LED poster display

What is a LED poster display, and how does it differ from a poster?

One frame, five versions — how the digital poster is built

A LED poster display is a self-contained, portrait-format LED display that is not built into a wall but stands on its own base: the image area is 192 cm tall and 64 cm wide (1920 × 640 mm), that is 1.2288 m² of active surface. The whole product is 66 cm wide and 201 cm tall including the castors, and the base is 45 × 66 cm, taking up roughly 0.3 m² of floor area — less than an office chair. The image area is built from 24 LED modules of 16 × 32 cm each, four modules wide and six modules tall. That build gives the digital poster its two most important properties: first, the modules can be replaced individually, so one faulty element does not ruin the whole surface; and second, the frame is the same in every version, so your decision is really not about size but about pixel density and environment. The weight is 45 kg in every version, the maximum power draw 0.8 kW, the maximum current draw 3.6 A, and the refresh rate at least 3840 Hz.

When is a LED poster better than a printed poster, a roll-up or a TV?

It has three competitors, and it wins against each on a different point. Against a printed poster, turnaround is decisive: a national or seasonal change of message requires printing, distribution and local put-up, whereas the same change runs on this surface in minutes and can be withdrawn the same day. Against a roll-up, movement and light win: a roll-up is static, invisible in a dark corner, and has to be reprinted for every campaign, while the poster runs video and animation, and several messages can rotate on a single unit. Against a consumer TV there are two arguments. The first is brightness: this range delivers 700–800 nits indoors and 4,500–5,000 nits in the outdoor cabinet version, whereas a typical domestic TV was not built for this duty cycle and washes out and reflects in a sunlit window. The second is camera-friendly operation: with a refresh rate of at least 3,840 Hz the surface does not band on video or in photographs, which at an exhibition, in press photography and in social content is not a detail but the usability of the whole appearance.

The five base types in one table — what actually differs?

At first glance the range looks more complicated than it is. The mechanics are identical in all five types: the same 45 kg frame, the same 201 cm height, the same 45 × 66 cm base, the same 0.8 kW peak power and 3.6 A current draw. Two things differ, and the price is made up of those two: pixel density and brightness. In resolution the P2.5 version gives 256 × 768 pixels (196,608 pixels), the P2 GOB 320 × 960 (307,200 pixels) and the P1.5 GOB 416 × 1248 (519,168 pixels). By our own calculation that is 160,000, 250,000 and 422,500 pixels per square metre respectively — so the P1.5 draws exactly 2.64 times as many pixels onto the same surface as the P2.5. The manufacturer's data sheet gives the resolution of the outdoor P3 as the same 256 × 768 pixels as the outdoor P2.5, even though a 3 mm pitch on the same surface would, by our own calculation, give 213 × 640 pixels; we do not smooth over that contradiction and obtain the figure from the manufacturer in writing on a quote request. In brightness the three indoor types all give 700–800 nits, while the two outdoor cabinet versions give 4500–5000 nits, roughly a sixfold figure. The table below shows the data needed for the decision in one place; the prices are net of VAT and indicative, converted at a fixed rate.

Pixel pitch: how fine a resolution do you actually need?

Two viewing-distance thresholds worth treating separately

Pixel pitch is the distance in millimetres between the centres of adjacent pixels; P2 means 2.0 mm, P2.5 means 2.5 mm, and in this range the P1.5 works back from the resolution to an actual pitch of 1.54 mm. Two separate thresholds are worth distinguishing when choosing, because they are commonly confused. The first is the threshold of a perfectly smooth image: the international rule of thumb allows roughly 2.5–3 metres of viewing distance per millimetre of pitch, at which the pixel grid is no longer perceptible at all — that is 6–7.5 metres for P2.5, 5–6 metres for P2 and 3.8–4.5 metres for P1.5. The second, more practical threshold is where people actually look from: a 64 cm wide surface is almost never viewed from five metres but from one and a half to three, half from the side, while walking past. At that distance the image has long been readable and enjoyable; only the pixel structure remains visible if you lean right in. The right question is therefore not "does the grid disappear" but how close the nearest viewer comes and how detailed the content is: a large-type promotional price or small-type product data, clean graphics or photorealistic product imagery.

