Hi-LED 55

manual
Create your ultimate
visual experience
02
Table of
contents

01
Hardware
01.1 Pixel pitch
03
Controlling Hi-LED 55
03.1 Standard screen - regular video
01.2 Batch 03.2 Large standard screen
01.3 Hi-LED 55 (multiple data output ports) - regular video
01.4 Hi-LED 55+ 03.3 Multiple standard screens
01.5 Curves 03.4 Standard screen - irregular video shape
01.6 Resolutions 03.5 Complex screen - regular video
01.7 Cables & connection 03.6 Save and load configuration
01.8 Powerflow 03.7 Remove configuration
01.9 Dataflow 03.8 Laptop or PC as media player
01.10 Hi-LED 55 hardware chain
01.11 Media players

04
01.12 Led controllers
01.13 Calculate dataflow layout

Hi-LED troubleshooting

02
04.1 Factory reset receiving cards
04.2 Calibrate cabinets
04.3 Troubleshoot decision tree
Video content
02.1 Regular video

05
02.2 Irregular video shape
02.3 Video file export settings
03.4 Brightauthor
Annex
05.1 Glossary
05.2 Tables & settings
05.3 Downloads

03
 01. Hardware
01.1 Pixel pitch
Aluvision offers two types of Hi-LED 55:
• 2.8 (176x176 pixels, pitch 2.8 mm)
• 2.5 (192x192 pixels, pitch 2.5 mm

Please make sure you know what type of Hi-LED 55 you

have and which batch they are. The batch number and
amount of pixels is important when setting up the
Hi-LED 55 configuration.

Each cabinet consists of 4 replaceable LED modules. The pixel pitch value is the distance from one
led to the next.

Pixel pitch 2.5 module Pixel pitch 2.8 module

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
01.2 Batch
Each LED module has a batch
number. LED modules of the same
batch guarantee a seamless image
across the LED surface.

On the back of each LED module you

can find the batch number.

Example Hi-LED 55 P2.5

BATCHNUMBER BATCH 205

01.3 Hi-LED 55
At the back of the cabinet a power box is mounted. The power box has 4 connectors. There are
2 power connectors on the right, an input (male connection) and an output (female connection). On
the left you can find two signal connectors, can be either an input or output.

At the bottom of the power box 2 buttons are available. The test button is used to play a colour or a
pattern to check the brightness, check for broken pixels, etc. The test button functionality is only used
when there is no LED controller connected. Press the button twice to enter the test modes, then press
once to switch between the modes.

Pressing the function button shows more info about the cabinet on the LCD information display:
software version, current temperature and operating hours.

Output/Input data A B Output power

C Power box

Output/Input data D E Input power

Test button F G Function button

05
 Extra specifications

Weight: 8,8 kg (2.8 mm), 9,8 kg (2.5 mm) Horizontal viewing angle: 140°

Panel dimensions: 495,8x495,8 mm Max. hanging quantity: 20 cabinets

Max. stacking quantity: 10 cabinets

Vertical viewing angle: 120°
(without support)

01.4 Hi-LED 55+

Create seamless corners and convex screens.

Pictured here is the top view of 2 Hi-LED

55 modules, the left module is a standard
Hi-LED 55, the right module is a Hi-LED
55+ You can recognise it by the chamfered
sides. This chamfer makes it possible to
create seamless 90° corners and convex
screens. Hi-LED 55+ and normal Hi-LED 55
modules can be combined on a flat surface

06
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
Extra specifications

Weight: 10,1 kg (2.8 mm), 11 kg (2.5 mm) Horizontal viewing angle: 140°

Panel dimensions: 495,8x495,8 mm Max. hanging quantity: 20 cabinets

Max. stacking quantity: 10 cabinets

Vertical viewing angle: 120°
(without support)

01.5 Curves
Aluvision also offers, next to the regular flat tiles, curves. All can be integrated seamlessly into the original
Aluvision frame system.

Hi-LED R437 convex

− Outer curve 90°

Hi-LED R437 concave

− Inner curve 90°

The curved Hi-LED 55 tiles consist of 4 flexible (and replaceable) LED modules. The height is the same
as a regular Hi-LED 55. The power box looks a little different, but has the same functionalities as the
ones for a flat Hi-LED 55.

07
 Look for this sticker on the
back of the LED module to
determine the pixel pitch
and Batch number.

01.6 Resolutions
Hi-LED 55/ 90° 90° 30° 30°
Hi-LED 55+ CONCAVE CONVEX CONCAVE CONVEX

Pixelpitch 2.8 176 x 176 244 x 176 274 x 176 274 x 176 274 x 176

Pixelpitch 2.5 192 x 192 266 x 192 300 x 192 300 x 192 300 x 192

01.7 Cables & connection

• A Truecom power cable of 10 meters powers the cabinets (32.8ft).

08
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
EU power cable US power cable Power input

• A Neutric signal cable CAT5E of 20 meters provides the data to the cabinets (65ft).

Signal input

• Interlink cables link the cabinets and send power and data from one cabinet to another.
Interlink power cables can be connected to each other (daisy chaining), interlink signal cables
can’t.

Truecom Interlink Neutric Interlink signal/

power cable data cable CAT5E
(1, 3, 6 or 10 meters) (1, 3, 6 or 10 meters)
(3.2ft, 9.8ft, 19.6ft, 32.8ft) (3.2ft, 9.8ft, 19.6ft, 32.8ft)

09
 01.8 Powerflow
The power flow is the order in which the cabinets send power from one cabinet to the other.

Connect up to 18 (EU)/9 (US) 2.8 mm cabinets and 17 (EU)/8 (US) 2.5 mm cabinets in one power flow,
but always keep in mind the maximum and average power consumption.

