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What is an LED?
Light emitting diodes (LED) are special
diodes that emit light when illuminated by the movement
of electrons in the semi-conductor chips. |
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Hybrid Technology - Advanced
Detachable Pixels
Signs Plus signs feature unique
Hybrid Pixel Technology which offers
numerous benefits. First, each pixel
is hot swappable which reduces the
time and cost to service a display.
Hybrid Technology also provides a
flexible platform to create custom
shaped LED displays such as curved
face displays. Additionally, Hybrid
Pixels stick out instead of being
attached to the surface, creating
the widest viewing angle and best
heat ventilation available. Finally,
instead of 1 louver per pixel, each
LED lamp on a Hybrid Pixel has its
own lamp louver, providing highly
focused LED light output for
superior color contrast, brightness
and maximum horizontal viewing
angle.
Inside each pixel, there is an individual circuit
controlling each LED lamp. Together
with Signs Plus' advanced controller
system, we can control
brightness/color shadings down to
each LED lamp level vs. competitors'
individual pixel shading. The result
is better color mix, contrast,
higher virtual resolution and longer
LED life since we can turn off
individual LED lamps when not
needed.
In partnership with Nichia, one of the leading LED
manufactures in the world, Signs
Plus uses only the highest quality
LEDs to manufacture its displays.
Hybrid Pixel Technology combined
with our commitment to providing
more LED diodes per pixel than other
manufacturers means that Signs Plus LED
displays simply provide the best
brightness, viewing angle, and color
available in the industry.
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Resolution: or the total number of
pixels in a display, is a very important factor that
affects the performance of the sign. More resolution
means more LED diodes and more circuits, which
usually means better picture quality.
Pitch is the distance (usually in
millimeters) between pixels. Pitch is always
measured from the center of one pixel to the center
of an adjacent pixel. The smaller the pitch number,
the higher the resolution quality. Larger pitch
numbers indicate a lower resolution. A pixel can be
one single diode or a cluster of
many diodes running off the same circuit. |
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Viewing Distance:
The distance between your sign and
its viewers is the number one factor in determining
the type of LED display you will need. Longer
distances require less resolution and shorter
distances require higher resolutions. In addition,
if you are traveling at 55 MPH on a freeway, and the
sign is 600 feet away at a truck stop, the text
letters must be at least 20 inches tall to be
legible. Likewise, if you are standing 60 feet away
from a street level sign, the letters need only be
two inches tall to be legible.
The rule of thumb is that you need 1
inch for every 30 feet of viewing distance.
Click for
Viewing Distance and Time
Chart |
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LED Diode Density: and pixel pitch are
the two most critical factors effecting the
quality of resolution and display brightness. The
density of a display is the total number of LED
diodes in one square meter. It is calculated by
multiplying the number of pixels per square meter by
the number of LED diodes per pixel.
Signs Plus LED display systems have
always featured more LEDs per pixel than other LED
display manufacturer. Our higher LED diode density
provides significantly higher brightness and longer
display life because each individual diode can be
driven at lower levels of intensity, reserving
capacity to extend the display’s life - without
sacrificing proper viewing brightness.
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Virtual Pixel vs True Pixel
Some LED
display manufacturers
use "virtual pixel" technology. They claim that
"virtual pixel" doubles the actual resolution of
screen, i.e., a screen with a physical (true)
resolution of 320x240 pixels in reality is
expressed as the "virtual" resolution of
640x480. In
an attempt to smooth out digital image of a
virtual pixel display, each pixel of the image
corresponds not to an actual module pixel but to
a light/data source that is part of the
group of pixels that form the “Virtual pixel”.
This mode of pixel sharing means one pixel
contains the “virtual group”* of pixels image
information. *(The 2 or 4 pixels that are
combined to form the “virtual” effect). Virtual
pixels are also known as “pixel sharing” or
“dynamic pixels”. Some claim that with “virtual
pixels” the displayed image has twice the
resolution as the “physical” resolution.
However, this is not true. One module pixel
cannot memorize or hold and display the majority
of information from the initial pixel. The
majority of the original information vanishes.
This results in distortion of important details
and other elements such as colors that are part
of the initial image.
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VIRTUAL
PIXEL
Uses pixel sharing to achieve
“virtual” pitch.
Attempts to achieve equal resolution
using
1/4 the diodes of a true pixel
display. |
TRUE PIXEL
Each pixel is distinct, using
individual groups
of LEDs. Display has 4x the diode
density of
a virtual pitch, resulting in 4x
brightness,
greater color depth and better color
accuracy. |
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The Brightness of an LED display is
generally expressed by a numerical value in NITs. A
NIT is defined as unit of illuminative brightness
described as candela output per
square meter (cd/M2).
The higher
the number of NITs, the brighter the
display. In general, 1,500 NITs, provides readable
text in outdoor daylight, while grayscale and
outdoor video require up to 5,000 NITs for
acceptable color depth.
Signs Plus LED displays are built
with a high-density of super-bright, high quality
LED diodes, so our displays typically exceed this
standard by a long shot. Contrast ratio is another
important factor in overall brightness, and refers
to the difference between levels of blacks compared
to the levels of whites in the display. Things like
reflective surfaces, glare from the sun, and dimming
all affect contrast ratio. To optimize the contrast
ratio and overall brightness, Signs Plus LED
displays feature a unique louver system to shade
each individual diode from the glare of the sun. The
louvers were computer modeled to optimize the view
of onlookers from below, while blocking the maximum
amount of sun from all sides. No other system on the
market offers this unique, individual diode shading.
Together with the high-density array, Signs Plus LED
displays are truly the brightest, longest lasting
product on the market today.
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Viewing Angle:
Diodes can put out a single, narrow
beam of light like a flashlight, or they can output
a wide array across a room like a light bulb. Diodes
output about the same amount of light no matter what
type they are - but the “high-beam” diodes with a
narrow angle focus more light into one small spot,
whereas the “wide angle” diodes spread their light
across the horizon. So, if you were to stand in
front of a sign made from “high-beam” diodes with
narrow viewing angles, you would see an extremely
bright sign,
but the minute you walked away from the small spot
light of its focus, you would see nothing but black.
With wide viewing angle LEDs, the
image is visible in consistent brightness and
uniform colors throughout the entire viewing range
of the display. Signs Plus media only uses wide angle 1400
LEDs to maximize
audience exposure, maintain the highest color
accuracy and extend reading times. Maintaining
brightness across a wide spectrum also requires
greater light output, which is why Signs Plus uses a
higher LED diode density than any other manufacturer
in the industry.
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