Which one should you choose? — a decision guide in four rules

If viewers regularly come within 2 metres of the surface — a boutique, a jeweller's, a reception desk, the entrance to a dealership, a premium lobby — and the content includes photographs, small-type detail or brand identity, then the P1.5 GOB LED poster display is the right choice; it is the finest resolution in the range. If the typical viewing distance is between 2 and 3 metres — a shop floor, a corridor, a food court, a waiting room — then the P2 GOB model gives the best balance: 56% more pixels than the P2.5 for a modest premium. If viewers see it from beyond 3 metres, or the content is predominantly large-type messaging, prices and logos — a foyer, an event room, a stand backdrop, an atrium — then the P2.5 indoor LED poster display is the economical and entirely sufficient solution, and the money saved can go into content production or a second unit. If, on the other hand, the surface goes outdoors, under a covered terrace, into a gateway or directly into a sunlit shop window, then resolution is secondary: there the outdoor cabinet build is needed for its 4500–5000 nits of brightness, because with anything less the surface is unreadable in daylight. Of the two outdoor versions, beyond a viewing distance of 3 to 4 metres the P3 is the right choice, and for closer viewing the P2.5. If you are unsure, on the site survey we measure the actual viewing distance and light levels before we recommend anything.

Indoor or outdoor: brightness is the decisive figure

This is the most expensive mistake in the category, so it is worth saying separately: the difference between an indoor and an outdoor LED poster display is not resolution but brightness and structure. The three indoor types give 700–800 nits, which is more than enough in an enclosed space — in a shop, an office, a waiting room, an event hall — and in the evening you even have to turn it down. The same surface in a south- or west-facing shop window, where sunlight falls on the glass, looks washed out at midday. The two outdoor cabinet versions — the P2.5 and the P3 — therefore work at 4500–5000 nits, roughly a sixfold figure, and their structure is different too: not folding but a demountable cabinet build. Between the two, only the pixel pitch and the price differ: the P3 gives a coarser grid and is about €500 net cheaper, which makes it the rational choice beyond a viewing distance of 3 to 4 metres. Importantly, the manufacturer gives no ingress protection rating for either outdoor version, so neither do we write a specific IP figure down. What we can say responsibly: the brightness of the outdoor build was made for shop window and open-air use, while the conditions of the specific position — direct rain, permanent outdoor standing, winter operation — we clarify at the site survey and set out in writing in the quote. Selling an 800 nit device into a position that needs 4500 nits is not a cheaper solution but a wasted investment.

Foldable or flight case: when is the transport case worth it?

The three indoor types are made as folding builds standing on a wheeled base, and the two outdoor versions have a demountable cabinet structure. A wheeled storage and transport case can be ordered for all of them, measuring 134 cm high, 82 cm long and 54 cm wide — by our own calculation that is 0.59 m³, so it needs the load space of a larger estate car or a van and will not go into the boot of an average saloon. The premium for the case differs by type: about €365 net for the indoor P2.5, about €390 net for both the P2 GOB and the P1.5 GOB, and about €250 net for the two outdoor cabinet versions. The 134 × 82 × 54 cm overall size of the case is given on the manufacturer's data sheet for the indoor models; for the outdoor versions it is not given, so we do not project it onto them. The rule of thumb is simple: if the poster display goes into one place and moves perhaps twice a year, the case is an unnecessary cost. If, on the other hand, you transport it regularly — to fairs, to events, between shops, for hire — then the case is not a convenience item but equipment protection: a single instance of transit damage costs more than the premium. For hire and stand-building clients we therefore recommend the flight case version as standard.

What does a LED poster cost, and what is included in the price?

Net prices, price per square metre and the surcharges itemised

The price of a LED poster display depends on resolution and environment; the frame and the mechanics are identical in every type. Indicative net prices, exclusive of VAT: indoor P2.5 about €1,630, P2 GOB about €1,740, P1.5 GOB about €2,240, outdoor P3 cabinet about €1,740, outdoor P2.5 cabinet about €2,240; with a flight case the same models are about €1,990, €2,130, €2,630, €1,990 and €2,490 respectively. Related to the 1.2288 m² image area that is about €1,320 net/m² for the indoor P2.5, about €1,410 net/m² for the P2 GOB and the outdoor P3, and about €1,820 net/m² for the P1.5 GOB and the outdoor P2.5 — we work that price per square metre out so that it can be compared with other surface sizes. Included in the price are delivery to your address, on-site installation of the control software, training in its use and the manufacturer's warranty; the system is built by a specialist qualified as an electrical engineering instructor. Two price points are worth noticing: the P2 GOB with a case is about €2,130 net and the P1.5 GOB without a case about €2,240 net — in roughly the same price band you can therefore choose higher resolution or transportability; and the P1.5 gives 2.64 times the pixel count of the P2.5 for a premium of about €615 net.

Energy and running costs: how much does it use, and what circuit does it need?

The manufacturer gives maximum figures: 0.8 kW of power and 3.6 A of current, and does not publish an average operating consumption, so we do not invent one either. What we can responsibly derive is the upper limit. At 10 hours a day, running continuously at maximum brightness on a full white image, 0.8 kW × 10 hours × 30 days = 240 kWh a month. That is the worst case: real advertising content is not full white, and the surface does not typically run at maximum brightness throughout, so actual consumption is meaningfully lower. You can convert it into money at your own electricity tariff in our calculator. The other practical question is the circuit: 3.6 A × 230 V = 828 W, so a single poster runs comfortably on a conventional 16 A socket circuit, with no separate feed or industrial connector. With several units it starts to matter: two or three posters (7.2–10.8 A) still fit on one circuit, four units at 14.4 A are on the limit, and the theoretical 18 A peak of five panels exceeds a 16 A breaker, so for a five-panel surface we ask for at least two separate circuits on site. We check this at the survey before anything is delivered.