Max. connections Max. connections

Max. power (W) Average power (W)
EU US

Hi-LED 55 (2.8) 18 9 147.5 49

90° CONCAVE (2.8) 13 6 204 68

90° CONVEX (2.8)

30° CONCAVE (2.8) 12 6 230 77
30° CONVEX (2.8)

Hi-LED 55 (2.5) 17 8 152.5 51

90° CONCAVE (2.5) 12 5 211 70

90° CONVEX (2.5)

30° CONCAVE (2.5) 11 5 238 79
30° CONVEX (2.5)

Maintain the overview: work in a vertical or horizontal data/signal flow.

Horizondal flow Vertical flow

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
01.9 Dataflow
The signal/data flow is the order in which the cabinets are connected. The signal/data flow is very
important to keep in mind for the configuration of the cabinets later on. The maximum amount of
cabinets in 1 signal/data flow depends on the used controller. See chapter 01.6. The power and data
do not necessarily need to follow the same flow.

1 A Horizontal or a vertical snake pattern is the most efficient cabling layout.

2 If you are working with different cabinets (a combination of different pixel pitches or
straight tiles and curves) try to group cabinets of the same shape and batch together
on a cable. This makes configuration easier later on. That being said you, can definetly
mix batches and shapes on one cable.

3 Just like power flows there is a limit on the amount of cabinets you can connect in one
dataflow. Head to chapter 1.12 to calculate a dataflow layout.

Maintain the overview: work in a vertical or horizontal power flow.

Horizondal flow Vertical flow

01.10 Hi-LED 55 hardware chain

After all the cabinets are connected with interlink power and signal/data cables, plug the first
cabinet into a power outlet. Use a 20m Neutrik data/signal cable to connect the first cabinet to
the LED controller. Connect the LED controller to a media player.

11
 signal/data power

01.11 Media players

A media player is required to play content on your LED wall. You can use any media player you want:
Media server PC/laptop, DVD/Blu-ray player, game console… or you can use a media player such as
a ’BrightSign’ device. BrightSign LS424 (HD) is recommended by Aluvision. For 4K support, BrightSign
HD224 is available. The biggest advantages are the player's physical size (fits inside an Aluvision frame)
and the automatic looped playback.

The media player should be connected to the Novastar controller using an HDMI or an HDMI to DVI
cable (only with Novastar MCTRL300).

12
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
01.12 LED controllers
An LED controller/sending box is required to send the correct data to each cabinet. Aluvision uses
Novastar controllers. Different types can be used, depending on the amount of cabinets in your setup
and it’s functionalities. We offers four types:

• Novastar MCTRL300

− Supports 1.3 million pixels, 2 data outputs, including standard resolutions (1280x720, 1440x900,
1280x1024 and all smaller resolutions)
− Output maximum: 20 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 17 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− Controller maximum: 40 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 34 cabinets (2.5 mm)

PC/Laptop connection
B (configuration)

C Video input
(DVI)
Data output
ports (to cabinets)

• Novastar MCTRL660

− Supports 2.3 million pixels, 4 data outputs, including standard resolutions (1920x1080 fullHD,
1920x1200, 2048x1080 and all smaller resolutions)
− Output maximum: 18 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 15 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− Controller maximum: 72 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 60 cabinets (2.5 mm)

B Video input (DVI or HDMI)

A C PC/Laptop connection
Data output
ports (to (configuration)
cabinets) D Display E Return
button

F Navigation &
selection button

13
 • Novastar MCTRL660 PRO

− Supports 2.3 million pixels, 6 data outputs, including standard resolutions (1280x720, 1440x900,
1280x1024 and all smaller resolutions)
− Output maximum: 12 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 10 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− Controller maximum: 72 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 60 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− No PC/laptop required for basic configuration and testing
− 10/12-bit video support, low latency

B Video input (DVI or HDMI)

C PC/Laptop connection A Data output ports

(configuration) (to cabinets)
D Display E Return button

F Navigation & selection button

• Novastar MCTRL4K

− Supports: 8.3 million pixels, 16 data outputs, including 3840*2160 UHD and all smaller
resolutions.
− Output maximum: 16 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 14 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− Controller maximum: 256 cabinets (2.8 mm) / 224 cabinets (2.5 mm)
− No PC/laptop required for basic configuration and testing
− HDR support
− 4K support

A Data output ports B Video input

(to cabinets) (DVI or HDMI)

C PC/Laptop connection
(configuration)
D Display E Return button

F Navigation & selection button

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 01. HARDWARE
01.13 Calculate dataflow layout

300 600 660pro 4k

Number of ports 2 4 6 16

2.8 output 20 18 12 16
max. full load

2.8 output max. 20 20 20 20

(controller not fully loaded)

2.8 controller max. 40 72 72 256

2.5 output 17 15 10 14
max. full load

2.5 output (controller not 17 17 17 17

fully loaded

2.5 controller max. 34 60 60 224

1280 x 1024 1920 x 1200 1920 x 1200 4096 x 2160

max resolution
@60fps 60fps @60fsp @60fps

HDR no no yes yes

Low latency no no yes no

All resolutions smaller than the ones recommended, are supported too.
Custom resolutions are also possible within the restrictions of the controller.

15
 Maximum amount of cabinets on one data port if the controller is fully
Output
loaded. When the controller is not fully loaded one output port can power a
maximum
maximum of 20 2.8/17 2.5 cabinets.

