Outdoor Screen Market Focus
Building outdoor LED screens can be a challenge. There are many extra factors to take into account in comparison to an indoor LED screen. So, when ROE Visual decided to develop a new outdoor LED screen, they decided to use the input of large rental companies, like Mediatec, Creative Technology and Faber Audiovisuals and feedback from experienced LED technicians, as well as their own expertise.
“We needed to make sure that in the design of a new outdoor LED screen we ticked all the boxes”, states Roelof Bouwman, General Manager for ROE Visual Europe. “When so many factors come into play, you want to be sure you have listened well enough to the persons that work with the screens on a daily basis”.
“It was a lengthy process; from the initial ideas, extensive testing, back to the drawing board on to the final design and the introduction at the ISE earlier this year,” continues Bouwman. “The testing phase was crucial, since not only the LEDs needed to be of excellent quality, we also had to take the structural integrity into account. Being able to provide full static calculations with the product is a must-have for professional use, you don’t want to risk audience safety”.
Environmental influences
“Incidents with outdoor LED screens are a returning point of discussion, so it’s important to consider these factors carefully before you start building yours and guarantee audience safety with wind-load resistant LED screens. When used outdoor environmental aspects, like wind load needs to be taken into account. Wind can have a large influence on the structural integrity of your screen”.
Roelof Bouwman adds: “A wall of LED panels is a huge wind catching plane, it must have the structural strength and integrity to be able to withstand the resulting forces. That’s why a video wall should have additional bracing or support when used in an outdoor environment. When you don’t have to build this extra construction, because it’s already an integrated part of the LED panel design, you can save on building time. That was the initial idea behind the Black Quartz”.
The Black Quartz LED panels by ROE Visual are equipped with an integrated wind-bracing system.
The bracing system for the Black Quartz consists partly of carbon fiber, to reduce the total weight of the panel. It’s an easy, fold-out system, that connects fast with simple locks, no tools are needed. Once mounted, the LED panels are wind-load resistant and can be used till wind speeds of 20m/sec. They can be built up to 5m. high in a stacked configuration or 20m. high in a flown system. No need to say, your supporting structure, like a roof structure, needs to be able to both take the load of the screen and the resulting wind-loading.
Brightness
“Another factor that came up in the feedback discussions was brightness”, says Bouwman. “Brightness is important in outdoor situations, because you want to be able to display your visuals even in bright sunlight. For outdoor environments brightness up to 5000 nits is recommended. We were able to create excellent contrast and brightness for Black Quartz, taking 3 factors into account. Firstly, the LED brightness, which is 5000 nits, secondly; using the Common Cathode technology and lastly; using Black LED for better contrast. The Common Cathode technology significantly reduces panel temperature and results in efficient heat-dissipation and reduced color differences in the LEDs, creating a stable and brilliant LED performance with a relatively high brightness”.
Using Black LED with 5000 nit brightness, the Black Quartz LED panel sports a high contrast ratio and wide color gamut.
On-site troubleshooting
“Creating easy ways for on-site trouble-shooting, was also a factor that came back to us in the feedback rounds”, says ROE Visuals spokesman. “Touring, live events and festival applications can be much demanding for the AV tech team. Being able to service your LED panels on-site, and even during an event is a quality that can make all the difference for any AV tech during a show. LED screens that guarantee a reliable and stable performance can make all the difference and when it comes to troubleshooting, easy maintenance options are vital”.
To facilitate the on-site repair and quick maintenance, the modular design of the Black Quartz system offers easy front and rear module replacement, as well as a quick PSU swap. The added ladder steps in the bracing system, give climbing access for maintenance.
Fast load-in, fast load-out
“The last thing we got back was the fact that productions face time restrictions, so a fast load-in and load-out is crucial”, continues Bouwman. “Being able to build your LED screen fast, but accurate is of great importance”.
The rigid frame of the Black Quartz LED panels enables flawless connection of even the smallest 3.91mm pixel pitch. The integrated edge protection makes building fast and easy, while the use of dollies guarantees optimal handling and transportation. The Black Quartz builds fast, creating a seamless LED screen with a great visual performance.
“We can only hope that our industry will recover soon, and we will be able to go back to organizing live events, sports events and tours as we always knew them. ROE Visual designed the Black Quartz specifically for that purpose. But we see light at the horizon, recently the Back Quartz has found its way to new initiatives, like outdoor cinemas”, Bouwman concludes.