Indoor and outdoor LED screens differ mainly in durability, brightness, and power consumption. Outdoor LEDs typically have higher brightness (5,000-10,000 nits) and are weather-resistant with an IP65 rating. Indoor LEDs have lower brightness (300-1,500 nits) and an IP20 rating. Outdoor screens consume 200-800 watts per square meter, while indoor screens use 100-300 watts.
Weather fastness
It usually has an IP66 or higher rating making it capable of withstanding severe weather like 60mm/h rainfall and wind speed of more than 120 km/h. Indoor LED screens usually come under IP20-IP30 levels which do not let in dust particles like more significant volumes.
Normally, outdoor LED screens have brightness ranging from 5000 to 8000 nits. An example of an outdoor billboard using P10 LED screen of about 7000 nits is that for Times Square, New York. Brightness for indoor LED screen is usually in the range 300-1500 nits.
The outdoor LED screen consumes very high power in contrast to the indoor LED screen. It is found that the power consumption of outdoor screens of LED per square meter is around 200 to 800 watts while that of indoor LED ones is usually between 100 and 300 watts.
Consider a display of 100 sq. m as an example; an outdoor LED screen may draw around 100,000 KWH electricity annually while the annual energy consumption of the indoor LED screen is only 40% to 60% of the outdoor. These outdoor LED screens operate at a temperature of -30 to 60 degrees while indoor lights maximum work between 15 degrees and 35 degrees Celsius.
Usually, outdoor LED screens last from 5 to 8 years. On the contrary, indoor LED screens have a lifespan of usually more than 10 years. A high-end P1.5 indoor LED display showed in laboratory tests that it still could maintain an initial brightness of above 85% after 100,000 hours of continuous operation. Desired pixel pitch usually lies between P1 and P3, enabling output images shot in 4K or even in 8K quality.
The maintenance cost per annum for outdoor LEDs ranges between $50 to $100 per square meter. In contrast, an average indoor LED maintenance cost per annum is usually less than $20 per square meter. In 2024, the outdoor LED screens are expected to go up to $8.5 billion globally, while it will be as high as $12 billion for the indoor LED screen market; their growth rates are 8.6% and 12.4%, respectively.
luminance
Outdoor LED screens have brightness levels generally in the range of 5000-10000 nits. Times Square advertising screens in New York usually have brightness levels above 8000 nits. Brightness for indoor LED screens is controlled within the range of 300-1500 nits, with 2000 being the exception. High-end indoor LED screens for conference rooms or exhibition halls are usually 800-1200 nits of brightness.
Power consumption for outdoor LED screens averages about 200-800 watts per square meter, with LED screens for indoor use consuming 100-300 watts per square meter. An outdoor LED screen of 200 square meters consumes approximately 960 KWH when operated continuously for twelve hours a day.
The decay rates for outdoor LED screens range from 8%-12% per annum. Hence, after five working years, brightness may decline to just 50%-60% of the initial. The indoor LED screen would typically have light depreciation rates of less than 5%, which extends the lifetime to 8-10 or more years. For example, some well-known outdoor screens manufactured in Shenzhen include built-in sensors, which can utilize brightness adjustment from 1000 nits to 9000 nits dynamically.
8,000 nits were used on a number of outdoor flexible LED screens at the main stadium for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2023. Outdoor LED screens contrast ratios are usually between 5,000:1 to 10,000:1. Requirements for contrast for indoor LED screens vary between 3,000:1 and 5,000:1.
High-brightness outdoor LED screens are typically manufactured at costs ranging from $1,200-$3,000 per square meter, while indoor screens are generally manufactured at $800-$1,500. In the case of a specific brand of outdoor screen, maintenance for the fan system can cause an added $30 per square meter each year.
durability
Outdoor LED display temperature range from -30°C to 60°C drastic changes, up to 95% humidity and rain wash. Unuv treated screens can lose more than 15% of their brightness after a year of exposure, while treated screens only lose 5% to 8% of their light.
