Frequently Asked Questions

Are your products compliant with relevant UK and European standards and Directives?

Yes. When you buy from us you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that our products meet the highest standards. So, we make sure that all our products comply with a number of different process, product and safety standards. The most important ones are:

CE – European conformity mark. This means that our products comply with all relevant EU directives (such as safety, health, environmental protection requirements) in our field.
ISO9001 – This proves that we have the processes in place to produce products to the appropriate standards of quality.
EMC standards EN61000, EN60950 IEC 950 – these standards control the quality and safety of products like ours.
RoHS – these regulations restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in products.
WEEE Directive – should one of our products need to be disposed of we will do it for you.
Highways approval – European standard EN12966 and UK Highways Agency TR 2136. These standards specify the performance requirements of variable message signs on highways.

How do I operate one of your displays?

You will find them very user friendly and simple to use, operator training is of course available for all systems, most of our displays are supplied with an instruction manual.

You can operate them with a computer simply connected by cable to the display. Or you can run them across local or wide area networks using Ethernet, Bluetooth, Wireless, Modem or SMS. We can help you choose the operating methods that suit you best.

We have standard software packages that will operate the displays for the majority of applications but we can also write software that will run the display automatically, all you have to do is switch it on and the software does the rest. If your requirement is more complex we can write bespoke software for your application, we can liaise with your IT department if you have particular requirements.

Our displays come with 24 months return to manufacturer warranty, alternatively we can quote you for an on site maintenance contract. We provide telephone support on all hardware and software.

How much does a display cost?

The majority of our displays are built to your needs and with these installations we will have to understand what your needs are and put together a proposal for you. Each job is very different and the price will vary. Please click here if you’d like us to contact you about your needs.

We have a range of low cost simple displays which are generally in stock and off the shelf, you can get these prices by going to our online shop

Where are you and why should we buy from you?

We are based in Andover, Hampshire, but we reach the entire UK and all over the world.

With 45 years experience in the field of LED electronic displays and with one of the widest ranges of displays, we are confident that we can offer you the perfect solution to your signage requirements. We are committed to providing our customers with the best service and equipment we can, with high quality components, full support and to put it quite simply...we care!

How much does an LED screen cost in the UK?

There is no list price, because every display is built to your size, pixel pitch and site. As a broad guide to the UK market, indoor screens typically fall between £600 and £1,200 per square metre and outdoor screens between £1,200 and £2,500, before installation and any structural work.

What moves that number most is pixel pitch. A 10mm screen costs roughly 40 to 50 per cent less than a 4mm screen of the same size, so buying a finer pitch than your viewing distance needs is money spent on resolution nobody can see. Our LED video screen price guide breaks the costs down application by application, and we will quote your job properly once we know the size, the site and how far away people will be standing.

What pixel pitch do I need for my LED display?

Pixel pitch is the distance in millimetres between the centres of two LEDs, and it sets how close someone can stand before the picture breaks up into dots. The working rule of thumb is to read the pitch in millimetres as metres: a 4mm screen looks sharp from about four metres, a 10mm screen from about ten.

Our indoor Synergy CORE cabinets run from P1.25 to P4.0 for close viewing, and our outdoor Synergy EDGE cabinets run at P4.44, P6.67 and P10.0 where people are further back. Tell us the closest point a viewer will stand and we will specify the pitch from there.

How far away will my LED screen still be readable?

Further than most people expect. Pixel pitch sets the minimum comfortable viewing distance, not the maximum. What limits the far end is character height and overall screen size, which is why the same board can work as a scoreboard for the stand and as an advertising screen for the road.

We size screens from the real sightlines on your site: where people stand, where they drive past, how fast they are moving and how much the message has to say. Our resolution examples page shows how the same image looks at different pixel counts, which is usually the quickest way to settle the question.

Who have you supplied LED displays to?

We have supplied displays across the NHS and healthcare, transport and highways, banking and finance, retail, education, sport, defence and manufacturing, from a single entrance sign to full stadium screens. Our testimonials page carries feedback from the organisations themselves.

If you want to see work close to your own, tell us the sector and we will point you at comparable installations.

What warranty do you offer on LED displays?

Every LEDsynergy display comes with a 24-month return-to-manufacturer warranty as standard, and telephone support on both hardware and software is included. Where you need an engineer to attend your site rather than returning parts to us, we quote an on-site maintenance contract alongside the display.

