Media mesh turns a facade into a giant digital surface with a transparent mesh of LED bars. We explain how it works, what to watch for and how it differs from conventional screens.
If a giant image that reads clearly from afar on the facade of a stadium or tall building turns out, up close, to be made of thin LED bars arranged at intervals, what you are looking at is a media mesh screen. Media mesh creates a digital surface that works as part of the building’s architecture without covering the facade.
Media mesh is a screen system formed by bars carrying LEDs arranged at set intervals like a mesh. Each LED group is controlled as a pixel, and the whole surface shows video, animation or text together. Because the gaps between the bars are open, the structure is transparent: daylight comes in and the outside remains visible from inside.
| Feature | Media mesh | Conventional (closed) LED screen |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Transparent; the facade and windows remain visible | Closed panel; completely covers what is behind it |
| Weight and wind | Light; wind passes through | Heavier; large wind surface |
| Daylight and ventilation | Does not block them | Blocks them |
| Resolution | For viewing from afar | High, for viewing up close |
| Suitable scale | Large facades, stadiums, bridges | Smaller surfaces viewed up close |
Pixel pitch is the distance between the centers of two pixels. The smaller the pitch, the more detailed the image; but the same area then needs more pixels, more control channels and a higher cost. The larger the pitch, the more transparent the surface becomes.
In media mesh, the pitch is chosen according to the distance from which the screen will be viewed. Wide pitches are enough for a surface viewed from across the street or from a highway, while the pitch is reduced on surfaces viewed more closely.
As the viewer moves away from the screen, the pixels are perceived not as separate dots but as a whole image. To choose the right pitch, where and from what distance the screen will be viewed should be clarified at the start of the project.
Media mesh screens are managed by media servers and pixel controllers that convert video content into pixel data. This data, which reaches many universes, is usually carried over the network with Art-Net or sACN; we explain the details in our control signal article.
When preparing content, the screen’s real pixel resolution should be the basis. Very fine details and small text are lost at low resolution; large forms, strong contrasts and slow movements look far more effective.
In our media mesh screen systems, the number in the product name shows the number of pixels per meter. VMesh P16 offers high transmittance with 16 pixels per meter and a 62.5 mm pixel pitch; VMesh P56 gives the family’s sharpest image with 56 pixels per meter and a pitch of about 17.8 mm. In between, VMesh P32 is a balanced option between resolution and transparency.
As an application example, you can look at our Antalyaspor Stadium media mesh screen project.
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