Many large outdoor flexible screens can withstand winds of up to 12 and pressures of more than 100 kg/square meter, and a brand of outdoor LED display has withstood wind speeds of 50 meters per second in simulation tests. A 100 square meter outdoor screen can generate up to 120 kilowatts of heat per hour, while its cooling system can keep the temperature below 45°C.
Outdoor LED screens typically have a service life of 5 to 8 years. The annual light attenuation due to UV and humidity is on average 8% to 12%. Indoor LED screen light decay rate is less than 5%, its life can reach more than 10 years. Some high-end indoor flexible screens can still maintain more than 80% brightness after 100,000 hours of use testing.
The annual maintenance cost of outdoor LED screens is about $100 per square meter. Indoor screens cost about $50 a year. Outdoor LED screens need to remain in continuous operation for at least 20 hours/day, while indoor LED screens usually run 8 to 10 hours per day. Taking the information screen at an international airport as an example, its outdoor display runs for more than 7,000 hours a year, while the indoor display runs for only 3,000 hours a year.
The initial investment for outdoor LED screens is typically 20 to 50 percent higher than for indoor screens. High-durability outdoor screens cost about $1,500 to $3,000 per square meter, while indoor screens cost $800 to $1,500. Nanomaterials and corrosion resistant coatings can extend the service life of outdoor LED screens by more than 20%.
Temperature range
Outdoor LED display operating temperature range of -30°C to 60°C, some high-end products can even reach -40°C to 70°C. Some flexible LED screens are required to be able to operate continuously at minus 40°C. The indoor LED display temperature adaptation range is small, generally 0°C to 40°C.
Taking a 100-square-meter outdoor screen as an example, its cooling system can handle more than 50 kilowatts of heat per hour. In high temperature areas, the light attenuation rate of LED screens without optimized heat dissipation can be as high as 15% per year, while the light attenuation rate of screens with optimized temperature design is only 8% to 10%. Indoor LED screen light attenuation is usually less than 5%.
Antioxidant coatings and UV-resistant packaging compounds lead to a 20 to 30 percent increase in production costs per square meter of outdoor screens. The manufacturing cost of a heat-resistant flexible screen is about $2,500, while the cost of an ordinary indoor flexible screen is only about $1,500.
Taking the high-end outdoor LED screen of a certain brand as an example, its low-temperature startup time is less than 1 second, and it can immediately reach the optimal brightness in the -30 °C environment. The indoor LED screen ambient temperature is usually not lower than 0°C.
In some high temperature cities in the Middle East, LED advertising screens are exposed to an environment above 50°C all year round, and the operation time reaches 20 hours a day. A 200 square meter outdoor screen, its cooling device power consumption per hour may be as high as 20 kilowatts, accounting for 15% of the total power consumption.
In the energy consumption of indoor LED screens, the heat dissipation part is usually less than 5%. Power modules exposed to high temperatures have an average life span of 2 to 3 years, while the same modules used indoors can have a life span of more than 5 years. This difference results in an annual maintenance cost of about $80 per square meter for outdoor screens, compared to only about $30 for indoor screens.
Power dissipation
The average power consumption of outdoor LED displays ranges from 200 watts to 800 watts per square meter. A 100 square meter outdoor flexible screen, operating at a high brightness setting (about 8,000 nits) for 12 hours a day, can consume up to 960 KWH of electricity per day. The indoor LED screen power consumption per square meter is generally 100 watts to 300 watts.
The same area of the screen, even if running all day, its daily power consumption is about 360 KWH, only 40% of the power consumption of the outdoor screen. Outdoor screen brightness is usually set between 5,000 and 10,000 nits. For every 1000 nits increase in brightness, the screen’s energy consumption will increase by about 10%. The brightness of indoor LED screens is usually between 300 and 1500 nits.