Controller
Maximum amount of cabinets on all data ports (this is limited).
maximum

Standard video has 8 bit data rate . HDR video has a 10 bit datarate.
HDR video Because of the higher bitrate, with HDR video the controller capacity is
reduced by half.
Novastar M600 & pro controllers have a video out port. This is for situations
Cascading where you want to play the same video on different screens. You can have
one media player, sending the video to LED controller 1, controller 1 sends
the video to controller 2 and so on. Note: Cascading is not intended to use
one 4k media player and 4 600 controllers to fill a 4k screen. The controllers
cannot decode and pass trough a video signal larger than 1920x1200px)

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 02. VIDEOCONTENT
02. Video content
02.1 Regular video
From now on we will be using the term video to define the content the hardware has to play.
The term screen is used to describe the hardware.

Regular
Any video that has a rectangle or square shape
video

Irregular
Any video with a layout that is not strictly a rectangle or a square.
video shape

Standard
A LED wall built with one type of LED cabinets.
screen

Irrecular A LED wall built with different types of LED cabinets (eg: a combination of flat
video tiles and curves).

The resolution of the video file that is played back by the media player is different from the actual
resolution of the screen. When exporting the video, use standard HD (1920x1080 pixels) or 4K
(3840x2160 pixels) video resolution. The footage that is shown on the screen is the rectangle
positioned in the top left corner within this video.

Depending on the media player, other resolutions can be used. Below you can find the instructions
how to prepare your video using a BrightSign media player. Other workflows are also possible, but this
workflow makes sure you won’t face any scaling issues later on.
17
 The resolution of the rectangle should match the resolution (amount of pixels) of the
screen. This is called ‘pixel to pixel’ and means that every pixel in the video represents
a pixel in the screen.

To calculate the resolution of the screen, first count the amount of cabinets in your screen.
To calculate the resolution width, multiply the amount of horizontal cabinets in your screen with the
amount of horizontal pixels in one cabinet (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm = 176 pixels; Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm = 192
pixels). To calculate the resolution height, multiply the amount of vertical cabinets in your screen with
the amount of vertical pixels in one cabinet (2.8 mm = 176 pixels; 2.5 mm = 192 pixels).

EXAMPLE:

Example of a standard screen (6 cabinets)

The setup is a 6 cabinet LED screen (3 wide, 2 high). Calculate the amount of pixels in the screen to
determine the resolution for the rectangle in the video. This is different for pixel pitch 2.8 mm and
2.5 mm.

Resolution width: 3 x 176 pixels = 528 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm)

3 x 192 pixels = 576 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm)

Resolution height: 2 x 176 pixels = 352 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm)

2 x 192 pixels = 384 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm)

Screen resolution: 528 x 352 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm)

576 x 384 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm)

2.8 pixel pitch 2.5 pixel pitch

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 02. VIDEOCONTENT
02.2 Irregular video shape
An irregular screen is defined as any video with a layout that is not a rectangle or a square. So for
example cabinets in a randow shape not necessarily right next to eachother. We've illustrated a
random shape in the example below.

Again the resolution of the video file (that is played back by the media player) is different from the
actual resolution of the screen. When exporting the video, use standard HD (1920x1080 pixels) or
4K (3840x2160 pixels) video resolution. The footage that is shown on the screen (LED tile video)
is represented by squares positioned in the same way the cabinets are. The remaining part of the
video should stay black.

Depending on the media player, other resolutions can be used. Below you can find the instructions
how to prepare your video using a BrightSign media player. Other workflows are also possible, but this
workflow makes sure you won’t face any scaling issues later on.

Again the irregular video shape should be ‘pixel to pixel’ with the screen. The irregular video shape
consists of squares with the same resolution as the used cabinets (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm = 176x76 pixels;
Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm = 192x192 pixels). If there’s a gap between two cabinets in the screen, also leave a
gap in the video. Gaps should also be ‘pixel to pixel’, meaning as big as 1 cabinet (2.8 mm = 176x176
pixels, 2.5 mm = 192x192 pixels).

Use a grid to represent the cabinets and to help position each square of video.

EXAMPLE:

Example of an irregular screen (7 cabinets) 19

 The setup is a 7 cabinet LED screen with the cabinets in a random shape. First check the type of
cabinets you have, since Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm and Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm have a different amount of pixels.

Start from your full image and determine which parts of the footage should be shown on the screen.
You can use a grid to make it easier. The grid should have a gridline every 176 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm)
or every 192 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm). In the picture below the irregular video shape is marked in blue.

The indication of which parts that should be shown is called a pixelmap and is used to configure the
screen later on.

Pixelmap Pixel to pixel video

Note that the first row and column are blank,

to match the top left of the video with the
top left of the overall graphic.

To prepare a pixel to pixel video (according to Pixelmap), make sure only the irregular video shape
remains. The result is a video consisting of 7 squares (176x176 pixels or 192x192 pixels) each of them
representing a cabinet, positioned in the same way the cabinets are. The gaps also have the same
resolution as the squares and represent a blank cabinet.

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 02. VIDEOCONTENT
02.3 Videofile export settings
Take the following settings into account when exporting your video file for a Brightsign player:

Container: .mp4 (other formats possible depending on media player)

Resolution: HD (1920 x 1080) — 4K (3840 x 2160)
Codecs: H.265 best quality, very long render time — H.264 slightly lesser quality,
faster rendertime
Frame rate: 25/50fps (EU) — 30/60fps (US)
Field order: progressive
Max. Bitrate: 25 Mbps (LS424) — 70 Mbps (HD224)

02.4 BrightAuthor
Using a BrightSign media player offers a lot of advantages (small, auto loop, scaling). If your video is
made pixel to pixel and only loop playback is required, then you can just drop the video on an empty
microSD card and put that in the player. If you need scaling or scheduling features then there are some
extra steps required. Download BrightAuthor from www.brightsign.biz to configure your BrightSign
media player.

Reset button A B SD Card

To publish a video, follow the steps below.

Open BrightAuthor and create a new project.

