LED screens are abundant in city skylines and today, images and videos reign supreme. While the LED technology used in these screens is far from complicated, a little mishap can destroy the entire look of the display. This is why it’s important to understand what a moire pattern screen is all about.

The LED screen global market is expected to grow by 2030 to an astounding $45.94 billion from 2022’s USD 24.86 billion. With the market value estimated to double in the coming years, it is a smart decision to invest in the industry. Enterprises are investing in LED screens not just for their marketing and promotion needs, but even for the major operations of these enterprises. 

For faster and more efficient ROIs (return on investment), it is necessary to make sure that the LEDs perform excellently. The moire effect LED screen shows needs to be resolved and taken into account because it can hinder the display’s effectiveness and efficiency. In the end, a moire pattern screen can be harmful to your investment and enterprise’s operation so learning more about it is necessary. 

What Is the Moire Pattern Screen

Moire pattern is the term that defines the visual occurrence when the lines, dots, and colors in an image become repetitive. A moire pattern screen is an LED display that carries this rainbow-like pattern and is shown in the images and videos. 

The word “moire” is a French term that means cloudy or watery and it easily describes the lines and visual distortion on the display. The patterns can come in different forms, like overlapping similar or different patterns, unusual stripes, superimpose, opaque, and rainbow-colored patterns. 

A moire pattern screen may be a bit disorienting to look at. These patterns, also called moire fringes, disrupt the authentic look of the image or video displayed on the screen. One pattern may be different from the other but one thing’s similar about all of them, they can be annoying and ruin the quality of the image or video displayed on the screen. While they may be used sometimes to produce special effects, most of the time they are just a nuisance.

Causes of Moire Patterns on LED Screens

The moire pattern screen is formed due to overlapping patterns on the display. When it comes to causes, there are different ways by which moire patterns can form on the moire screen. Here are some of the cases where moire patterns form on the LED screens:

Issues With LED Screen Specifications

The moire effect LED screen has may be due to some issues with the display’s specifications, including the following:

• LED resolution is lower than what it should be (especially when displaying a detailed image or small letters and numbers
• The pixels on the LED screen do not align
• The slow refresh rate of the LED screen cannot keep up with the changing graphics (often leading to flickering or blurring)
• Color calibration for the LED screen was incorrectly set
• The LED screen has poor-quality anti-aliasing (a technique that smoothens out spiky edges)
• Scaling image or video is done improperly (misaligned)

Incompatibility Issues

A moire pattern screen can also happen because of the following incompatibility issues, including the following:

• Drivers and software are incompatible with each other
• Content resolution is not compatible with the LED screen’s resolution
• The Image captured has a higher resolution than the camera allows – Low-resolution cameras tend to produce these images

Issues With the Content

You can also get a moire pattern screen because of issues with the content, including the following issues:

• Numbers and letters are too small or have thin strokes
• Reflection from external lighting interfere
• High-contrast images difficult to reproduce 
• Disruptions from nearby electronic devices
• Pixelated images (for LED walls with fixed pixel density)
• Overlapping elements displayed on the screen: web browser tabs, dialog boxes, pop-up windows, buttons and menus, and images/graphics

Physical Issues With the LED Screen

Some physical issues with the LED screen and its surroundings can also create a moire pattern screen. Some of these issues are the following:

• There’s a physical damage on the screen, either a crack or a scratch, that interferes in the passing light
• Low-quality cables are used for the LED screen
• The LED screen is viewed at a certain distance and angle that creates an interference pattern

How Moire Patterns Affect LED Screens

The most important thing to know about moire patterns is their effects on LED screens. LED displays are primarily designed to provide an optimal visual experience for viewers. And a moire pattern screen ruins that aesthetic-forward visual experience. Here are some of the visual distortions that moire patterns come in.

Basic Moire Patterns

The standard moire patterns come in the form of uneven patterns on the display. They can be regular patterns like stripes or clashing ones that make the screen look busy and crowded. 

Rainbow Effect

The rainbow effect simply refers to the colorful issue found in a moire pattern screen. The display features a highly visible rainbow that easily affects the look of the display.

Text & Image Distortion

Distortion can be found in a moire pattern screen and it can come in different forms. Here are some of the most popular issues of distortion.

• Text distortion -Texts and numbers break up and make them difficult to read and see. 
• Image distortion – Images on the screen look blurry and distorted and viewers would rather not look at them.
• Text & image ghosting – The texts and images look like they have afterimages that trail behind them.
• Jagged edges – Texts and images appear to have jagged edges.

Flickering Screen

The flickering of the display is also a possible effect of a moire pattern screen. The LED display will flicker and the content will stutter. It might also be possible for the screen to pulse which will be very unpleasant to viewers. All of these effects are highly noticeable for displays that feature fast-moving videos and images with high color contrasts. 

