Glossary A–ZLetter W
White balance
White balance is the setting of a screen that determines how neutrally white is displayed, without a blue or yellow cast.
It is described using the colour temperature in kelvin. Low values look warm and yellowish, high values cool and bluish.
For video and most image standards, a colour temperature of around 6,500 kelvin serves as the reference for white. Many screens are set cooler at the factory because that looks brighter. In screen networks, white balance matters most where devices hang side by side: in a video wall or a row of menu screens, any deviation is immediately noticeable, especially with white areas and corporate colours.
White balance depends on the device type, its age and the production batch. Even identical models can look slightly different. Factory settings and energy-saving modes often change it unnoticed. Operators should run the screens of one surface with the same settings, adjust them after replacing a device and plan calibration with a measuring instrument for video walls.