1. In the top menu choose File > New project.

2. Choose your model LS424 (recommended for HD), HD224 (recommended 4K) or another model.
3. Choose the connector type (in most cases HDMI).
4. Choose the resolution, this is the same as the video file resolution: 1920x1080x50 px (Europe) or
1920x1080x60 px (US) (4K: 3840x2160x50 px (Europe) or 3840x2160x60 px (US)).
5. Choose Landscape as monitor orientation.
6. Click Create and in the next screen, choose Full screen as template.

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 Select the Edit tab, choose the folder with the exported video in it and drag & drop the video in the
Drag media here box. You can also drag and drop the video in this box directly from an Explorer
window (Windows) or a Finder window (Mac).

When the video is not prepared to match your screen, it’s also possible to scale the video using the
BrightAuthor software. Navigate to the Layout page and set the screen’s width and height.

22
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 02. VIDEOCONTENT
Next, go back to the Playlist page and click the Zone Properties button. A pop-up window shows up.

The View mode option allows you to determine how the video will be scaled to fit the screen. Logically,
there will be no effect if the video and the screen are the same size.

3 different options are available to scale the video, depending on what is important, filling the screen
or maintaining the aspect ratio.

Scale to fill Letterboxed and centered Fill screen and centered

• Scale to Fill: scales the video without maintaining the aspect ratio, video is stretched

• Letterboxed and Centered: centers video and adds black borders to show the full video and to
maintain the aspect ratio

• Fill Screen and Centered: centers and crops the video to fill the screen and to maintain the
aspect ratio

For the last step select the Publish tab. Choose a formatted micro SD card, click Publish and click OK
when completed.

23
 Insert the SD Card in the BrightSign player and press Reset. The video is now ready.

24
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
03. Controlling

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

Hi-LED 55
03.1 Standard screen - regular video
A standard screen is defined as a setup with all cabinets in one big rectangular shaped screen. This is
the easiest setup. To configure the controller for this kind of screen two things are important to keep
in mind: the amount of horizontal and vertical cabinets and the signal/data flow in between the
cabinets. In the example below, the configuration of a standard 6-cabinet screen is shown step by
step.

Example of a standard screen (6 cabinets)

Standard screen — MCTRL300 controller setup

To configure a standard screen using a MCTRL300 controller, a Windows PC/laptop with NovaLCT
software is required. The software doesn’t run on Apple laptops.

Connect your PC/laptop to the MCTRL300 controller using an USB cable and power up the controller.

25
 Next, open the NovaLCT software. This software is used to configure the Novastar LED controllers.

The software installation file can be downloaded from the Aluvision website:
www.aluvision.com/en/products/downloads.

After opening the software, choose User(U) > Advanced User Login from the top menu to login.
You will not be able to make any changes to the controller if you do not log in. Use admin or 666 as
the password and press Login.

After logging in, check if the Local System Information: Control System indicates that the controller
is successfully connected. 1 indicates that the connection to the controller is OK, 0 indicates that no
connection to a controller has been found. In this case, do the following: check if the controller is
powered, if not switch it on at the back of the controller. Also check if the USB cable is connected and
if the USB cable or USB port is not damaged. Now choose System (S) > Reconnect (R) from the top
menu, the 0 should change into 1.

26
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
To start the configuration of a standard screen, click on the Screen Configuration button.

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

A pop-up window shows up. When you have a successful connection with a controller, the
communication port will be selected automatically. Otherwise the drop down menu will stay empty.
Click Next in the pop-up box. The Screen Configuration window shows up.

Select the third tab Screen Connection and select the first screen type option Standard Screen. Under
Basic Information you can find the coordinates. This refers to the position in the video matching the
top left position of your screen. By default X and Y are both 0. Do not change this unless you don’t
want to match the top left position of your video with the top left position of your screen.

Set the amount of Columns (vertical cabinets) and the amount of Rows (horizontal cabinets). The
screen in this example consists of 3 columns and 2 rows. The receiving card width/height refers to the
amount of horizontal/vertical pixels in one cabinet. When using the Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm, this is 176 pixels.
When using the Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm, this is 192 pixels.

27
 To set the correct connection, it’s necessary to know the physical signal/data flow in between the
cabinets. This information has to be entered in the software. In the example below the signal/data
flow starts with the bottom left cabinet and runs in a vertical flow to the top right cabinet. The blue
line and arrows represent the direction of the cabling.

28
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
According to this flow, select the third vertical connection mode option.

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

Click and drag from the first cabinet to the opposite corner, the screen connection is made.

Always start your signal/data flow in one of the corners of your screen and work in a horizontal or

29
 vertical flow (8 possible flows).

The connection mode setting in the software is the front view. In other words, it
represents the flow when standing in front of the screen. This can be confusing,
since the cabinets are connected from the back, the flow is mirrored.

The configuration is now complete, the only thing that’s left is sending this configuration to the
controller and save it. Click Send to HW > Save. The video plays properly now.

You can also save this configuration to a file by clicking Save to File, to use again for future
projects.

03.2 Large standard screen

Multiple data output ports - regular video

As already mentioned, a controllers data output has a maximum amount of pixels to control. This
results in a maximum amount of cabinets in 1 signal/data flow. When the amount of cabinets in
the screen setup exceeds this maximum amount, you will have to divide the cabinets in your setup
between multiple data port outputs. How to do this is described below:

In this example a LED screen setup of 24 cabinets (6 wide, 4 high) is assumed, controlled by a Novastar
MCTRL300 controller. Using Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm cabinets, this results in a maximum amount of 17
cabinets in one signal/data flow or in other words 17 cabinets for each data output (Hi-LED 55 2.8
mm = 20 cabinets). Check chapter 01.12 Led controllers for more detailed information about these
numbers.