Content management: how does the image get on, and who will do it?

A built-in controller does the work, reachable over Wi-Fi and by UTP network cable, with an audio port too, so it is equipped to play content with sound. The wired connection is not merely an alternative but often a requirement: in banking, insurance and public-sector customer areas, IT approval frequently rules out a wireless connection, and a UTP connection is the way forward. We configure the control software on site at installation, and training is part of handover — it is included in the price, not a separate item. The most common concern is not technical but human: "who is going to do this for us?" Experience shows that running the surface is not an IT task but a few recurring operations — uploading a file, setting order and timing, swapping a campaign — which the store manager or an office colleague carries out independently after training. If there is no in-house designer, we help produce the starter content package, but we always show that separately and itemised in the quote, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

Installation, moving and logistics — the practical figures

The LED poster is not a building intervention: no wall breaking, no scaffolding, no structural question. The unit weighs 45 kg, which two people can handle safely and one person can roll — on a level floor without thresholds — although we do not recommend lifting it alone. It needs a 45 × 66 cm footprint, effectively 0.3 m², and its height on castors is 201 cm, so it is worth checking door heights and lift access in advance, particularly in older buildings. Installation needs a conventional socket and network access to deliver content; we assess this at the survey so nothing is found missing on handover day. Delivery is to your address, and on-site commissioning and training take place together on a single visit. For clients who transport regularly — a rental company, a stand builder, an agency — the 134 × 82 × 54 cm wheeled case is the logistics figure that matters: 0.59 m³, which fits comfortably in an estate car or a van. If you work with several units, it is worth thinking through the number of cases and the loading order in advance too.

Extending: a continuous video wall from several posters

The control of the poster displays is daisy-chainable, so several units can not only be stood side by side but also operated as a single continuous image area. That is one of the category's commercially strongest properties: you do not have to think in the final size straight away, it is enough to start with one unit and extend the surface later. In practice the most popular arrangement is built from five panels: 5 × 64 cm of picture width gives 320 cm at a height of 192 cm, which is a video wall with a 5:3 (1.67) aspect ratio — not the same as 16:9 (1.78), so with 16:9 video content a band remains or it has to be cropped. The weight of that system is 5 × 45 = 225 kg, its theoretical peak power 4 kW and its peak current draw 18 A — because of the latter, as written above, it needs at least two separate circuits. An important and fair note: the manufacturer publishes no system price for a multi-panel assembly, so neither do we quote a calculated total; we prepare an itemised quote starting from the per-panel price, once we know the conditions on site. If you are thinking in terms of a video wall from the outset, it is worth comparing cabinet LED wall solutions with poster-based expansion as well — the fitting logic is different and so is the mobility.

Service life, warranty, support — and what the manufacturer does not state

We are deliberately conservative here, because this category is full of figures plucked out of the air. The manufacturer's data sheet promises a full warranty but does not state a specific duration — months or years — so we do not write down a warranty period we cannot substantiate: the exact term is part of the written quote and the contract, in figures, in black and white. Equally, the manufacturer publishes no service life in hours, viewing angle, contrast ratio, colour temperature or colour depth for this poster range. Manufacturers' LED chip specifications generally state 80,000–100,000 operating hours, but we do not claim that for this specific product without the manufacturer's own figure. What we do know for certain from the construction is this: the surface consists of 24 modules of 16 × 32 cm each, so a failed module can be replaced without returning the whole device — that modular build is the single most important serviceability property. If a particular figure is a decision factor for you (IP rating, warranty period, service life), say so when you request a quote: we will ask the manufacturer for it in writing and pass it on exactly as we receive it.

Who should not buy a LED poster?

There are four cases in which we will honestly talk you out of it. If the surface is going permanently onto a wall, will never move, and a larger image size is needed, then you are paying for a mobile frame and a wheeled base you will never use — a cabinet LED wall is the more economical solution. If viewers always see the surface from beyond five metres, the fine resolution of the P1.5 is money thrown away: from that distance the P2.5 image looks the same, and the difference could even fund content production. If you need the surface for a single event once a year, hire rather than purchase is the rational decision — the investment pays back when the asset works regularly. Finally, if the aim is a permanent placement facing a public space, you have to reckon with the fact that installing an advertising medium may be subject to planning and regulatory approval: that is an administrative rather than a technical task, but it materially affects the project schedule, so it is better settled in advance than afterwards.