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It can be challenging to capture the attention of your customers and visitors. LED walls can help. These large scale, high-resolution digital displays make an impression that’s difficult to ignore. But an LED wall is a significant investment, so savvy buyers are seeking ways to lower costs without sacrificing quality or wasting time throughout the buying process.

Quality, Timeline, and Budget Affect One Another

The Project Management Triangle, also known as the Triple Constraint or Iron Triangle, has been used to represent the constraints of project management since at least the 1950s. In language simple enough to fit on a T-shirt, it can be summarized as “Fast, cheap, or good…pick any two.” When it comes to LED walls, that philosophy implies that if you want an inexpensive display quickly, it won’t be of good quality. And if you want high quality at a low price, you’ll have to wait. In reality, this model is a bit too simplistic, since these three factors are not measured as absolute “good” or “bad” choices, but on a sliding scale. All three considerations are important, so finding the right solution for your unique situation is a balancing act.

Balancing the Three Sides of the Triangle

If you’re operating under both a tight timeline and budget, don’t expect your supplier to design a high-end LED wall for you. Lead times on large LED displays are typically much longer than other types, and high-resolution displays are obviously more expensive. If you have a longer timeline and a more generous budget, however, you have more options available to you, depending on the size, content type, and installation desired. If you want high-quality with a quick turnaround, however, be prepared to pay the big bucks. If you don’t have a budget in mind or have no idea what the associated costs might be, have a conversation with your supplier. They can help establish a theoretical budget, the details of which can be finessed as your needs become more evident. Working from the timeline and budget side can help point you toward the best quality solution for your unique situation.

Maximize Your LED Wall Budget

Like anything, you get what you pay for with digital displays. Manufacturers continue to push the envelope in an effort to create an ever-finer display. The lower the pixel pitch, the closer individual pixels are to each other and the higher the resolution. A decade ago, 10mm to 20mm pitches were standard, but today pixel pitches of one millimeter or less are not uncommon. Before choosing a high-resolution LED wall, a buyer should consider how they will use the display. First, consider how far away viewers will typically be. A good rule of thumb is to multiply the pixel pitch times ten to get the approximate viewing distance in feet. Any higher resolution would largely be a waste of money. Also, consider buying older technology. What was deemed high-resolution a year or two ago may be regarded as “old hat” by techies today, but may be perfectly acceptable for your use – and sold at a big discount. Finally, look for manufacturers who are creating standardized displays that allow you to easily upgrade in the future as more powerful technology becomes more affordable.

Consider the Following When Budgeting Your Project:

• Time affects everything – Leave yourself enough time to do thorough research so you can buy the right product for your solution. A lot of LED manufacturers can have lead times that vary anywhere from 30 to 90 days. If you need to rush, additional charges may be incurred.

• What are you trying to accomplish? – This seems like a fairly simple question. However, it can influence the product, pitch, and other processing variables you choose, which, in turn, significantly affect the price of your LED video display solution. Do you really need the highest resolution pitch on the market, or can you move down to a slightly lower resolution to accomplish the same thing and potentially save thousands of dollars?

• Think through content and playback before you purchase – This is often the most overlooked aspect of any LED video display build. Ultimately, your display is only as good as your input source. Having quality content and the right media server in place will help maximize your investment.

• Pick a provider you trust and asks the right questions from the beginning – A great LED manufacturer with strong partnerships with integrators and designers can save you money in the long term. Whether through its warranty and service or presales engineering and support, a partner offering these features can catch a lot of things upfront that could end up costing you money later.

PixelFLEX Can Help

PixelFLEX® is an American-based LED manufacturer that offers creative solutions, reliable products, and dependable service for their industry-leading LED display technologies. PixelFLEX® delivers one-of-a-kind designs for your tour, event, or installation through their award-winning line of LED video walls and video screens. PixelFLEX® will work with you to identify your project goals and needs and create a display that meets your quality, timeline, and budget constraints. To find digital solutions on a smart budget, visit https://pixelflexled.com/products/.

While you are probably aware of the advantages of using digital signage, you may be wondering how much an LED video wall costs. Well, the answer requires some explanation and a look at several determining factors. There’s size, pixel pitch, quality of the LED components, and other features to consider. Let’s explore what impacts the price of an LED video wall.

Pricing LED Video Walls: Factors to Consider

LED video walls can be an impressive visual array for your space, engaging guests, customers, and staff, allowing your brand to communicate it’s message uniquely. But LED video walls are not a one-size-fits-all product, so several aspects can impact the price.

• Display size: as you go bigger, your budget will most likely need to increase as well
• Resolution: determined by the pitch of pixels in a display—the smaller the pitch, the clearer the image; for the top tier processors, you can expect to pay anywhere between $8K to $30K depending on the complexity of playback capabilities
• Configuration: the more complex your video tile configuration, the more attention it will draw, but you can also expect to pay more, too
• Mounting: to meet your configuration needs, you may need custom mounts, which are more expensive than standard mounts
• Indoor vs. outdoor: where your video wall will be placed impacts the price—typically, outdoor displays require more ruggedized construction to withstand weather and other elements, so they tend to come at a higher price

Cost Is About More Than Screen Size

While a larger screen obviously entails more materials, meaning larger budgets, it’s not just about the size of a screen. You may find that screens similar in size and resolution have varying prices, which is directly linked to the source and attributes of the LEDs. While a higher density of pixels translates to better resolution, the higher the pixel pitch, the higher the price. Key elements such as viewing distance may affect the tightness of clusters necessary for your particular video wall—wider-spaced pixel clusters translate to fewer dollars. It comes down to the type of content you’ll be displaying and how it will be viewed.

