The Batch Dilemma – Can You Expand Your LED Video Wall Later On?
#LEDucation
LED Video Walls can be a considerable investment, especially for those who rely on this equipment for their businesses. When considering the purchase of an LED wall, the size and configuration can be determined by what will best suit the needs of the clientele or venue the purchaser is serving. Additionally, the investment of an LED wall can be a new venture for some to expand their offerings and services.
From a business perspective, LED Video Walls have great potential to offer long-term ROI. Those seeking to buy an LED video display want to ensure that the equipment they invest in will be able to continue to serve their customer’s needs in the long term. With high demand, those in the market for an LED screen may be limited by budget and want to grow their system as their businesses grow to reduce the cost burden during the initial investment.
Can you buy an LED Video Wall now, then buy more panels later to make the screen bigger?
This is one of the most common questions we receive during consultations with prospective clients. The short answer is No. The modularity of LED video walls leads to a common misconception that one can simply buy more panels to make the screen size larger later on. With other AV equipment, such as LED lighting or audio equipment, this can be a common practice. However, LED video walls are actually NOT future-expandable, which can come as a surprise and potentially impede investment plans.
Expanding an existing LED video wall can often result in noticeable color and brightness differences between the original set of panels and the newly purchased set intended for expansion, even though the panel model and its components are the same. LED panels with different shades of colors and brightness are undoubtedly unsightly and ruin the vibrant seamlessness they are known for.
The expandability limitations are applicable to any LED display, regardless of manufacturer or model. This affects the general availability of LED video panels subjecting video walls to longer lead times. It also changes the scope of how future repairs should be addressed as well as how users can cross-rent similar panels from another vendor for a larger production. Why?
The Dilemma – Production Batches
In your research, you may have heard about the term “batch”. This refers to a quantity of LED video panels all produced at the same time. This is considered a batch. LED video wall panels are produced in batches of multiple quantities to ensure that there is complete color uniformity. All of the components down to the diodes themselves are being produced all at once to ensure consistency across all panels being produced at the time.
If there is stock of the same batch of panels available after your initial purchase, you’re in luck! This is one of the few instances where you can seamlessly expand your existing LED wall. However, this occurrence can be rare and generally has to be done within a short timeframe from the original purchase as inventory can turn quickly.
The biggest culprit that limits the expandability of an LED wall is the LED lamps themselves. LEDs have an important process called binning to control output variations, that come as a result of the limitations in Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology as we know it. This step is critical for mass production of LEDs, especially for LED walls as there can be hundreds of thousands, if not, millions of LED pixels making up the image on the screen. The challenge becomes even greater as the pixel pitch and diode size get smaller. Shelf-life limitations and stringent storage requirements for loose diodes also prevent large stockpiles from being kept for extended periods of time.
Aside from the LED, like any other electronic, the components of an LED panel are also subject to change. For LED displays, changes that appear minor at the surface can make a major optical difference, even if the LED comes from the same dye lot. Some optical mechanisms such as LED masking can also play a role in the color consistency of the LED screen.
Aging
LEDs have a strong reputation for having a long lifespan. The average operating life of an LED video wall is between 50,000 – 100,000 hours. As the LED wall is used, the LED lamps will “burn-in” and lose some brightness as they age with usage over time. This is the general nature of LEDs. This factor can also play a critical role in the expandability of an LED display as well as future maintenance. Too much usage between the original set and the new set can be harder to mitigate and be more susceptible to brightness differences in addition to variations in color hues. LEDs from the same production batch can also be susceptible to color differences if part of the batch has seen significant usage over the other, however, the latter can be easier to mitigate with calibration.
What About Calibration?
All LED video walls and their respective control systems offer calibration tools to help mitigate the color and brightness differences between two batches or LEDs within a single batch that have aged differently. Most programs offer a selection of Hue, Saturation, and Brightness values that can be adjusted for each of the primary colors (RGB). While calibration functions are available, it is unfortunately not always 100% guaranteed to match based on the factors above. Some programs, such as NovaStar’s CLB calibration system where a DSLR camera is used, can provide closer, more-refined matches but still may show slight differences with solid color imagery depending on the consistency of components and usage.
Service & Replacement Parts
This limitation also affects how repairs and maintenance are handled for LED walls. Full replacement of an LED panel in the event of damage or malfunction is quite uncommon, as the color and brightness consistency if the same batch of LEDs is not available for the replacement or too much time of use has occurred. To mitigate this, LED video panels have some form of modularity with their components to ensure that the panel that is within the same production batch as other LED video panels in the system doesn’t become unusable. Replacing the damaged or malfunctioning component within an LED panel can put it back into operation quickly and seamlessly.
Most LED video wall panels will have the LED diodes divided into modular sub-sections, referred to as “Modules”, that can be removed and replaced in the event of damage or a problem. It’s important to note that the LED module must also be from the same production batch, otherwise color inconsistencies may result in the LED panel itself. As a result, it is standard practice to include spare LED modules that are from the same production batch of the purchased LED panels with a system upon delivery to keep on-hand and reduce downtime. When the LED pixels or their respective modules get damaged or experience a problem, the individual pixel(s) or component of the affected module is repaired to preserve the color consistency of the LED screen as it ages with usage over time. This can help preserve the vibrancy of the LED screen beyond the warranty term as well as keep maintenance costs low. Having sufficient quantities of spare parts on-hand can reduce downtime while components are sent for repair.
The Best Strategy
Purchasing smaller batches and expanding over time can be costly. The intent to expand the existing LED screen can easily become a purchase of an additional separate LED screen that may not suit a user’s needs. With a long-life span and capabilities to provide years worth of ROI. It’s important to consider how your LED video wall investment will serve you in the long-term and cater your configuration based on your plans for growth and expansion. Purchasing a new LED wall and having the proper support from an established partner provider can ensure that your system will only ensure operation, but continue to look great doing so throughout its lifespan for years to come.