Linking up all 24 cabinets in 1 signal/data flow results in an overload error, as not all cabinets will
work properly. It’s necessary to have a second signal/data flow connected to the second data output
port. Data output 1 controls flow 1 (first 17 cabinets), data output 2 controls flow 2 (last 7 cabinets).
Remember that the data flow in the software is front view and should always match the actual data
flow of the cabinets. This means there’s no interlink cable between cabinet 17 and cabinet 18. Cabinet
18 is the first cabinet in flow 2 and is connected directly to the second output of the controller.

30
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Backview 6 x 4 screen:
Output 1 = flow 1 (blue) = 17 cabi-
nets, output 2 = flow 2 (yellow) =
7 cabinets

To make it even easier, just work in 2 signal/data flows of 12 cabinets each.

Backview 6 x 4 screen:
Output 1 = flow 1 (blue) = 12 cabi-
nets, output 2 = flow 2 (yellow) =
12 cabinets

MCTRL300 controller with 2 data flows:

Output 1 = flow 1 (blue), output 2 = flow 2 (yellow)

It’s not possible to have more data flows than available data output ports.
Novastar MCTRL 300 controller only has 2 outputs, so a maximum of 2 data flows is
possible to configure. If you need more outputs to provide all your cabinets of data,
switch to a controller with more data output ports.

31
 Configuring a screen using multiple data output ports can be done using the NovaLCT software.

To configure the screen using the software, first open NovaLCT. In the Screen Configuration window
select the third tab Screen Connection and select the first screen type option Standard Screen.

Set the following data:

− Columns: 6, Rows: 4
− Receiving Card Size: 192x192 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm)

On the left side of the Screen Configuration window you can choose which data flow you want
to configure (Ethernet port No. 1). The software automatically shows the correct amount of
available data output ports corresponding to the connected controller. The first data output port is
automatically selected.

With the first output selected, click the first cabinet from the first signal/data flow (bottom left, front
view), next click the cabinet above and continue by clicking all other cabinets in this flow (12) vertically.

Select the second output (Ethernet port No. 2) and click the first cabinet from the second signal/data
flow (bottom, 4th from the left). Next click the cabinet above and continue by clicking all other cabinets
in this flow (12) vertically.

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 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Send the configuration to the controller and save it by clicking Send to HW > Save. The video plays
properly now.

Full HD screen setup

To build a Full HD screen (1920x1080px), calculate how many cabinets are required to fit a Full HD
video. The calculation depends on what type of Hi-LED 55 tiles are used. Divide the Full HD video
width/height by the cabinet width/height. The result is the amount of horizontal/vertical cabinets
that fit in a Full HD format; logically these should be rounded numbers. Always round them down to fit
within the Full HD format, as rounding them up would result in an amount of cabinets which exceeds
this format. In this case, parts of the screen would stay black without scaling up the video. Scaling up
a Full HD video also requires hardware that supports bigger formats.

Hi-LED 2.8 mm

− Horizontal cabinets: 1920 px (screen width) divided by 176 px (cabinet width) is 10,9 = 10
− Vertical cabinets: 1080 px (screen height) divided by 176 px (cabinet height) is 6,1 = 6
− The Hi-LED 55 screen should be 10 cabinets wide and 6 cabinets high

Hi-LED 2.5 mm

− Horizontal cabinets: 1920 px (screen width) divided by 192 px (cabinet width) = 10

− Vertical cabinets: 1080 px (screen height) divided by 192 px (cabinet height) is 5,6 = 5
− The Hi-LED 55 screen should be 10 cabinets wide and 5 cabinets high

As seen in the calculations above, the screen will not match the Full HD video perfectly. Therefore the
video needs to be slightly scaled to fit the screen. Scaling can be done in 2 ways: matching the width
or matching the height.

Hi-LED 2.8 mm (10x6 cabinets)

33
 − Video width matches screen width: black banding at top and bottom of the screen.
− Video height matches screen height: video is full screen, but some of the video is lost at the left
and right of the screen.

Hi-LED 2.5 mm (10x5 cabinets)

− Video width matches screen width: video is full screen, but some of the video is lost at top and
bottom of the screen.
− Video height matches screen height: black banding at left and right of the screen.

Either way, you will have to choose between losing a part of the video (full screen) or showing the full
video (black banding, not full screen). In other words the screen is not the exact Full HD resolution and
aspect ratio, but it supports Full HD playback. If you can build a bigger screen, it’s even possible to
play 4K content (3840x2160 px). Make similar calculations as above to know how many cabinets are
needed for a 4K screen setup.

03.3 Multiple standard screens

Another possibility is having multiple screens in your setup. In this case 2 or more screens are combined
in 1 configuration. Also, the video’s that should play back are combined in 1 file. Again multiple data
output ports will be used so the workflow stays more or less the same as for the previous chapter.

Backview multiple screen setup:

Screen 1 = Output 1 = flow 1 (blue)
Screen 2 = output 2 = flow 2 (yellow)

MCTRL300 controller
with 2 screens:
Output 1 = screen 1 (blue),
output 2 = screen 2 (yellow)

In this example a setup with 2 screens is assumed, controlled by a Novastar MCTRL300 controller. The
first screen is 3 cabinets wide and 2 high, the second screen is 2 cabinets wide and 5 high. There are 16
cabinets in total, so 1 signal/data flow would be sufficient. But since there are 2 screens it’s more logical
and more clear to work with 2 data flows. Two data output ports will be used.

Prepare the video as described in chapter 02 Video file. It is important to keep in mind the amount of
pixels your screens consist of. Combine both screens in 1 video, make use of a gap the size of 1 cabinet
in between the screens. The video should look like this:
34
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Follow next steps to configure the screen: open the NovaLCT software. In the Screen Configuration window
select the third tab Screen Connection and select the first screen type option Standard Screen.

