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The biggest issue for LED matrix displays is not construction, but 1) density of the display and 2) size/power draw requirements. You need to consider there's
by bsdubernerd 6y ago
The biggest issue for LED matrix displays is not construction, but 1) density of the display and 2) size/power draw requirements.
You need to consider there's half a million of LEDs in a typical signage device. These consume and heat-up significantly compared to an OLED/LCD panel.
For a panel of the same size, OLED/LCD has higher density, which allows to pack more information (or have better quality signage in general).
It all depends on the usage scenario. In an indoor setting with fixed lighting, a larger LCD screen can be just as readable as OLED, can be very large nowdays (or tiled to achieve the same), and cost a fraction of a LED matrix.
OLED could definitely replace LCDs entirely, but it's still very expensive when it comes to larger panels, which is why it's just slowly replacing smaller displays at the moment.
- jerf 6y agoFor LCD panels, one thing a lot of people don't know if that there are several different types, and the cheapest is quite awful. As all the prices come down I'm seeing fewer and fewer of the TN panels, but they can still be found. Terrible for conference rooms. There's also a cheap kind of panel family where they don't put every color on every pixel. That is, rather than RGB RGB RGB, they are RG GB RG GB RG GB. For most video is hard to tell the difference, but it trashes text. Someone put a TV that was both TN and this reduced color in a conference room.... took me a few months to get it swapped out, but enough people finally saw it and realized it was the TV and not the computer or their eyes that I was able to get it done.
- bsdubernerd 6y agoAbsolutely true. I wish TN didn't exist entirely, but I guess it works in some weird price/quality zone. When going rock-bottom, LCD panels can indeed get very bad. A big problem stems from the fact that to most people "flat panels" are all the same (LCD-whatever, OLED, even plasma)..
- nine_k 6y agoA LED panel consumes a lot of power for a reason. It is damn bright, and remains readable in broad summer sunlight. Most LCDs are useless in this setting, except maybe transreflexive monochrome (usually black-on-olive or similar).
- bsdubernerd 6y agoI almost forgot transreflexive even existed :(. It has been a long time since I've seen some, but I remember the contrast being acceptable even in direct sunlight. But always in very small form factors. Are there new devices which make use of this display tech?
- nine_k 6y agoI can find a few parts offered with a quick search, all small screens. Also Garmin makes navigators with such screens, e.g. Garmin Montana.