Glossary A–ZLetter R
Refresh rate
Refresh rate states how often a display redraws its picture per second and is given in hertz.
At 60 hertz this happens sixty times a second. It is not the same as a video’s frame rate, which states how many individual frames per second are stored.
For most content in screen networks, the usual 50 or 60 hertz is sufficient. The topic becomes noticeable when video and output do not match: a film at 25 frames per second on a 60 hertz output can judder during camera pans and scrolling text, because frames stay on screen for unequal times. Some players therefore switch the output to suit the video.
LED walls have a second, technical refresh rate of their driving electronics. If it is low, the eye barely notices, but a camera sees stripes or flicker. This matters when the wall is filmed at events. Operators should check in the data sheet which of the two figures is meant.