Element Labs: Versa TILE display

Element Labs produce a range of products using LEDs to create pixel displays of amazing beauty. The Versa TILE system comes in boxes of 5×5 pixels, so you can build your own screen size. You can even have round pixel units if you like.

Of course, that’s assuming you have big big bucks to spend. While no prices are listed on the Element Labs web site, this is high-end technology favored by trade fair exhibits, casinos and TV studios, and is unlikely to become consumer tech in the near future.

Large-scale LED-based displays have become more common in the last few years. While the displays themselves often look great, one of the more exciting aspects is that these are pixel-based as opposed to video-based, which makes it a truly digital technology. Designers can finally get away from the arcane restrictions of analog video with its awkward color spectrum, non-square pixels and obscure formats. And since the “screen” is made up of independent pixels, the pixels can be placed in non-rectangular configurations and even made to fit irregular surfaces. The potential for living media surfaces is obvious.