The first option is to combine both screens in 1 setup. To do this, set the following data:
− Columns: 6, Rows: 5
− Receiving Card Size: 192x192 pixels (Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm)

With the first output selected, click the first cabinet from screen 1 (bottom left, front view). Next click
the cabinet above and continue by clicking all other cabinets from screen 1 in a vertical flow. The sixth
and last should be the top right cabinet from screen 1.

Select the second output (Ethernet port No: 2) and click the first cabinet from screen 2 (bottom
left, front view). Next click the cabinet above and continue by clicking all other cabinets in this flow
vertically. The tenth and last should be the top right cabinet from screen 2. Since there’s a gap in the
video in between the screens, don’t forget to set all remaining cabinets in the software to blank. You
can see a resolution of 192x192 pixels is assigned to those cabinets.

35
 Send the configuration to the controller and save it by clicking Send to HW > Save. The video plays
properly now.

It’s also possible to place both video’s next to each other, without a gap. If that’s the case don’t set the
remaining cabinets in the configuration to blank, but leave them as they are. The software interprets
them as cabinets without a width or height (0x0 pixels). You can also just remove the extra column
and have no gap inbetween both screens. These options both give the same result.

The second option is to configure the screens in 2 setups. First select the quantity of screens you
want to configure (in this example there are 2). Click Configure to confirm this number. Two screen
tabs appear on top of the screen configuration window. Select the first tab Screen 1. With the first
ouput selected (Ethernet port No. 1), configure data flow 1 (Columns: 3, Rows: 2). Please note that the
coordinates are both 0.

Now select the second tab Screen 2. With the second output selected (Ethernet port No. 2), configure
data flow 2 (Columns: 2, Rows: 5). Since the video for screen 2 doesn’t start in the top left corner, it’s
necessary to set the correct coordinates. Based on the video’s pixelmap we can define that the video
for screen 2 starts 4 cabinets from the left and 0 cabinets from the top. This results in the following
coordinates: X = 4*192 = 768,Y = 0. Fill in these coordinates in the corresponding boxes.

36
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Send the configuration to the controller and save it by clicking Send to HW > Save. The video plays
properly now.

03.4 Standard screen - irregular

video shape
Not all LED screen setups are a conventional rectangle, some can have a more unique shape like the
example below.

To configure the controller for this kind of screen three things are important to keep in mind: the
pixelmap of the video content, the signal/data flow in between the cabinets and how they are
positioned to each other. In the example below the data flow and configuration of this 7-cabinet
screen are explained step by step.

37
 Example of a standard screen with an irregular video shape (7 cabinets)

Data flow of a standard screen with an irregular

video shape
Providing the cabinets with data for a standard screen, works in the same way as for a standard screen
with a irregular video shape. Pay attention to maintain the overview of the signal/data flow: also
start in one of the corners of the screen and always work in a horizontal or vertical flow. Another
important aspect is the controller counting the gaps in between the cabinets as ‘taxed pixels.

The controller is only able to count pixels within a rectangular shape, in other words
the controller draws a virtual four-sided shape around all cabinets. All pixels within
this rectangle are taxed from the port’s capacity. The rectangle is always as small
as possible. Any other gaps in the pixelmap (here: border between left- and topside)
are taxed from the controller’s total capacity.

38
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Virtual four-sided shape
Drawing a four-sided shape around the cabinets, in this example, results in a rectangle of 4 by 4
cabinets. This means the controller will tax 16 cabinets from the port’s capacity. Since the port’s
capacity for Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm is 17, this data flow is correct and all cabinets will work properly. If the
result would be a 5 by 5 rectangle, the controller would tax 25 cabinets, which is too many. This data
flow would not be correct and a part of the screen would stay black. The software gives you a warning
when trying to send a configuration with a port overload.

When the maximum capacity for the first output is reached, provide a second data flow from the
second output. Take the rectangular shape and the port’s maximum capacity again into account.
This can be repeated for all remaining output ports, if available. This way the complex screen gets
divided into rectangles. The more outputs the controller has, the more wiggle room you have to fit your
complex screen within the controller’s maximum capacity.

Configuration of a complex screen

The configuration of a complex screen is the same for all types of controller (and all other Novastar
controllers). A Windows PC/laptop with NovaLCT software is required.

Power up the controller, connect it to the computer and open the NovaLCT software. Make sure a
successful connection is established between the computer and the controller before you start
configuring. Login to the software and open the Screen Configuration window. Select the first tab
and set the sending card resolution and refresh rate. For more information see chapter 03.1 Standard
Screen - regular video.

Select the third tab Screen Connection and select the first screen type option Standard Screen.

You can find the coordinates below the screen type selection. This refers to the position in the video
matching the top left position of your screen. By default X and Y are both 0. Do not change this unless
you don’t want to match the top left position of your video with the top left position of your screen.

39
 Set the amount of columns and rows. In a standard screen setup this equals the amount of vertical
and horizontal cabinets. But in a complex screen setup, the gaps also have to be taken into account.
Use a grid to make the gaps more visual (see chapter 02 Video file). If your video content was created
properly, each gap has the same resolution as a cabinet and can be represented by a blank cabinet.

Start counting the squares, representing either a cabinet or a gap (blank cabinet), from the top left.
We need 5 columns and 5 rows to be able to show all the video content.

In this example the first row and column are blank to match the top left of the video with the top left
of the overall graphic (cfr. stand design).

It’s also possible to ignore the blank row and

column. To do this, configure 4 rows and 4
columns. It is important here to also adapt the
video file (no blank row and column) or fill in
the correct coordinates (X = 192 and Y = 192).
More information can be found in chapter 03.5
Multiple screens.

Pixelmap standard screen irregular video shape

Fill in the appropriate boxes in the software. 5 columns and 5 rows are created, but all of them are still
empty, in other words, the cabinets aren’t assigned to the correct positions yet. That’s what needs to
be done next.