Air-cooled or liquid-cooled units typically account for 15 to 20 percent of total power consumption. Taking a 200 square meter outdoor screen of a certain brand as an example, the annual power consumption of its cooling equipment is about 100,000 KWH. The indoor LED screen usually uses a simple passive heat dissipation design, and less than 5% of the power consumption is used for heat dissipation. An outdoor screen can increase its power consumption by 30% when displaying high-frequency dynamic video.
The average annual power consumption of outdoor LED screens is about 600 KWH to 2000 KWH, while the average annual power consumption of indoor screens is only 400 KWH to 800 KWH. For a commercial advertising project covering an area of 500 square meters, the annual operating cost of choosing an outdoor LED screen may exceed $150,000, while the annual operating cost of an indoor LED screen is less than $50,000.
Dynamic brightness adjustment technology can reduce the overall power consumption by about 20%. At night or on cloudy days, the brightness of the screen can be reduced to 4000 nits, and the power consumption is reduced by about 30%. For a 100 square meter outdoor screen project, the additional cost of the power supply system can be as high as $20,000. The installation cost of the indoor screen is only about half that of the outdoor screen.
cost
The unit area cost of outdoor LED displays is usually 20% to 50% higher than that of indoor LED displays. For example, the production cost of a high-end outdoor flexible LED screen per square meter is about $2,000 to $4,000, while the cost of an indoor LED screen is usually between $1,000 and $2,500.
For a 100-square-meter outdoor screen project, the cost of material upgrades alone may increase by about $50,000. Active cooling systems typically account for 10% to 15% of the total screen cost. For a 100-square-meter outdoor screen, the cost of its cooling system can reach $20,000. The passive heat dissipation cost of the indoor screen is less than 5%.
Installing a 200 square meter outdoor advertising screen, its steel structure cost can reach $100,000, accounting for 15% to 20% of the total budget. Indoor LED screens typically cost less than $50,000. Taking a 100 square meter screen as an example, the annual power consumption cost of an outdoor LED screen may exceed $20,000, while the annual power consumption cost of an indoor screen is usually less than $10,000.
The annual maintenance cost of outdoor LED screens is $50 to $100 per square meter. The maintenance cost of indoor LED screens is low, usually $20 to $50 per square meter. An outdoor LED advertising screen installed in the center of the city may reach $50,000 to $100,000 in advertising revenue per month.
The advertising revenue of indoor LED screens is low, usually $10,000 to $30,000 / month. The life of high-end outdoor screens is usually 5 to 8 years, while the life of indoor LED screens can reach 8 to 10 years. The use of some new materials and the optimization of manufacturing processes have reduced the production cost of high-end outdoor flexible screens by 15%.
Visual Angle
Most high-end outdoor flexible screens have a horizontal viewing Angle between 120 and 140 degrees and a vertical viewing Angle between 60 and 80 degrees. The horizontal viewing Angle of the indoor screen is usually 110 degrees to 120 degrees, and the vertical viewing Angle is 50 degrees to 60 degrees.
The outdoor flexible screen of a certain brand improves the brightness uniformity of large viewing Angle by 30% by optimizing the Angle distribution of LED lamp beads. The brightness uniformity of most high-end indoor screens can reach more than 95%. Some outdoor screens have a contrast ratio of more than 5000:1. Indoor LED screens are usually between 3000:1 and 5000:1.
Outdoor LED screens are usually installed at a height of 5 meters to 20 meters from the ground, and the best viewing distance is about 10 times the height of the screen. For example, a screen with a height of 10 meters has an optimal viewing distance of 100 meters. The installation height of the indoor LED screen is usually between 1 and 3 meters.
Increasing the horizontal viewing Angle by 20 degrees can lead to a 15% increase in optical design and material costs. A 100 square meter high-end outdoor screen, in order to achieve a 140 degree horizontal perspective, its manufacturing cost may be $20,000 higher than the ordinary outdoor screen. An outdoor screen installed in a square with a wide viewing Angle increased the number of viewers by 30% and increased advertising revenue by 20%.
