Pixel pitch — the distance in millimetres between the centres of two adjacent LED pixels — is the single number that decides how close your audience can stand before the wall stops looking like an image and starts looking like dots. This guide explains pitch in practical terms and compares the four pitches buyers ask about most: P2.91, P3.91, P4.81 and P6.944.
The one rule that does 90% of the work
A reliable rule of thumb: minimum comfortable viewing distance in metres ≈ pitch in millimetres. A P3.91 wall reads as a coherent image from about 4 metres away; P4.81 from about 5 metres; P6.944 from about 7 metres. Closer than that and individual pixels become visible — which on a stage backdrop is sometimes a deliberate look, but in a conference room is usually a complaint.
The second rule follows: smaller pitch costs more per square metre and consumes more processing capacity, because the same area carries dramatically more pixels. Choosing pitch is really choosing where your audience stands.
Run the arithmetic once and the trade-off becomes concrete. A 6 × 4 m wall is 24 m² regardless of pitch — but at P2.91 it carries roughly 5.7 million pixels, while the same 24 m² at P6.944 carries about 1.1 million. Five times the image resolution, five times the processing load, and a very different invoice. The right answer is the cheapest pitch that still looks seamless from your closest seat.
The four pitches, compared
| Pitch | Comfortable from | Typical use | On our floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| P2.91 | ~3 m | Close-up stage, VIP zones, XR volumes | Not currently held — sourced on request |
| P3.91 | ~4 m | The rental standard: stages, exhibitions, TV | Yes — indoor and outdoor batches |
| P4.81 | ~5 m | Outdoor workhorse: festivals, building façades | Yes — outdoor batches |
| P6.944 | ~7 m | Big outdoor walls where distance is generous | Yes — one outdoor batch |
P3.91 — the default answer
If you are unsure, P3.91 is the rental industry’s default for a reason: it is close enough for most stages and far enough to be affordable in quantity. We currently hold three P3.91 batches — 99 m² and 115/150 m² indoor plus 20 m² outdoor from Dicolor — which makes it the easiest pitch to scale quickly for touring and exhibition work.
Indoor P3.91 is the strength of our Gloshine and LightLink fleets: the Gloshine brand page lists two indoor batches of 115 and 150 m², while the LightLink brand page carries a 170 m² indoor batch — between them, over 400 m² of close-viewing indoor capacity ready to ship.
P4.81 — the outdoor workhorse
P4.81 trades a little close-up finesse for brightness, robustness and a friendlier per-m² price outdoors. We hold 140 m² (Dicolor), 130 m² and 100 m² (LightLink) and two Gloshine outdoor batches of 62/63 m² — five outdoor-capable P4.81 batches across three brands, which is genuine flexibility when a project needs both a stage wall and a façade wall.
If outdoor coverage in depth is the goal, the Dicolor brand page (140 m² outdoor batch plus a 310 m² indoor P3.91 batch) is the deepest single-brand pool on our floor.
P6.944 — when the audience is far
At big outdoor sites — perimeter walls, large festival side screens, building mounts — nobody is within 7 metres, and P6.944 delivers huge area per budget. Our Gloshine P6.944 outdoor batch is 131 m² of exactly that use case.
Pitch and LED quality are different axes
A common confusion: buyers treat pitch as a quality grade, as if P3.91 were “worse” than P2.91. In reality pitch is a geometry decision, and quality lives on a separate axis — LED bin grade, module revision, calibration and condition. A well-maintained P4.81 batch from a strong factory will outperform a neglected P2.91 wall in every measurable way except minimum viewing distance.
That is why every batch we sell is judged on its own testing history rather than its pitch alone — and why two batches at the same pitch can carry different prices.
P2.91 — and how to buy it honestly
P2.91 is the premium close-viewing pitch, common in broadcast and XR work. It is not currently on our floor. We can source it on request, and we would rather write that sentence than pad a listing with stock we do not hold — the same honesty we apply to every pitch on this page.
Cabinet size, weight and pitch — the trio that ships
Pitch decides the image; cabinet size and weight decide the logistics. Rental-grade cabinets in the 500×500 mm or 500×1000 mm formats dominate the used market because they rig fast and stack into standard flight cases. When comparing batches, work out cases per wall and kilograms per case with the supplier — freight quotes scale with both, and a “cheap” batch in an inefficient format can cost more landed than a pricier one that packs tight.
Cabinet format rules of thumb
- Smaller cabinets (500×500) rig anywhere but multiply the connector count.
- Larger cabinets (500×1000) mean fewer seams and faster installs on big walls.
- Outdoor cabinets carry extra sealing weight — budget rigging accordingly.
- Always confirm the case count before comparing per-m² prices.
How to choose in one minute
Measure the closest audience
Use the pitch-in-metres rule. Standing distance decides the pitch — everything else is detail.
Indoor or outdoor
Outdoor pushes you to brighter, sealed cabinets: P4.81 or P6.944 in our current stock.
Fix the area, then the brand
Batch size and brand availability decide how fast you can scale. See the brands we stock for live quantities.
Ask for the test records
Pitch without condition data is half a specification. Every batch we sell ships with its testing history.
Can I mix pitches in one wall?
Not within one continuous image. Adjacent cabinets must share pitch, module revision and calibration. Different pitches can live in the same show through a processor, but as separate surfaces.
Does smaller pitch mean better quality?
Only relative to viewing distance. A P6.944 wall at 20 metres looks identical to a P3.91 wall at 10 metres — and the P6.944 costs less. Overbuying pitch is the most common beginner overspend.
Which brand for which pitch?
Our current floor answers that practically: Gloshine and Dicolor for outdoor P4.81/P6.944 and indoor P3.91, LightLink for indoor P3.91 and outdoor P4.81. Full batch lists are on the brands overview page.
What viewing distance for LED screen rental stages?
For most stage work the front row sits 4–6 metres back, which puts P3.91 in the sweet spot. Festival main stages with the audience far back can happily run P4.81 or P6.944 and spend the difference on area instead.
Does pixel pitch affect processor choice?
Yes — pitch sets the pixel count, and the processor must carry it. Bigger walls at fine pitch need more sending capacity; that is why we pair every large batch conversation with a processor check before quoting.
Tell us the distance, we will name the pitch
Send the venue type and closest audience distance — we will point you at the right batch from the floor.