40
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Before assigning the cabinets, set the Receiving Card Size. This refers to the amount of pixels in one
cabinet. When using the Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm, this is 176x176 pixels. When using the Hi-LED 55 2.5 mm,
this is 192x192 pixels.

To assign the cabinets to the correct position, it’s necessary to know the physical signal/data flow in
between the cabinets, because you have to tell the software in which order the cabinets are connected.

In the example below the signal/data flow starts with the bottom right cabinet and runs in a horizontal
flow to the top right cabinet. The blue line and arrows represent the direction of the cabling.

41
 According to this flow and the video’s pixelmap, assign the cabinets by clicking the correct position one
by one, starting with the bottom right position (first cabinet in the flow). The green line that appears
represents the signal/data flow.

* 16 ports taxed

All cabinets are now assigned to the correct position. Next, we have to tell the software that the gaps
in between the cabinets have the same resolution as the cabinets. You can do this by setting the
positions without video to blank. In other words, assigning an imaginary cabinet to the positions that
are black in the video’s pixelmap. Click the top left position and select the box Set Blank. Proceed by
clicking all empty positions.

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 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Maintain the overview of your signal/data flow: start in one of the corners of your
screen and work in a horizontal or vertical flow.

The configuration is now complete, the only thing that’s left is sending this configuration to the
controller and saving it. Click Send to HW and click Save. The video plays properly now.

You can also save this configuration to a file by clicking Save to File, to use again for future projects.

Use the zoom slider to zoom out to see the whole configuration or zoom in to see the details for each
cabinet.

Zoom in Zoom out

03.5 complex screen - regular video

A complex screen is a LED wall built with different types of LED cabinets. (eg: a combination of flat
tiles and curves. The workflow of preparing and configuring a setup including curved Hi-LED 55 tiles is
nothing different from a setup with only flat tiles. The only extra thing to keep in mind is the resolution
(width & height in pixels).
43
 A basic display (1 Hi-LED R437 concave + 1 flat Hi-LED 55 + 1 Hi-LED R437 convex) is used here as an
example:

Prepare the video as described in chapter 02 Video file. Important to keep in mind is the amount of
pixels your screens consists of. Calculate the width and height by adding the widths and heights of the
cabinets in the setup.

− Width = 266+192+300 = 758 pixels

− Height = 192 pixels

This is how the video file for this setup should look like:

Follow next steps to configure the screen: open the NovaLCT software. In the Screen Configuration
window select the third tab Screen Connection and select the first screen type option Complex Screen.

44
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
− Now add a second cabinet.

The second cabinet will be a 192 by 192 Hi-LED.

− Change the starting X position to 266, so the cabinet is placed right next to the first cabinet.
− Double check if Receiving Card Number is '2'. (The interface cuts the label off, it reads 'Receiving...'
If you hover over the label, the full name appears.)
− Click Add.

The second cabinet appears in the lay-out.

− Let's add the third cabinet

45
 It has a resulution of 300 by 192

− Change the starting X position to (266+192=) 458, so the third cabinet is placed right next to
the second cabinet.

− Sent the configuration to the controller.

− Save it by clivking 'Send to HW Save

The video plays properly now.

Configure complex screen

To configure a complex screen:

− Go to the third tab 'Screen connection'.

− Choose 'complex screen' for screen type.

In this example the data flows from left to right, meaning the first cabinet is an inner curve, the width
is 266 pixels, the height 192 pixels.

− Click the add button to add the first Hi-LED cabinet.

The first cabinet has a 266px by 192px resolution and starts at x 0 and y 0.

− Click add in the window. The first cabinet appears in the layout.

03.6 Save and load configuration

When a setup configuration is saved, it’s stored inside the controllers memory and will stay saved
until it gets overwritten. For this reason it is possible to configure a setup and rebuild this setup at a
46
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
different location without having to configure the setup again. It is very important here to maintain

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

the same data flow, otherwise reconfiguration will be needed! The power flow isn’t influenced by the
configuration.

After connecting a configured controller to a computer and opening the NovaLCT software, the
software will load and show the existing configuration automatically. In case the software was started
before connecting the controller to a computer, choose Read from HW to load the saved configuration
from the controller to the software.

It’s also possible to save a setup configuration to a file. This makes it possible to retain a configuration,
even if it was overwritten. Saving can be done by choosing Save to File.

47
 Click Load from File to load the configuration back to the software. Do not forget to choose Send to
HW and Save to store the configuration in the controller again. Remember to maintain the correct
data flow according the configuration.

48
 03. CONTROLLING
HI-LED 55
03.7 Remove configuration

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

As already mentioned in the previous chapter, the NovaLCT software will load the present configuration
from the controller when started. To remove the configuration and start again from scratch (as with a
new controller), click the Restore Factory Settings button. Choose OK in the pop-up box. All configured
screens will be removed and also the original Sending Card settings will be restored.

It’s also possible to remove the data flow from a screen without removing any other settings. This
situation arises for instance when the screen setup remains the same, but the wiring is done differently
or when a mistake was made and the data flow has to be reconfigured. To do this, click the Reset All
button; all assigned cabinets for this screen become clear again, but any other settings (columns &
rows, other screens, receiving card size…) remain.

49
 0.3.8 Laptop or PC as media player

A Windows system laptop or PC is required for LED display configuration.

