealed with silicone have a failure rate as low as 0.5% in humid environments, a reduction of over 40% compared to traditional rubber-sealed displays. For outdoor display power modules, an IP67 waterproof power module was submerged 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes in a test, and its normal operation was unaffected. The tests show that in heavy rain, devices with high waterproof ratings have an almost 0% failure rate. Devices with lower waterproof ratings experience an average of 3-5 repairs per year, while high waterproof rated devices usually require fewer than one repair per year.
Power Consumption and Energy Efficiency
For a typical outdoor LED display, the traditional P10 model (10mm pixel pitch) operates at 600 watts. A new P6 model (6mm pixel pitch) LED screen reduces power consumption to 450 watts, saving about 25% of energy while displaying the same content. For instance, a P10 LED display running 24/7 consumes approximately 5256 kWh per year, while a P6 display only uses 3960 kWh, saving 1296 kWh of electricity annually. According to statistics, LED displays worldwide are 30%-50% more energy-efficient than traditional LCD screens. For a 1000 square meter advertising screen, using LED technology can save about 1200 kWh of electricity per month, which can offset 5%-10% of operating costs.
The power consumption difference between day and night for an LED display can range from 30% to 50%. Research on LED displays in shopping malls shows that devices with smart brightness adjustment systems can save about 15% on electricity costs during the first year of operation. Research indicates that LED displays with high protective designs have 30% fewer maintenance needs, and overall lifetime of over 100,000 hours is typical in LED displays built with energy-saving components.
Screen Response Time
For a 4K TV, a typical LCD screen has a response time of around 5 milliseconds, while high-end LED screens can reduce it to 2 milliseconds. A display designed for gaming, for example, has a response time of 1 millisecond. For a common 144Hz gaming monitor, the response time is typically between 1 millisecond and 3 milliseconds. A 60Hz traditional display may have a response time of up to 5 milliseconds.
For a standard 55-inch 4K TV, if the response time is 10 milliseconds, slight ghosting may occur when playing high-frame-rate movies. Modern OLED TVs can achieve a response time of 0.1 milliseconds, greatly reducing image blur and ghosting. Some high-end commercial-grade LED displays have a response time of 2 milliseconds, which is ideal for dynamic video content or real-time news updates, where high-speed clarity is required.