The warranty covers the display itself. Anything site-specific, such as the supporting structure or a third-party media player, is quoted separately so you can see what is covered and what is not.

Do I need planning permission for an outdoor LED screen or digital billboard?

Usually, yes. In England, illuminated and digital advertisements are controlled under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007. Some small static signs fall under deemed consent, but a display that changes, or one above certain limits on size, position or illumination, normally needs express advertisement consent from the local planning authority. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have equivalent rules.

Talk to us before you settle on a size. Screen dimensions, mounting height, brightness and whether the display animates all affect what a council will accept, and every one of them is easier to design around at quotation stage than after the screen has been built.

Are your LED screens weatherproof?

Yes. Our outdoor cabinets are sealed to IP66, meaning dust-tight and protected against high-pressure water jets, and they run at 4,500 nits or brighter so the picture holds up in direct sunlight. They are built for year-round British weather.

The structure matters as much as the cabinet. Wind loading, fixings and how an engineer will reach the screen for maintenance are all settled at survey stage, before anything is manufactured.

Can you match my existing signage and brand colours?

Yes. Every display is built to order at our Andover factory, so size, shape, housing, finish and surround are specified for your building rather than picked from a catalogue. Screens are calibrated so brightness and colour stay uniform across the whole display, which is what keeps a brand colour looking like your brand colour.

If you are matching an existing sign or a wider signage scheme, send us photographs and the brand guidelines at enquiry stage and we will design to them.

Do you offer LED screen repair and maintenance?

Yes. We repair and refurbish LED modules, integrate displays with existing control software, and support screens through their working life. Telephone support on hardware and software comes with every display, and where you need cover at your own premises we quote an on-site maintenance contract rather than return-to-base.

Most faults on an ageing screen are modules or power supplies rather than the whole display, which is why a repair is often a fraction of the cost of replacement.

Can I lease or finance an LED display?

Yes. We arrange leasing through a finance partner over terms from one to seven years, with the monthly payment fixed for the whole term. A single agreement can cover the equipment plus installation, training and delivery, so the screen does not come out of your working capital in one go.

Lease payments are normally treated as an operating expense and allowable against tax, though your accountant should confirm that for your business. At the end of the term you can keep, upgrade or return the equipment. There is a lease calculator on our leasing page.

What is the difference between an LED video wall and an LED screen?

They are the same technology at different scales. An LED screen is a single display. An LED video wall is built from multiple LED cabinets tiled together so they behave as one picture, with no bezels or joins running through the image, which is what separates it from a wall of LCD televisions.

Because the wall is assembled from cabinets, its size and shape are yours to choose. Our indoor cabinets are 640 by 480mm and our outdoor cabinets 960 by 960mm, so a wall can be built long and low, full height, curved, or wrapped around a corner.

How long do LED displays last?

The LEDs are rated at around 100,000 hours. At eight hours a day that is more than thirty years; run continuously, around eleven. In practice LED screens fade rather than fail, so displays are usually replaced because they have dimmed or the control system has become obsolete, not because they have stopped working.

That is also why a ten or fifteen year old screen is often worth upgrading rather than scrapping. Send us the details of what you have and we will tell you which it is.

Do you make scoreboards for football, rugby and cricket clubs?

Yes: football, rugby, cricket, motorsport and indoor sports, from simple low-cost boards for village clubs up to full stadium video screens. All of them are designed and built at our factory in Andover and run from the clubhouse.

Most clubs do not pay for a scoreboard out of subscriptions. Build an advertising area into the board and a sponsor will often cover the cost, and a full video scoreboard can carry promotions, adverts, player images and competitions between plays, which turns it into a revenue line rather than an expense.

How much power does an LED screen use?

It depends on area, brightness setting and what you display: a screen showing mostly dark content with a little text draws a fraction of what the same screen draws showing full-brightness white. As a rough planning figure, a five square metre indoor screen running eight hours a day uses roughly 5,000 to 9,000 kWh a year, and a comparable outdoor screen 15,000 to 22,000 kWh.

Displays built in the last year or two draw 20 to 30 per cent less power than equivalents from five years ago, which is often the strongest argument for upgrading an ageing screen. We give a power figure for your specific display with the quotation.