Transparent LEDs: unobtrusive and extremely pleasing  

There are many benefits of transparent LEDs such as, being unobtrusive within the space and the fact they are extremely aesthetically pleasing  

The key to an excellent design? A series of horizontal bars which are equipped with equidistant LED panels that do not require a support surface, therefore they allow the sole focus to be on the videos being shown or to see ‘beyond’.

Transparent LEDs are very popular worldwide; from Madrid to Beijing, to Tokyo to Rome. The transparent effect is created by an optical illusion as the structure allows light to pass from one module (panel) to another. This provides a new form of augmented reality, eliminates the more traditional screening issues, that are experienced with digital signage installations, and offers highly effective emotional communication.

Indoor and Outdoor Applications

In practical terms, transparent LEDs have a lifespan of approximately ten years. What makes them so relevant today is the ever-evolving development in LED technology, which has seen an increase in the brightness of the LEDs, ensuring a higher display quality that was previously not achievable. The advancement in LED technology now means they can be used outdoors as well as indoors, they can be applied to sliding glass doors, partition walls/plexiglass, as well as to shop fronts and windows of all sizes, even covering the entire building.

Transparent LEDs: Structure and Function

Bring the magic of storytelling to any space, public or private, by opting for a transparent LED structure than can be positioned wherever desired.

Construction is simple. The basic module structure consists of horizontal bars evenly distributed: it is the space between the bars that creates the transparent effect. The standard dimensions of a module are 100 cm x 50 cm and each module are equipped with a power data box that includes a power supply and a receiving card for the digital signal. The wiring is located inside the structure ensuring all wiring is hidden out of view.

Moreover, by integrating a series of sensors into the structure, it allows for adding interactivity into the solution, for example, by using motion capture techniques to utlise chromatic games.

Quick, Easy and Lightweight Installation

Due to no additional support structure being required, this makes an installation of a transparent LED a much lighter and faster solution as they can be hung onto existing surfaces: often the original anchor points are used to which small studs, usually aluminum, are attached to the structure. Each module weighs on average around 15 kilograms, therefore a 5-square-meter solution would weigh around 150 kilograms.

How to choose the ideal solution: 3 Things you should know about transparent LEDs

Before choosing the solution for you, there are 3 fundamental variables to be considered.

#1 Pixel Pitch

The most important parameter for all LED displays is the distance (step or pixel pitch) between one LED panel and the next on the bar. The smaller the pixel pitch, the better the resolution and sharpness of the image even when viewing the structure at close range.

In the case of transparent LEDs, where the empty space determines the optical transparency effect, the smallest pixel pitch available is 2.5mm. But be careful: this option is only available for framed panels (where the frame is the power supply) that are 990 x 1440 in size and must be used individually, hence being known as posters. To cover shop windows and large surfaces, the best option is modular transparent LEDs. State of the art models have a pixel pitch of 3.9 mm, with bars spaced at 7.8 mm.

#2 No Modifications

As with any digital signage solution, the dimensions of the transparent LEDs cannot be altered once construction is complete, therefore, depending on the desired resolution, the pixel pitch must be calculated based on the planned viewing distance which depends in turn on the specific communication requirements. The greater the pixel pitch, the greater the viewing distance. However, for indoor solutions, a small pixel pitch is needed to ensure perfect viewing.

#3 Transparency

Depending on the thickness of the LED bars and their distribution within the frame, they cannot be seen from a certain distance. This is what creates the magical illusion of a video materialising from nowhere once the communication programming begins.

For a better understanding, let’s look at the example of a standard module 100 x 50 cm provides:

• 70% transparency with a pixel pitch of 5 mm and a vertical distance between the bars of 5.1 cm
• 79% transparency with a pixel pitch of 3.9 mm and a vertical distance between the bars of 7.8 cm

Laura Zanotti, Journalist and Technical Writer