There’s no better way to draw attention to your brand or company than with an outdoor LED display. With crystal-clear picture, bright colors and vivid display, today’s video screens are a far cry from traditional printed materials of the past. As LED technology advances, business owners and advertisers are gaining new opportunities to raise brand awareness with functional, affordable and effective outdoor displays.
For businesses that want to take advantage of these rapidly developing opportunities, you should know some crucial pieces of information so your content impacts your audience.
So, ready to get started? Here are nine tips to get the most out of your outdoor LED display.
1) Protecting Against Inclement Weather
When water seeps through the LED enclosure, your display can be damaged – or worse – fail completely. In order to reduce the risk of rain damage, have your LED technician install a closed loop air circulation system which will isolate the display enclosure, protecting it from moisture and contaminant infiltration.
The ingress protection (IP) rating measures water resistance and protection against solid object contact. It also shows ways to protect the display when exposed to various weather conditions. Look for displays that have a high IP rating to protect against moisture and solid objects.
2) Choosing the Best Hardware
Specific displays are best suited for certain climates, so choose your display appropriately if you live in a seasonal area or your city experiences extreme temperature fluctuations. When you choose a full outdoor-rated LED screen, you’ll gain peace of mind knowing that it won’t be harmed by direct sunlight or snow, and will display your content now matter how hot or cold.
3) Internal Temperature Regulation
Outdoor LED screens require an optimal internal temperature to function properly. Since they’re constantly on, you need to take steps to avoid overheating problems, such as dying pixels, mismatched colors and fading picture. To protect your screen against this risk, your outdoor screen should have an HVAC system installed that can regulate its internal temperature.
Looking for more technical resources on LED displays? Check out our resource hub – LED Academy and learn all about LED technology!
4) Determining Brightness
The brightness of your outdoor display is one of the most crucial aspects of capturing the attention of passersby. Because of the brightness of direct sunlight, your outdoor screen needs to be highly visible. Choosing high-brightness, high-contrast displays will only make your content more attractive. The rule of thumb is that a display won’t be visible in direct sunlight unless the screen has a brightness rating of 2,000 nits (nits is a measure of luminance). If your display is weaker than this, you can try putting it under an awning or tent to block sun exposure.
5) Don’t use an Indoor Screen for an Outdoor Application
Although this should be common sense, many people will try to rig up an indoor display at an outdoor event. Not only does this reduce the effectiveness of your content, it’s a dangerous way to cut costs. One drop of rain and a non-weatherproof indoor display becomes a huge electrical risk – at the very least, the display will most likely fail and no one will be able to see your content at all.
6) Routine Maintenance
Outdoor LED signs can take a beating from weather, climate changes throughout the seasons and natural wear over time. That’s why it’s essential that you have an LED professional conduct routine maintenance on your screen. This will keep your screen bright and healthy for years to come and protect your long-term investment.
7) Protection in Extreme Conditions
Whether you live in the intense heat of Death Valley, California or the biting cold of Anchorage, Alaska, there are outdoor LED screens designed for extreme climates. Outdoor displays have recommended temperatures for optimal use, make sure you’re renting the right type. Additionally, you can try renting a display with protective glass that’s optically attached to the LED display surface to protect against sunlight and water.
8) Choosing the Best Location
Location is extremely important for attracting a highly targeted target audience to your content. It’s also extremely important to ensure the overall long-term health of your outdoor display screen. We suggest installing outdoor screens in an area outside of direct sunlight, such as under an awning, or on the west side of a building. If your LED screens are in an urban or high-traffic area, vandalism may also be a concern of yours. Some outdoor LEDs are coming to market with vandal-resistant glass that can help ward off unwanted damage.
9) Monitoring Screen Health
An ideal outdoor display should come with remote monitoring so you can ensure your screen is healthy from afar. With remote monitoring alerts, you can take quick action to correct any issues that may lead to further problems down the road, see the content that’s being displayed, update the content as you wish and monitor the overall temperature and performance of the screen in real-time.
BONUS) Removing the Moire Pattern from Your Event Photographs
Any good event manager should be taking photographs to place on their website, social media and other marketing materials. But, oftentimes, amateur photo enthusiasts run into a problem called the moire effect. This happens when the pixel density in the outdoor LED display is different than the pixel density of your camera, creating unflattering screen patterns and colors on the final images. To combat this issue, there are a few things you can do as an event photographer or videographer.
- Change the camera angle
- Change the camera focal length
- Lower the shutter speed
- Adjust the focus to a different area
- Edit the image post-production
Learn more about all of these strategies to remove the moire pattern and more in our post: How to Remove the Moire Effect from Your Event Photos and Videos
LOOKING FOR HELP WITH YOUR OUTDOOR LED SIGNAGE?
Insane Impact specializes in outdoor LED signage and displays, offering our full fleet of proprietary products, perfect for any event, marketing or business application. Our crystal clear screens offer enhanced audience engagement and true ROI. Find out why our customers love us – get in touch with Insane Impact today!