Th LED display performance is closely related to its technical parameters. You may have heard the concept of scanning mode. Currently, the two common scanning modes include 32-scan and 64-scan. What are the differences between them? Doitvision will analyze them in detail.
What is the scanning mode?
The scanning mode refers to the working mode of the internal driving circuit of the LED display. It defines the order and number of LED lamp beads at the same time.
- 32-scan: The LED screen is divided into 32 scanning areas. Each time one area is lit, the refresh of the entire screen is completed in turn.
- 64-scan: The LED screen is divided into 64 scanning areas. Each time one area is lit, the refresh is completed one by one.
Due to the lighting order difference, it will not only affect the display effect, but also directly determine the complexity of the driving circuit, the brightness output and the power consumption.
The core technical difference between 32-scan and 64-scan
Scan area
32-scan: Since the screen is divided into 32 areas, the number of LED lamp beads in each area is relatively large.
64-scan: Since there are more scanning areas, the number of LED lamp beads lit at a time is less.
More scanning areas mean more even current distribution, which can reduce the current load of a single area. Therefore, in general, 64-scan LED display screens have higher stability and can extend the service life of the LED screen.
Driver chip
32-scan adopts traditional driving schemes, such as controlling the lighting of LED lamp beads through 138 decoders.
However, in order to support higher scanning frequencies, 64-scan abandons the traditional decoding method. It usually uses serial row tube driving technology, which can further optimize the circuit design.
Although 64-scan reduces the number of chips, it also increases the technical complexity. Therefore, its manufacturing process also requires higher requirements.
The impact of refresh rate on display effect
32-scan refresh rate performance
Generally speaking, compared with 32-scan, 64-scan LED screens can provide higher refresh rates.
Due to the fewer scans per unit time, it can more easily achieve higher color reproduction. In addition, when playing dynamic pictures, 64-scan pictures are more stable, which can reduce blur and smearing.
Brightness and power consumption
Brightness performance
32 scans: Due to the large number of LED beads driven each time, the screen brightness is usually higher. 32-scan LED screens are more suitable for strong light scenes, such as outdoor advertising or high-end stage displays.
64 scans: Due to the small number of lamp beads lit each time, the theoretical brightness is slightly lower, but modern LED display manufacturers often make up for this difference by adjusting the drive current, and the final brightness performance is not much different.
Power consumption performance
- 32 scans: More lamp beads are driven at a time, and the instantaneous power consumption is higher.
- 64 scans: Fewer lamp beads are driven at a time, which reduces the instantaneous power consumption. However, due to the higher scanning frequency, the overall power consumption does not change significantly.
Power consumption differences
The difference in power consumption between 32 scans and 64 scans depends more on the actual drive current configuration and application environment, rather than the scanning method itself.
Cost and complexity
Cost factors
- 32 scans:
– Uses the traditional 138 decoding method, with mature technology and relatively low manufacturing costs.
– The driving circuit is relatively simple and has low hardware requirements.
- 64-scan:
– Using more complex driver ICs and serial row tube technology, although the number of chips is reduced, the circuit design and process complexity are increased.
– Higher technical investment is required to optimize the driving scheme, so its initial cost is higher.
Technical complexity
In actual use, 64-scan may face the following technical challenges:
– Grayscale loss: In low-brightness scenes, 64-scan may be difficult to restore fine grayscale performance, resulting in reduced picture quality.
– Color difference and color spots: Due to the reduction of driver ICs, the screen may have uneven brightness and color difference.
– Service life: The reduction in the number of chips may cause excessive refresh problems, accelerate the light decay of the lamp beads, and affect the LED display life .
Visual effect comparison
Dynamic picture performance
– 32-scan:
– The picture is more stable and suitable for the display of high-speed dynamic pictures.
– Less ghosting and high color reproduction.
– 64 scan:
– Although its higher refresh rate makes up for the lack of picture stability to a certain extent, in complex dynamic scenes, 64-scan LED screens may still have blurring and color deviation problems.
Uniformity and failure rate
– 32 scan: Due to the simple driving circuit, the screen failure rate is low and the display effect is more uniform.
– 64 scan: After the driving circuit is complicated, it may cause long strips of bright or dark spots (commonly known as the “caterpillar” phenomenon), reducing the visual experience.
We have introduced the main differences between 32 scan and 64 scan. So for an LED display, how do you judge the scanning mode of the LED display?
How to judge the scanning mode of the LED display?
Let’s take the 1/4 scan mode as an example. It can be simply understood that at a certain moment, only one-quarter of the LED beads are lit by the driver IC.
Although this working method cannot be easily detected by the naked eye, if you use professional camera equipment and set the shutter speed very high, you may be able to capture the effect of this lighting sequence. Next, let’s calculate the scanning mode using the P3 LED module as an example.
Step 1: Calculate the total number of driver IC pins
First, observe the number of driver ICs on the module.
In the case of the P3 module, we can see that there are 8 groups of LED driver ICs on the module, each group contains 3 driver ICs, so the total is:
8 × 3 = 24 driver ICs.
Each driver IC has 16 pins.
Therefore, the total number of driver IC pins on the module is:
24 × 16 = 384 pins.
Step 2: Calculate the total number of LED chips in the module
First, determine the resolution of the module.
The P3 module resolution is 64×32, so its total number of pixels is:
64 × 32 = 2048 pixels.
Each pixel consists of three colors of LED chips: red, green, and blue, so the total number of LED chips is:
2048 × 3 = 6144 LED chips.
Step 3: Apply the formula to calculate the scan mode
According to the formula:
Scan mode = total number of driver IC pins ÷ total number of LED chips, so:
Scan mode = 384 ÷ 6144 = 1/16
The final result: the scan mode of this P3 LED display module is 1/16 scan.
Why is the scan mode important?
Affecting brightness
As we mentioned earlier, the higher the scan mode (such as 1/16 or 1/32), the fewer LED beads are lit per unit time, and the brightness usually decreases. Low scan modes (such as 1/2 or 1/4) can achieve higher brightness. If your LED display has outdoor high brightness requirements, you can choose a lower scan mode.
Affecting refresh rate and stability
Higher scan modes can achieve higher refresh rates and more stable pictures. Therefore, it is more suitable for high-speed dynamic picture display. Lower scan modes may be slightly inferior in refresh rate and dynamic performance, but are sufficient to meet most indoor static display needs.
Affecting power consumption and cost
Higher scan modes reduce the number of beads that are instantly lit, thereby reducing power consumption. In addition, it can also reduce the number of driver chips, thereby reducing production costs.
Summary
The main difference between 32-scan and 64-scan is the number of scanning areas and the driving method. It can directly affect the brightness, refresh rate, power consumption and display effect of the screen.
It should be noted that although the LED screen scanning mode is an important technical parameter, in actual application, you also need to consider the brightness requirement, the installation environment, the usage , etc.
If you have questions about specific technical details or product selection. You can contact our team directly . For further information, please feel free to contact Doitvision.
Breaking the boundaries of the flat screen allows for unprecedented spatial experiences. Whether it's a gaming kiosk or a massive architectural pillar, if you have an unconventional idea, don't let standard hardware specifications limit you. The engineering exists to build it.
The Author
Kris Liang
Founder & Lead Engineer, DOIT VISION
With nearly two decades of experience bridging Shenzhen's manufacturing capabilities with Western architectural needs, Kris specializes in translating complex visual concepts into reliable, deployable hardware. He is passionate about structural engineering and high-reliability AV solutions.
kris@doitvision.com