If you’ve started researching display types, you’ve probably encountered some terms like LCD, Projection cubes, Direct view LED and so on. So, which one is right for you? Well, that depends. Every display technology has unique strengths and weaknesses, and will be better-suited to some applications than to others. To help you get started, we’ve created a quick guide to the four leading display types.
LCDs (liquid crystal displays) are one of today’s most popular display options. You’re probably already familiar with LCD technology due to its widespread use in consumer electronics like smartphones, computer monitors, and television screens.
LCDs Work
An LCD is a flat panel display composed of a layer of liquid crystal between two pieces of polarized glass. When an electric current is applied, the liquid crystals shift, allowing light to pass through to create an image. Liquid crystals don’t produce their own light, so backlights are arranged behind the glass to illuminate the display.
Common Applications of LCDs
- Control room operations
- Education and research
- Conferencing and presentations
Direct View LED Video Walls
Direct view LED, also simply called “LED,” has recently emerged as an exciting new indoor video wall display type. Direct view LED isn’t actually a new technology: it’s been used for decades in large, outdoor signage, but has traditionally lacked the resolution needed for close-proximity indoor displays. All of this changed with the recent development of very small LEDs, which have allowed manufacturers to produce much higher-resolution LED displays. Today, direct view LED is one of the most desired display options for indoor video wall systems.
Direct View LED Works
An LED display consists of hundreds of tiny LEDs (light emitting diodes) mounted directly on a flat panel. Each LED is essentially a miniature lightbulb that emits colored light when a particular voltage is applied to it. Clusters of red, green, and blue LEDs are grouped to create the full-color pixels needed to produce an image. Displays with very small LEDs and a fine pixel pitch will produce higher resolutions than displays with bigger LEDs and a large pixel pitch. However, these higher-resolution displays are also dramatically more expensive.
Common Applications of Direct View LED
- Large scale architectural and signage displays
- Control room operations
Blended Projection Systems
Blended projection systems combine the output of multiple projectors to produce an image that is larger or higher-resolution than could be generated by a single projector. Blended projection systems can display high-resolution images on a completely seamless surface of virtually any size and shape.
Blended Projection Works
Blended projection works by overlapping two or more projected images and gradually cross-fading their edges to produce a single, seamless image. A blended projection system can be designed with rear or front projection. In a rear blended projection system, the projectors are placed behind the screen in an enclosed room, where they either project light directly onto the screen, or onto mirrors that then reflect it onto the screen.
Common Applications of Blended Projection
- Simulation
- Education and research
- Architecture and engineering
