Outdoor LED Signs - LED Basics

What is an LED?
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that illuminates when electricity passes through it.

QUICK FACT: LEDs do not contain filaments like regular light bulbs, and they do not have delicate parts that break or burn out over time.

What is a Pixel?
A pixel is a point of light. An LED sign is made up of an array of pixels (or points of light appearing as dots). A pixel can be as small as one LED or it may contain a cluster of LEDs that act as a unit.

Click here to see all of the options available from Stewart Signs.

What does Pixel Pitch or Center-to-Center Mean?
The pixel pitch or center-to-center measurement on an LED display is simply the distance from the center of one pixel to the adjacent pixel. Pixel Pitch can be measured in inches or millimeters. Click here to use our inches and millimeters conversion chart.

QUICK FACT: Pixel Pitch impacts resolution, character size and the size of the LED display. Applying the right product to your location involves knowing the benefits and features of each model in our product line. Click here to see the options available from Stewart Signs.

What is a Matrix?
The matrix of a sign is simply the number of pixels vertically by the number of pixels horizontally. For example, if a sign has a matrix of 32x96, this means it has 32 pixels from top to bottom and 96 pixels from left to right.

QUICK FACT: Larger matrices allow more text and more of a graphic to appear on the display. The images below demonstrate the difference that a larger matrix can make in amount of a graphic and text that can be displayed at one time.

Resolution, Character Size and the Overall Size of Display
Resolution, character size and the size of the LED display are all important factors to consider when deciding which LED is right for you.

• Displays with a lower pixel pitch will have better resolution than displays with a higher pixel pitch. The closer the pixels are together, the better the resolution. As a result, the sharper the image and text appear.

• Displays with a higher pixel pitch will have larger characters than displays with lower pixel pitch, assuming the matrices are equal. The further apart the pixels are, the bigger the character height. As a result, the readability of the sign increases.

32 x 128 with .7 Pixel Pitch

32 x 128 with .9 Pixel Pitch

• Also seen above, displays with a higher pixel pitch will have a larger overall size than displays with lower pixel pitch, assuming the matrices are equal. The further apart the pixels are, the larger the physical size of the display.

How is Brightness Measured?
LED Brightness is measured in two ways: the luminance of the individual LED and the overall luminance of the display.

• Individual LED Brightness
  The brightness of an individual LED is measured in millicandelas (MCD).

  QUICK FACT: The sign industry's average LED rating is 2,500 MCDs. Stewart Signs LEDs are rated at 4,500 MCDs, which makes a Stewart Signs LED 80% brighter than the average LED.

  

• Overall LED Display Brightness
  The brightness of the entire LED display is measured in Nits, which is a measurement of brightness per square meter.

  QUICK FACT: The sign industry's average Nit rating is 6000 Nits. Stewart Sign's Elite series display rating is over 14,000 Nits, soaring above the industry standard with over 200% more luminance. This ensures that even in direct sunlight, a Stewart Sign LED display will outshine the rest. Click here to see NIT ratings for all Stewart Sign's LED displays.

Why Does Brightness Matter?
There are two important things to consider related to the brightness of your sign: How well and how long it will compete with the Sun.

• How well a sign competes with the Sun
  Ensuring your sign is readable during the day and night is vital to the success of having passers by read your sign. The brighter the display the better able it is to compete with the sun. Stewart Signs LEDs are among the brightest to provide you with a sign that will be visible 24 hours a day.

• How long a sign competes with the Sun
  LEDs do not burn out; they do however grow dimmer with use. The closer a LED gets to 1500MCD, the less effective it is at competing with the Sun.

Click here to see how Stewart compares to the industry average.

What is Viewing Angle and Viewing Cone?

• A viewing angle can be described as the maximum angle that a display can achieve its peak visual presentation. You have probably noticed electronic signs on the highway that you can see from a distance, but as you get closer to the sign, the text or images disappear. This is due to a narrow viewing angle and the sign is only clearly visible straight on.

• A viewing cone is determined by measuring the angle from one direction to the opposite, allowing for a maximum cone of 180 degrees. Stewart Signs provides a 180 degree viewing cone which allows the sign to be viewed from the side as well as from the front to ensure your sign's message will be seen regardless of distance or angle.

QUICK FACT: Long distance viewing LEDs usually have a viewing angle between 10 and 30 degrees, which means as long as you are straight in front of them, you can see them. Most organizations are not situated in a position that allows for extended straight on viewing of the sign. Choosing a 180 viewing cone LED from Stewart Signs will help you get your message to drivers more effectively.

To view our options on how to communicate with your Stewart LED sign, check out our LED Communications Methods.

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