As you enter the LED display market the first impression one gets is of a big, bright expansion of the display technologies in our toolbox. Fantastic, but dig a little deeper though and the second impression is that of confusion. If that is the case with you, you are right. Our own response to this confusion is research and a search for explanations and solutions.
Our research shows that there are over 100 companies (primarily out of China) that are attempting to enter the LED (or dvLED) display market. If in doubt, just go to Linked In and each day you will be confronted with new companies. If you went to InfoComm 2022, you saw 39 companies exhibiting LED displays and before the pandemic there were 50 exhibiting.
Doing a quick comparison on other display technologies such as LCD flat panels, the numbers of manufacturers that are competitive in the world of commercial AV would be approximately 5 to 6 or so. In a flat panel display a 4K display is well, a 4K display. It comes in pre-defined sizes, and you select one that “fits” your application. Yes, there is indoor and outdoor and different brightness levels, but the variables are not significant and the number of manufacturers to work with can easily be referred to as known and manageable. This refers to the companies, the displays, and the prices. Knowledge inspires confidence.
The challenge with LED begins with the 100 companies attempting to enter the market. The variables as written about recently in Commercial Integrator by Alan C. Brawn entitled “Direct View LED-Know the Unknowns” does a great job of pointing out the variables but at a 20,000-foot level it actually begins with the companies themselves. Let me explain.
I suggest that on the part of many LED display companies, it begins with a lack of understanding of our culture and the ways we do business in the USA. Speaking to a friend of mine with decades in the LED display business, he said that for most it boils down to “give me sales, give me sales”. They want sales but do not understand the concept of doing business here. For way too many they have a “build it and they will come” attitude. They feel they have a great product so obviously (in their minds) we should buy from them. When asked how they are superior to others they simply say we are better but pushed for more, rarely how they are better. Suffice it to say this is confusing.
The important point is that there is value here and we should all be aware of it. Are all of the 100 LED companies attempting to “get sales” in the USA worthy of consideration? Certainly not but a subset are first rate companies. At Crimson we have done the research and invested the time to profile the best companies, their manufacturing and quality control, certifications, and products. This is why we say, “If you don’t know LED, work with someone who does”. At Crimson we know LED.
