Analysis of the development trend of outdoor LED market

LED is a hot product in the audiovisual industry. But at the same time, outdoor LEDs are also facing many problems.

The ISE show in Amsterdam is a barometer of the audiovisual market in the EMEA region. The growth of LEDs over the past three years proves that LED has become a hot product in this industry. LEDs have changed from scratch, from expensive to universally affordable, and have replaced projections and changed the world. People expect high-resolution LEDs to develop more rapidly.

LED is not a new product, but why did it suddenly become so popular? The answer is cost-effective. In recent years, the price of LED has dropped significantly, which has attracted a wider user base. At the same time, product performance has also increased rapidly. The dot pitch is getting smaller and smaller, and the resolution is getting higher and higher. The LED display is no longer a tool for playing a single message in a store or stadium, it has a more diverse usage. This development is both indoors and outdoors, especially for outdoor displays that present special requirements and challenges for manufacturers and installers.

Point spacing

The dot spacing of indoor LED displays has generally dropped from 10mm to 2-4mm. At the same time, there have been products of less than 2mm, and Liard has even made products of P0.7. This undoubtedly promotes the development of outdoor LED products in a small pitch. Four or five years ago, the common point spacing of outdoor LEDs was 20mm, and now the P10-12 is commonly used. Now P10 is the most popular, and the products below the P10 are popular in the rental market. But is it really necessary for outdoor LED products to pursue small spacing? Many people have doubts about this. At the same time, you will sacrifice something else, such as contrast. Users are too superstitious about point spacing, but do they really need it? Not necessarily.

A key difference between outdoor and indoor is the viewing distance. Because the distance of the indoor display is close, it is more detailed than the outdoor display. Therefore, it is important to keep the brightness of the outdoor display farther than to reduce the dot pitch. Another difference is the competition. Indoor LED competitors have LCDs and projections, and outdoor is more likely to compete with large print billboards. Due to the limited technical level of competitors, manufacturers have entered the outdoor LED display market.

So who are the consumers of outdoor LEDs? The biggest users now are not renters, not retailers, but outdoor media. This is largely influenced by outside Europe, mainly in North America and Asia. The rental market and the traditional sports market have also remained stable. In recent years, the education sector has also become a rising buyer, and most of the school's public places are equipped with displays.

As more manufacturers join the LED industry, the LED industry faces a very serious price war. Those big LED companies have invested in some efficient factories, pressed down the cost, and used price wars to eliminate small and medium-sized enterprises. So far, about 100 Chinese manufacturers have closed down.

But for buyers, maybe you will buy a poor quality product because of the price war.

Supply and demand

At present, the LED industry is oversupply. When you need to buy a product, you may receive 10-15 similar products from 500 manufacturers. The only thing that can distinguish these products is the price. In the absence of sufficient knowledge and training, the buyer may buy back an unsatisfactory product. They may be more likely to lose trust in LED technology than a company. This is a big blow to the entire industry.

Another problem that cannot be ignored is the ability of LEDs to resist environmental intrusion. You don't know if it will be used in a 40 ° C high temperature or minus 20 ° C environment. The first thing to deal with is the LED and the module itself. Seal them up. The bonding between the LED packaging technology and the module is very important. If the module is of poor quality or the glue cannot withstand high temperatures, the product will not succeed. The packaging technology of the module has been greatly improved over the past five years. Most LEDs have IP65 or IP54 protection. Some manufacturers, such as NEC, also add fire protection to the product, such as a metal frame, to ensure that the product will not melt under extreme conditions. Of course, this will increase the cost. Outdoors may have to pay 30% more, but if you want to use it for a long time, you will pay a little more. But for smart buyers, these costs are worth it. Although outdoor LED products that appear to be equally spaced are more expensive than indoor products, there is essentially no comparability.

Installation challenge

Compared with the installation of indoor LEDs, the installation of outdoor LEDs is more stringent and difficult. Unlike the indoor environment, outdoor factors such as high temperature and high wind should be considered. Therefore, outdoor LED installation is much more complicated and costs more than indoor installation.


In general, LEDs are rugged and durable, and many products can last for 5-10 years. But easy to damage is a shortage of small pitch products. This is a big problem in the rental market because the P20 and P6 products are installed in the same technology, but this is obviously not desirable. Outdoor LEDs are also required to be low-maintenance and easy to maintain, which makes the current pre-maintenance technology come into being. At present, LED products are mixed. If you want to buy good audio-visual products, the best way is to find a trustworthy partner.

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