The size of an LED screen comes from two distances: the front row, which decides the resolution (the pixel pitch), and the back row, which decides how big the picture has to be. Our own screen measures up to 4 × 2 metres with a 3.9 mm pitch, and we use it to show you how to do the maths. For larger surfaces, we put together the screen to fit the event: see LED screens for events.
First, resolution: the pixel pitch
The pixel pitch is the distance in millimetres between the LEDs on the screen. The rule of thumb we use is that the minimum distance at which it looks good, in metres, is roughly the pitch in millimetres. With our 3.9 mm pitch, the picture is comfortable to watch from about 4 metres; any closer, the dot pattern becomes very noticeable and the image loses definition. That is why the front row should be 4 metres or more from the screen.
Then, size: the back row
A classic rule of thumb in AV, the 4-6-8 rule, relates the picture height to the distance of the furthest viewer: if small text has to be read, such as a table or a busy slide, the back row should be no more than about 4 times the picture height away; for normal presentations, about 6 times; and for video, images or a match, up to about 8 times. With a screen 2 metres high that gives about 8, 12 and 16 metres.
- Small text (tables, text-heavy slides): back row at about 8 m.
- Normal presentations (titles, charts, photos): back row at about 12 m.
- Video, images or a match: back row at about 16 m.
These are guidelines, not a law: a large logo or a video with wide shots can be seen from further away than a slide full of figures. What helps most is preparing the content for the screen, with large lettering and little text per image. The industry standard (AVIXA's ANSI/INFOCOMM V202.01) refines this calculation based on the size of the smallest text that has to be read; as a first approximation, 4-6-8 does the job.
A 4 × 2 metre screen has a 2:1 aspect ratio, wider than a television (16:9). With a 3.9 mm pitch, that surface holds approximately 1,024 × 512 pixels. If you play a 16:9 video as it is, you get black bars of about 20 cm on each side or about 12 cm cropped at the top and bottom. It is also fewer pixels than Full HD, so the small print on a slide is the first thing to go. The best approach is to prepare the content to the screen's size: send it to us before the event and we test it on the screen.
A real example: 4 × 2 metres outdoors
In Caudete we set up a 4 × 2 metre screen hung from a structure, outdoors, to watch Spain v Argentina at the World Cup, with audiences by day and by night. We tell the story in LED screen in Caudete for Spain v Argentina. For a match or a video, the 8-times-the-height guideline is the one that counts; for a talk with slides, people need to be closer. If your audience reaches further back, as at a concert, we cover it in giant LED screens for concerts and trade fairs.
Tell us where it is, how far away the back row is and what you will show on screen, and we will tell you whether the screen fits.See LED screens What to send us
- Distance from the front row and from the back row to the screen
- What will be shown: video, slides with text, a match, captions or live cameras
- Whether it is indoors or outdoors, and at what time
- Where the screen would go: on the floor, on a stage or hung
- A photo or a plan of the space, if you have one
What drives the price of an LED screen we explain in how much it costs to hire an LED screen, and if you are torn between a screen and a projector, in LED screens vs projection for events.
Tell us about your event and we will prepare a quote reviewed by a person.Request a quote 
