The Different Types of LED Displays

Info on Color, Monochrome, Grayscale Indoor & Outdoor LED Signs & LED Displays

LED Signs (also know as LED Displays) come in many different sizes and configurations, however, they all fall into one of two categories:

• LED Signs manufactured for indoor use
• LED Displays built for outdoor use

There is a great deal of difference between the two categories and consumers should beware of indoor LED Display products that are sold for outdoor use. Always make sure you are getting the right product for your application.

LED Signs generate text and images using Light Emitting Diodes (L.E.D.'s or LED's). LEDs can vary in how bright they are. LED Signs designed for outdoor use require a significantly brighter LED than an Indoor LED Sign.

LED Signs being placed outdoors or in a window must be bright enough to compete with direct sunlight. Most retail businesses are open during the daytime and therefore must have an LED Sign that will be readable even on the sunniest of days. At iCatch Displays all of our products use the brightest available LED components to ensure visibility even in direct sunlight.

The other major trouble maker for LED visibility is the use of a plexi-glass faceshield.

Historically, many LED Sign manufacturers have used components that are not weatherproof and therefore required enclosure in a sealed cabinet. These sealed cabinets made use of a plexi-glass face shield to cover the LED's and protect them from the weather.

The problem with the faceshield is that there is no way to prevent the face shield from creating glare in daylight conditions. No matter what you do a certain amount of sunlight will bounce off of the faceshield, creating glare, which will reduce the visibility of the LED Sign.

Some manufacturers promote the faceshield as 'guard against vandalism'. This is simple misdirection as very few manufacturers have ever had a warranty issue due to vandalism. The faceshield simply protects the LED's from the elements such as rain and dust.

At iCatch Displays we use 'hermetically sealed' LED components that are waterproof and do not require the use of a faceshield and therefore eliminate glare that would make your LED Sign difficult to read in daylight conditions. This is the most effective type of Electronic LED Signs

Within each of the two main categories there are three configurations for Programmable LED Displays. Which one is right for your business will depend on your specific application, there is no 'one size fits all', and what type of message you need to display.

There are Full Color RGB LED Displays & LED Signs that are capable of displaying video and photo images in as many as 281 trillion different colors.

There are Grayscale LED Displays that will display text, video and photo images in 256 shades of a single color, typically red or amber.

There are also Monochrome LED Displays that will displays text and basic graphic images and animations in a single color, most often red or amber.

Please click the links on the left to read more about each different type of LED Display Sign.

If you are looking for information on Full Color Digital LED Billboards, please this link or the one on the left.