Samsung’s The Wall Back At ISE, And Ready For It’s Close-Up
January 25, 2019 by Dave Haynes
When I first saw Samsung’s micro LED display product – The Wall – a year ago at ISE 2018, viewers were kept at a distance of maybe 10 feet from the physical screen, with the screen set back in a room.
I assumed that was to keep all the Pro AV nerds from touching the LEDs – which with most LED modules are easily damaged. Try to walk up close and you’d have a minder doing the “You can look, but you better not touch” thing.
The Wall is back at ISE 2019, and in looking over Samsung’s online show preview, it appears there’s either a new damage-resistant aspect to the tech, or a feature that was always there but is now more prominent.
The product literature talks about “durability against impact with a special shock-resistance technology” – with a graphic that shows a physical layer in front of the LEDs.
This is either some sort of physical glass or film, or the modules are manufactured and then coated in some sort of epoxy or other compound that then hardens as a protective layer. The graphic suggests the former, with an indication it flexes on impact. The visuals also suggest the very, very expensive display is safe around the runny noses and mayhem-happy hands of toddlers
The Samsung marketing material suggests the net effect is a display that is not at the same degree of risk for damage as other ultra-fine pixel pitch displays – at least those using conventional LED manufacturing processes.
The display nerd crowd will be asking things like how the heat generated by millions of teeny LEDs gets out if there is a layer in front, and also about things like anti-reflection.
When I have looked really, really closely at Sony’s CLED display – which predated The Wall by at least a couple of years – I could see some sort of layer.
I have also seen products from China – from CreateLED and Cedar and most recently Ledman – that contain the LEDs in some sort hardened material.
The point of it all is to minimize damage – and expensive repairs – to displays intended for public spaces, like flagship retail and building lobbies. Conventional LEDs can easily get banged up.
Such LED displays at anywhere outside should be covered with such protective layer to avoid the damages. It is a very usual thing that the chance of damage to the screen at public places is very high.