The two options
A 24 square metre lobby wall. Option one: LCD, nine 55-inch panels, 3.5 mm bezel. Option two: LED, P2.5. Purchase prices differed by 18 percent in favour of LCD. Both ran 12 hours a day.
Cost line one: energy
LCD at 180 W per panel, nine panels, is 1.6 kW. LED at 280 W per square metre, 24 square metres, is 6.7 kW, but at 60 percent average brightness it is about 4 kW. Over five years at 0.12 USD per kWh and 4,380 hours a year, LCD costs about 4,200 dollars and LED about 10,500. That is a 6,300 dollar swing to LED's disadvantage.
Cost line two: service
LCD needs seam alignment visits, and panel replacement when a unit fails. LED needs module and power supply replacement. Over five years, our service records suggest LCD averages 1.6 visits a year and LED 0.8. At 600 dollars per visit including parts, that is 4,800 versus 2,400.
Cost line three: content adaptation
An LCD grid has visible bezels, so content is usually designed with a safe zone. An LED wall has no bezels, so content can be full bleed. This is not a cost saving, it is a quality difference, but it shows up as fewer redesigns when the brand updates its materials.
Cost line four: residual value
At year five, LCD panels have a replacement market. LED modules are harder to resell because they must match a batch. Option one recovers about 8 percent, option two about 4 percent.
The totals
| Line | LCD | LED |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | 100 | 118 |
| Energy, 5 yr | 14 | 35 |
| Service, 5 yr | 16 | 8 |
| Residual credit | -8 | -5 |
| Index total | 122 | 156 |
So LCD always wins on cost?
On this wall, yes. Change one variable: if the wall runs 24 hours a day in a hot climate, LED's energy penalty grows and LCD's panel life shortens. Change another: if the wall is curved, LCD cannot do it at all. Cost of ownership is a tool for comparing options that can both do the job, not for choosing a technology.