We work with LCD screens and LED signs of all types so we get a lot of customers asking which is better for outdoor digital signs. LCD has by far the better picture quality, it is like your big screen TV at home. The downside of LCD is that they are small compared to the average outdoor sign. Outdoor LCD signs are also not bright enough to be seen from a distance in afternoon daylight but they are fine at night.
An outdoor LCD screen has brightness of 1,500 to 2,000 NIT or four to five times as bright as your home TV. LED brightness can be as high as you need and signs can be built as large as you like. The average LED sign is 6,000 NIT and can be up to 11,000 NIT if you need it which is as bright as the sun. Sign builders rule of thumb; sunshine is 11,000 NIT. So LED is great for long range visibility in daylight but the picture is crude compared to LCD.
Outdoor LCD screens are built in protective enclosures with internal heating and cooling. They are expensive because of the enclosure, and outdoor LCDs don’t get much bigger than 70 inch diagonal. Signs like these are great in outdoor malls where most of the traffic is on foot and the viewing distance is not very far. For these applications the LCD size and brightness limitations are not prohibitive.
While LED is bright enough and can be built in any size, the cost of the LED sign goes up as the pitch of the LEDs gets smaller; and the smaller the pitch, the better the picture. If you downloaded the video in the link, this is a 10mm pitch in a small window sign. LED signs are great for street traffic where the viewing distance is longer. At a distance, the LED picture is very clear; no doubt you have seen LED billboards and LED message centers on schools, churches and businesses of all types. By far the most popular outdoor digital sign is LED.
Both technologies have their place. Outdoor LCD screens are relatively new and are ideal for outdoor digital posters in shopping centers, theaters where they can play movie trailers, menus outside the restaurant, cruise ships and countless similar applications. LED signs replaced incandescent bulb signs long ago but usage started increasing rapidly in the 1990s when blue LEDs were developed and allowed signs to become all color. Early LED signs were red text but today they can show full color video and be seen a mile away as any visitor to Las Vegas can testify.
In the all color, sense LED signs are relatively new also. Both LCD and LED have their place and you will see more of both technologies. Digital signs are replacing traditional signs everywhere and having both technologies available gives designers and business owners great flexibility.
