LED Refresh Rate Guide
Refresh rate is the one LED spec most people never think to ask about — right up until they film their event and the screen appears to flicker or show black bars on camera. Here's why it matters and when to actually worry about it.
What is refresh rate and why does it matter?
Refresh rate is how many times per second the screen redraws its image, measured in hertz (Hz). To the naked eye, most LED screens look smooth regardless of refresh rate, but it becomes important the moment a camera gets involved, because a camera's shutter can capture the screen mid-refresh and record it as flickering or banded.
Is refresh rate the same thing as frame rate?
No, though people sometimes use the terms loosely. Frame rate is a property of your video content — how many frames per second it was filmed or exported at. Refresh rate is a property of the screen hardware — how often it redraws whatever content is being fed to it. A screen's refresh rate needs to be high enough to display your content's frame rate cleanly, particularly to a camera.
Will a low refresh rate be visible to the naked eye?
Generally no — for the people in the room watching directly, a standard refresh rate looks perfectly smooth. It's specifically a camera problem, not a live-viewing one, so if nobody's filming or livestreaming, it's rarely something to worry about.
Can a low refresh rate cause eye strain for the live audience?
Standard event LED refresh rates are well above what causes any noticeable flicker or discomfort for people watching directly. Eye strain from a screen is far more commonly related to brightness being set too high for the room than to refresh rate itself.
Does refresh rate matter if my event is being filmed or livestreamed?
Yes, significantly. If a camera will be pointed at the screen — for a livestream, a hybrid event, or even just a photographer capturing the stage — a standard refresh rate can show up as visible flicker or dark banding in the footage, even though it looks fine live in the room.
What refresh rate should I actually ask for if there'll be cameras at my event?
Rather than quoting a specific number to memorise, the simplest approach is to tell us your event will be filmed or streamed and let us match a high refresh rate panel to your camera setup. The right figure depends partly on the camera's own shutter settings, which we can coordinate with your filming crew directly.
Does every LED screen support a high refresh rate, or is it a special order?
Not every panel is built to the same standard, so it's worth confirming rather than assuming. High refresh rate panels are widely available for event hire, but if you're booking a specific screen you've seen elsewhere, it's worth double-checking that it's camera-friendly if filming is involved.
Does refresh rate affect the price?
Higher refresh rate panels can carry a premium over standard ones, but it's a relatively minor factor compared to size or pixel pitch. It's a worthwhile spend if cameras are involved, since re-filming or fixing flickering footage after the fact isn't really an option.