Poor Clarity & Contrast

LED displays affected by moire effects may also end up having lesser contrast making the images and videos look flat and unrealistic. The clarity of the content will also be compromised and whatever’s shown on the screen will appear blurry and unsharp.

Color Banding

A moire pattern screen also has issues with color banding. The aesthetics of the LED displays will not appear as smooth compared to what’s expected. The transitions will also stutter.

How A Moire Pattern Screen Affects Viewers & Industries

The worst thing about having and using a moire pattern screen is that it affects whatever operation and promotion you’re planning for it. LED screens are supposed to create a good image for you and the company you represent and showing a faulty LED screen can result in the opposite of that. 

Moire patterns on LED screens can affect the event you’re organizing, whether it’s a product promotion and launch or a wedding you’re hired to arrange. Here are some of the effects that a moire pattern screen will have on the event and the viewers. 

1. Creates a distraction and disorientation that will affect the viewer’s attention away from where it should be
2. Easily reduces the focus and engagement of the viewers
3. A high chance of viewers misinterpreting the content since the texts and graphics won’t be clear
4. Events where the screen is used won’t look official and will appear cheap
5. Can affect prospects for more event-organizing stunts and sponsorships
6. May ruin your credibility and brand image, whether through word of mouth or social media backlash
7. Leads to fewer customers and lower and slower ROIs
8. May require a higher maintenance cost, especially if the LED screens frequently experience moire effects

How to Eliminate Moire Patterns on LED Screens

Once you’ve identified a moire pattern screen, the next step is to effectively eliminate the distortions or issues found on the screen. There are solutions you can do for the content and the LED display, depending on what’s causing the moire patterns in the first place. The cause of the moire effect can be due to the content or the LED display itself and then you can act accordingly.

Content-wise (Before shown on the LED display)

Before diving into your LED screen, make sure that the content you’re using is not the cause of the moire effect. Here are some of the ways to resolve a moire pattern screen because of the content. 

Resolve Camera/Productions Issues

The moire patterns on your screen may be caused by incorrect production measures when capturing the content for the images and videos. Here are some things you can do:

Production

• Adjust the camera angle – Ideal for when the moire effects are concentrated on a particular angle
• Change the shutter speed – Make sure to match the refresh rate of the LED display so adjust the shutter speed accordingly
• Change the camera’s focal length – Adjusting the focal length means adjusting the image and video resolutions
• Adjust your distance when capturing – Find the perfect distance to your target where the moire effect won’t appear (Try getting closer and farther from the subject)
• Adjust your camera focus – This is the best solution to overlapping patterns and can be eliminated if you just change the focus of your camera

Post-production

• Edit the content with an anti-aliasing filter – This filter can help reduce moire patterns in the content by blurring them
• Just remove the content – When all other recommended solutions do not work, just take it out from the content

Content Quality Choice

Make sure to use high-quality elements for your content, whether it’s texts, images, or videos, and screen them for moire patterns to be sure you won’t have them on your content.

Issues on LED Display (After production of content)

Besides content, a moire pattern screen may be due to the actual LED display itself. Check out these solutions you can apply on your LED screen to get rid of moire effects on the display. 

LED Display Calibration

When the LED display is properly calibrated, it looks better and more pleasing to the eyes. Here are some of the adjustments you may want to consider. 

• Adjust the LED display to a lower resolution
• Change the display frequency and refresh rate of the LED screen
• Change the display settings and pay close attention to how you set the levels of the screen’s brightness, saturation, and color contrast to avoid moire effects

Double-check on The Video Cable

Check the video cable on your moire pattern screen if it may be the cause of these distortions. Here are some of the things you need to look out for and change the video cable when necessary after checking it out:

• Check if you have a poor-quality video cable
• Assess the shielding of the video cable
• Check the length of the video cable (A shorter cable may help improve the quality)

Use An Anti-glare Screen

Adding an anti-glare screen in your LED display can help get rid of the moire patterns since it reduces reflections. If it’s not available, you can also physically change the position of the LED display to get rid of the reflections. 

Utilize Software Solution

Another option you can do to deal with your moire pattern screen is to run a software solution. This solution is used to take out the patterns from the images or videos shown on the display. 

Replace Your LED Screen

If all fails, the last option you can have is to replace your LED screen. If you’ve tried everything and nothing worked, you don’t have to waste more time on it. If you have the budget, just replace the LED screen with a higher-quality one. 

Conclusion

A moire pattern screen is not a lost cause and you can do something to get rid of the patterns. Going through the causes and solutions one by one is the key to resolving these issues. If you have the time to deal with it on your own, you can learn everything you can about moire patterns and why they happen. If not, hiring a professional to troubleshoot your LED screen is the next best thing.