Further, the quality and speed of the processing components will also account for a considerable chunk of your budget. And other aspects must be considered, including installation ease, features, and benefits that improve image performance, front and/or rear serviceability, energy efficiency, warranties, and a screen configuration that will not only aesthetically enhance the space, but accurately, engagingly represent your brand vision and message.

Finding the Right LED Video Wall: Meeting Your Design Needs and Your Budget

An LED video wall is an investment in your brand, allowing you to engage and inform your audience in visually stunning ways. The best way to determine exactly how much your video wall will cost is to consult with an LED solutions provider expert. The PixelFLEX®  team of knowledgeable staff will work with you to understand your goals and create a plan to meet brand objectives while keeping affordability top of mind. PixelFLEX also warrants their panels from edge to edge and pixel to pixel, providing investment peace of mind. Simply put, PixelFLEX® delivers customized solutions for every customer, ensuring you get exactly what you need at the price you expect.  

Learn more about the variety of LED video wall design options available from PixelFLEX by visiting their portfolio.

Consider how you feel when you walk into a brand setting that completely immerses you with its features. When brands create branded environments that drive feelings, you can’t help but feel inspired and reminiscing about what that brand has meant to you. Some of the strongest brands in the world do this every day.

Walk into an Apple location, and you’ll find an interactive experience that’s more than just a place to purchase goods. Experience any event at Disney World, and you’ll find yourself smiling and connecting with a brand you’ve loved for years.

These brands know how to craft an experience, and they do so with different types of media, including everything from vinyl graphics on a wall to digital signage that engages viewers and tells a story.

Branded Environments: An Iconic Example

As noted, when customers enter an Apple location, it’s a truly unique experience. It doesn’t feel like a typical retail location where you shop for goods and pay at the counter. They even have a goal of transforming stores into “town squares.” They even removed the word store.

Inside the store, you can interact with each new device. Apple’s senior vice president of retail, Angela Ahrendts, said of the transformation, “We are reinventing the role our stores and employees play in the community. We want to be more like a town square, where the best of Apple comes together, and everyone is welcome.”

The first of these next-generation stores was unveiled in San Francisco with a 50-foot video wall inside. It resembles a meeting place, not a store. There are meeting rooms for entrepreneurs to meet and coding classes.

Apple has stayed true to its brand by creating this new environment with the connection between brand and consumer growing even stronger.

Telling Your Story with Branded Environments

Whatever space you’d like to transform, whether it’s a retail shop, outdoor event, or corporate office, you have the opportunity to tell your story with branded environments. While you likely spend a lot of time and resources on your digital image, don’t forget about the physical spaces where your customers can interact with your brand. Through strategic design and a focus on your brand’s core values, you can create numerous touchpoints for connection. One way to do this is with digital signage.

Digital Signage in Branded Environments

Using digital signage in your branded environments allows you to educate, entertain, and immerse your visitors. It can also compensate for less staff without impacting customer service, and it may even save you money in the long run, money you would have spent on new printed signage needed for every new event or promotion.

At PixelFLEX, we’ve had the pleasure of creating some amazing branded environments for clients, delivering a substantial WOW factor and showcasing brands as modern, current, and dynamic.

The Tru Hotel at Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort is an excellent example of a well-executed branded environment. The hotel wanted a transparent LED display to grab the attention of patrons. We installed FLEXClear LED panels above the main entrance to entice visitors and promote events at the casino. We were able to create a striking display without losing any of the natural light in the lobby.

NetApp, a hybrid cloud data service company, tapped us to create a new branded environment in their revamped headquarters. This project included curved displays in the center of their space, which could be used to tell their story and highlight their abilities. With FLEXMod screens, we delivered a seamless 360-degree display.

Stanford University is one of the country’s most prestigious colleges, known for both its academics and sports programs. To set the stage for their “Home of the Champions” display, they wanted a curved screen capable of delivering high-resolution imagery. The unique screen gives the space a feel that would make any fan cheer.

These are just a few examples for inspiration for your branded environment. With the right design and LED displays from PixelFLEX, you’ll be able to create memorable experiences for your audience. Find out more about what’s possible by browsing our products.

Shopping around for a new display can be confusing. At first glance, it may seem as though there are tons of different kinds of video wall displays, let alone brands. How are you supposed to choose between Direct View LED, LED Wall, LED Screen, or a standard Video Wall? Well the truth is, these are all different names for the same thing. Rather than getting hung up on the name for the overall display, what’s important is understanding the parts behind these screens, so that you can get the best bang for your buck. At PixelFLEX, we have experts that can walk you through the entire process to find a dynamic display that fits your exact needs. To make things a little, easier, however, we’ve put together a run-down on what exactly makes up a “video-wall,” regardless of what name you use for it.