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Frequently asked questions

Of course, you can lease a screen from Scanlite. Take a look at our LED Screen Rental page or call us on 01253 302 723 to discuss your requirements.

Depending on the sign and your requirements, there are a number of ways of operating an electronic sign. Many LED video displays are operated via an easy to use media player, these can typically be configured directly by a connected PC or via a network. Smaller signs, such as single line displays, often come with their own control and programming solution.

Scanlite provide training and guidance in the safe and correct use of your digital display.

Mounting of your display depends on the location of your LED display. It also depends on the size, weight and strength of the wall/support/ceiling that we are installing onto. Typically we are able to mount a display where desire, although sometimes we may have to build additional metalwork such as frameworks or support posts. For smaller displays where weight is not a concern, they can be mounted in most locations. Issues such as this are addressed during planning, in the site survey phase. 

Build and delivery times vary considerably, it depends on the nature of the display and installation location. We will communicate directly with you to arrange delivery and installation times that suit you and your business. 

Scanlite displays are available in an array of designs, surrounding the most effective serviceability attributes to best fit your installation application. Ranging from fully front to fully rear installable and serviceable. Superior design, as well as access to the best service personnel in the industry mean you’ll never be unsupported. 

Scanlite displays are available in an array of designs surrounding the most effective serviceability attributes to best fit your installation application. Ranging from fully front installable and serviceable, to fully rear installable and serviceable. Superior design, as well as access to the best service personnel in the industry mean you’ll never be unsupported.

For help with installation, maintenance or repair please call us now on +44 (0)1253 302 723 or raise a ticket to receive a response from our engineers. Click the link https://ticket.scanlite.net

Technical frequently asked questions

Take a look at our guide Change the Time on a Pharmacy Cross

An LED, or Light Emitting Diode, is an electroluminescent semiconductor, otherwise known as a low energy light source. LEDs are highly efficient compared to traditional incandescent light sources, such as light bulbs. They have the ability to switch at much higher rates than traditional light sources. LEDs also benefit from much longer service lifetimes than traditional light bulbs, lower operational temperatures, smaller sizes. LEDs are more physically robust than their counterparts. This combination of traits makes them ideal for digital signage and electronic advertising purposes, particularly for use in LED video displays, time and temperature displays and electronic safety signage.

An LED Display is a display that uses LEDs to generate light to illuminate a display. These can come in several forms, the most common being LED backlit displays, which use LEDs to illuminate an LCD or Plasma panel. These are particularly prevalent for use in Home TVs, LED office displays and digital menus. Another form of LED Display is the Surface Mount Device (SMD) form, which Scanlite specializes in. These displays do not use an LCD or plasma layer to form the picture, rather the LEDs themselves form the pixels of the display.

A pixel (short for ‘picture element,’ AKA a ‘dot’), refers to the smallest possible independent light/colour source in an image. A pixel can display a colour, independent of the pixel next to it. A collection of pixels makes up an image. Typically, if a display is viewed from it’s intended viewing distance an individual pixel will not be visible to the eye.

An image or video resolution refers to the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical axis. For example, a typical modern HD television will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This means 1920 pixels in the horizontal axis, and 1080 in the vertical, this is referred to as a ‘1080p display’. The newer 4K televisions have a resolution that is 4 times higher than that, at 3840 x 2160. This has since been referred to as ‘4K’, due to the nearly 4,000 pixels in the horizontal axis. As you can see, naming conventions aren’t exactly set in stone, even for TVs. In the LED Digital Signage industry, we typically refer to pixel resolution as a set of numbers, consisting of the horizontal pixel count, then the vertical pixel count, we also state the pixel pitch too.

Pixel pitch refers to the size of the gap between pixels in a display. In LCD, OLED and plasma displays, such as we find in televisions and smartphones, a different terminology is used to express a similar concept. PPI (points per inch) or DPI (dots per inch), are measures that tell us the concentration of pixels in a given area. This is instead of expressing the distance between pixels. For example, a smartphone may have a very high DPI count, sometimes above 300DPI.

However, in the world of large scale digital signage and SMD LED Displays, such resolutions are neither possible nor necessary. Therefore, we talk in terms of pixel pitch instead. Older LED Displays, for example for use at large outdoor events, often have pixel pitches of 20mm or more, meaning there would be 2cm between pixels. On a large screen where the audience is a good distance away, this would be adequate to display video, text and images.

A 20mm pixel pitch would be completely useless on a device we view up close, such as a smartphone. For this reason, the intended viewing distance of the audience is very important when considering what pixel pitch is right for you. Image quality is also a factor; a lower pixel pitch display will look better at more viewing distances.

Modern LED Displays can have pixel pitches measured below a millimetre, producing very fine detail images, even at relatively close ranges. Another consideration is price – as pixel pitches get smaller, the displays get more expensive. The price rise is due to the increased costs of greater manufacturing precision and smaller components. For more information on the relationship between pixel pitch and viewing distance, please view the ‘What pixel pitch do I need for my viewing distance?’ section below.

The following table gives approximate recommended minimum viewing distances for a given pixel pitch:

Pixel PitchP1P2P3P4P5P6P8P10P12P16P20P25
Viewing Distance (m)2.24.46.691114182328354756
Viewing Distance (ft)71422303646587792116155185

The smallest pixel pitch we currently offer varies depending on the intended usage of the display. For internal displays, the smallest pixel pitch we offer is 0.8mm. For weatherproof external LED displays the smallest pixel pitch we can offer is 2.67mm.

The refresh rate of a display is the rate at which the picture can be refreshed. On some TVs this is 50 Hz, or 50 ‘refreshes’ per second, although modern high end TVs can have refresh rates of up to 240Hz. This means that 240 distinct, different images could be displayed per second.

LED displays can have refresh rates of up to 1200Hz, due to the exceptionally fast switching that is possible with LEDs. Although, this refresh rate is not required for a viewer. A typical refresh rate may be 60Hz or 120Hz.

Scanlite can build displays for almost any purpose, so waterproof displays are available. As we are a Blackpool based company, a number of our LED Video Displays have been installed on Blackpool promenade, meaning they have been built to withstand the high speed winds, sea spray and rain. A display’s dust/water resistance is often described by it’s IP rating. An outline of IP ratings is offered below.

An IP rating, or ‘ingress protection’ rating describes the level to which a device enclosure is protected against ingress by various solids and liquids. The first number of an IP rating refers to solids, where 0 is no protection, and 6 is full protection from the ingress of dust. The second number deals with the protection an enclosure provides from liquids, where 0 is no protection, and 8 means the device can be submerged under water up to 1m; meaning that the device is hermetically sealed.

First digit: Solid particle protection

The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects, such as dust, fingers etc.

Level sizedEffective againstDescription
0No protection against contact and ingress of objects
1>50 mmAny large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2>12.5 mmFingers or similar objects
3>2.5 mmTools, thick wires, etc.
4>1 mmMost wires, slender screws, large ants etc.
5Dust protectedIngress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment.
6Dust tightNo ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.