During the exhibition "Infocomm Las Vegas 2008" many asked about the advantages of LED screens and in this article I will refer to this topic. It may be difficult to summarize all the benefits in a few words but we can give a simplified version where the main topics are highlighted.
by Adrian Morel *
It is important to mention that LED screens already have more than 10 years of existence in the market and they are neither better nor worse than projectors or plasma (or LCD) televisions, they simply come to cover an existing need in the market that only an LED screen is able to perform.
Advantages
In the case of outdoor events or outdoor events, the LED display can do things that other products cannot. The LED screen can work and be easily seen in full sunlight due to its high brightness capacity (which projectors or plasmas cannot).
The illumination of a screen is measured in NITs and they have 5000 NITs on average, being more than enough to counteract the sun's rays. It is very likely that during full daylight the screen is working at 100% brightness capacity, but in the event that the weather is cloudy or that the event or concert is at night, we will surely lower the brightness intensity, to preserve the useful life of the screen.
LED screens are also waterproof due to their IP65 rating (Ingress Protection or "protection access" that resists dust of all kinds and low water pressure in any direction). This means that the screens can work outdoors without interruption for unfavorable weather reasons.
Screen users
To talk about events or mega-events I have interviewed two professionals from Argentina with extensive experience in both local and international shows, Raúl Brasesco ([email protected]) and Sebastián Fiszbin ([email protected]), where both have events of the stature of Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, Chayanne, Enrique Iglesias, Disney's High School Musical, among others.
Raúl started with LED screens in 2004 and has specialized in the subject since then. His first television show was VideoMatch with host Marcelo Tinelli (who currently hosts the show under the name ShowMatch); then followed programs such as "El Gran Juego", "Latin American Idol", etc. Raúl told us that when the television camera is too close to the protagonists, a special optic should be placed on the LED screen. This optics disperses the granulation of the LEDs making them homogeneous and its visual optical effect seems to improve the resolution. That is, with this optics you can transform a 20 mm screen to a 6 mm one. Raúl also highlighted the ease of assembling the LED screens where they can be installed in less than 45 minutes, referring to a theatrical show in Buenos Aires where the screen used was 30 square meters.
Sebastian highlighted the "reliability" of the screens, as they are moved from the warehouse to the place of event, installed, turned on and that's it. Not much team control or supervision is required before each show. The idea is that the screens are at the service of the AV professional and not vice versa.
Conclusions
The need for an LED display in a show that gathers crowds is indisputable. Shows of a certain artistic level or international levels mostly use LED screens, as they have already become an essential part of the artist's show. It is remarkable that LED screens have surpassed many products that were formerly considered necessary such as machines with special effects, lighting, etc. Nowadays, when an LED screen is turned on, the rest of the products take a back seat.
* Adrian Morel is Lighthouse Technologies' managing director for Latin America and can be reached at his California office ([email protected])
