LED wall maths: resolution, processing, power and weight

An LED wall spec starts with two numbers: the size and the pixel pitch. Everything else follows from them: panel count, resolution, processor outputs, power and the weight on the rig. Work these out early. They decide the budget, the power distribution and whether the structure can take the load.

Pixel pitch and viewing distance

Pixel pitch is the distance between the centres of neighbouring pixels, in millimetres. A smaller pitch means more pixels per metre and a higher price. A common rule of thumb for the closest comfortable viewing distance is about 1 metre per millimetre of pitch, so a 2.6 mm wall looks smooth from roughly 2.6 m back.

Camera work is different. For broadcast and virtual production, a finer pitch helps avoid moiré, and the camera's distance, lens and focus matter more than where the audience sits. Test with the actual camera and lens where you can.

Resolution from panel count

Wall resolution is the panel's pixel count multiplied by the number of panels in each direction. A worked example:

• Panel: 500 × 500 mm, 192 × 192 pixels (a nominal 2.6 mm pitch).
• Wall: 6 m × 3 m, which is 12 panels wide by 6 high, 72 panels in total.
• Resolution: 12 × 192 = 2304 pixels wide, 6 × 192 = 1152 pixels high.

2304 × 1152 is a 2:1 canvas, not 1920 × 1080. Agree with the content team early whether content is made natively at wall resolution (best) or scaled from a 16:9 source with cropping or borders.

Processor and port capacity

The LED processor takes the video input and sends pixel data to the panels over network-style outputs, usually RJ45 or fibre. Each output port can carry a limited number of pixels. A figure often quoted for a 1 Gb output is around 650,000 pixels at 8-bit and 60 Hz, but it varies by manufacturer, so check your processor's documentation.

For the example wall, 2304 × 1152 is 2,654,208 pixels. Ports must also be split along panel boundaries, so work it out per panel: each panel is 192 × 192 = 36,864 pixels, so one 650,000-pixel port drives at most 17 panels. 72 panels need 5 ports. Some panels also cap how many can be chained on one cable, so check that limit too.

• Redundancy: a backup loop runs a second cable from the end of each chain back to a spare port or a second processor, which doubles the port count.
• Bit depth and frame rate: 10-bit or high frame rate content lowers the pixels each port can carry. Recalculate rather than assume.
• Input limits: the processor's input has a maximum resolution too. Check the whole canvas fits one input, or plan how to split it across several.

Power

Datasheets give maximum and typical (average) power per panel. Size the distribution on maximum. Full white content can get close to it, and a wall that trips a breaker mid-show is a bad look.

Example: if each panel draws up to 200 W, 72 panels is 14.4 kW. At 230 V that is about 63 A in total. Loading 16 A circuits to 80% gives roughly 2.9 kW each, so plan for at least 5 circuits, or spread the load across the three phases of a three-phase supply. At 120 V the same wall draws 120 A, which is 8 circuits of 20 A at 80% loading.

• Follow the manufacturer's limit on how many panels can share one power link cable.
• Powering many panels at once causes inrush current. Power up in stages or use a sequenced distro.
• Put the processor on its own clean supply, ideally on a UPS.
• On three-phase, balance the columns across the phases.

Weight and rigging

Total weight is the panel weight times the panel count, plus hanging bars or ground support, cables and anything else attached. At 8 kg per panel, the example wall is 576 kg before any hardware.

• Flown walls: use the manufacturer's rated hanging bars and respect the maximum number of panels per column. Have the points checked by a rigger or the venue.
• Ground-stacked walls: use the manufacturer's ground support and bracing, and check the floor loading.
• Curved walls use curve locks or angle brackets. They reduce the effective width and add depth, so re-check the footprint.

Send the weight to the rigging team as soon as the panel choice is made. It should never be the last number they see.

Checklist

1. Wall size and pitch give panel count and resolution.
2. Content canvas agreed with the content team.
3. Processor inputs and output ports, including backup.
4. Maximum power, circuits and power link chains.
5. Total weight and the rigging or ground-support method.
6. Spare panels and modules for the show.

In Patchify

In a Patchify cable diagram you can add an LED wall with its panel layout, and it shows the pixel count, weight, data rate and ports required. You then wire the processor outputs alongside the rest of the system, and the wall appears in the project's PDF documentation with everything else.