As already mentioned in the ‘hardware’ part of this manual. A laptop/PC can also be used as a media
player. Depending on if you prepared a pixel-to-pixel video or not, chose the correct instructions and
followed the steps:

Pixel to pixel video:

1. Connect the computer to the controller with a DVI or HDMI cable
2. Open the computer’s Screen Configuration settings
3. The LED screen should be recognized as a second screen
4. Set the second screen as a duplicate of the first one
5. If possible set the Screen Resolution to ‘1920x1080 px, otherwise keep the recommended
setting or choose at least a resolution with a 16:9 ratio.
6. (A part of) the computer screen is shown on the LED screen (starting from the top left)
7. Play the pixel to pixel video in full screen mode
8. If necessary, move the video to the correct position using the coordinates function in the
NovaLCT software (connect pc and controller with an USB cable) or the controller.
Standard video:
1. Connect the computer to the controller with a DVI or HDMI cable
2. Connect the computer to the controller with an USB cable
3. Open the NovaLCT software
4. In the Screen Configuration window, select the first tab Sending Card
5. Check the Custom resolution box
6. Calculate and fill in the LED screen resolution (176/192 x #horizontal cabinets = width, 176/192
x #vertical cabinets = height)
7. Set and save these changes
8. Open the computer’s Screen Configuration settings
9. The LED screen should be recognized as a second screen
10. Set the second screen as an extension of the first one
11. The Screen Resolution for the second screen should automatically match the resolution of
the LED screen (step 6)
12. From the second screen, play the video in full screen mode
13. Use settings from the media player software (standard media player PC/MAC, VLC,
PotPlayer…) to choose how to scale (fill or remain proportions)

Since scaling is done by the computer’s graphics card, using this workflow will only
work properly within the restrictions of the graphics card. This is different for
every computer. Trying to use an unsupported resolution will result in the LED
screen staying black.

50
 TROUBLESHOOTING
04. HI-LED
04. Hi-LED

Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >

troubleshooting
04.1 Factory reset receiving cards
(SEND FACTORY CONFIGURATION FILE TO RECEIVING CARDS)

Open the NovaLCT software. This software is used to configure the cabinets.

The software installation file can be downloaded from the Aluvision website:
www.aluvision.com/en/products/downloads.

Possible issue installing the NovaLCT software: the person installing the software (=
the actual user logging in to the PC) needs to have (temporary) administrator rights
during the installation process of the software. If not, he or she will not be able to
access the program after installation.

Go to System(S), click on Reconnect (R), this option detects the connections.

Then, log in as an Advanced Synchronous System UserLogin (A) with the password ‘666’.

51
 To configure screen go to ‘Screen Configuration’

Download the Hi-LED 55 receiving card configuration files from our website:
www.aluvision.com/en/products/downloads.

Next step, load the correct receiving card configuration file for your screen setup, choose the same
batch number as on the LED modules.

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 TROUBLESHOOTING
04. HI-LED
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
Next: loaded configuration should be successful!

Shutdown power and reboot the LED system to check if the configuration files are succesfully saved
to each individual receiving card. If glitches reappear after the reboot, repeat the process a second
time.

04.2 Calibrate cabinets

(FLASHING A HI-LED 55 MODULE)

After replacing a module in a cabinet, this module will work immediately, but the cabinet could
show a difference in brightness or colour. This difference can be solved with a ‘module flash’. This

53
 checks and reloads the correct calibration for each module in the cabinet. To perform a module
flash you’ll need the same setup as for configuring a screen.

A Windows PC/laptop with NovaLCT software is required.

The software doesn’t run on Macintosh.

Connect your PC/laptop to the controller (MCTRL300 or MCTRL660) using an USB cable and power
up the controller.

Open the NovaLCT software.

The software installation file can be downloaded from the Aluvision website:
www.aluvision.com/en/products/downloads.

Possible issue installing the NovaLCT software: the person installing the software (=
the actual user logging in to the PC) needs to have (temporary) administrator rights
during the installation process of the software. If not, he will not be able to access the
program after installation.

After opening the software, choose User(U) > Advanced User Login from the top menu to login.
Without logging in you won’t be able to make any changes to the controller. For the password fill in
admin or 666 and press Login.

After logging in, check the Local System Information: Control System shows if the controller is
successfully connected. 1 indicates that the connection to the controller is OK, 0 indicates that no
connection to a controller has been found. If this is the case, do the following: check if the controller is
powered, if not switch it on at the back of the controller. Also check if the USB cable is connected and
if the USB cable or USB port is not damaged. Now choose System(S) > Reconnect(R) from the top
menu, the 0 should change into 1.

54
 TROUBLESHOOTING
04. HI-LED
Hi-LED 55 MANUAL >
From the main menu choose Calibration to open the screen calibration window.

On the bottom left, select the third option Chroma Calibration and save. Select the third option
Manage Coefficients and click the Module Flash button.

55
 Select the first option screen to flash all cabinets for the selected screen.

Select the third option Select by Topology or List to be able to choose the cabinet to flash the modules
from. Select the correct cabinet from your setup by clicking it, the selected cabinet turns yellow.

Both options require the same workflow to flash the Modules. First of all click View Receiving Card
Calibration Coefficients. When this is successful a pop-up box appears, click OK.

Next, click View Module Calibration Coefficients and wait until a pop-up box appears. Perform a
visual check yourself, if the colours in all modules match and no deviations are seen in the replaced
module, click OK in the pop-up box.

The last step is saving al this information on the cabinets receiving card. Click Save calibration
coefficients to receiving card. When this is successful a pop-up box appears, click OK. Finish by
clicking Save to HW. Finally turn off the whole system by disconnecting the power. Reboot the system.
Verify if every cabinet is still properly calibrated and the system is running as desired.

56
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 05. ANNEX
04.3 Troubleshoot decision tree

All screen connections are configured;

first time powering the LED wall.

Are the cabinets glitching?

YES NO

Load the correct receiving card

configuration files

Nothing happend, are the cabinets

still glitching?

YES NO

Disconnect the power,

reboot the system
Load the correct receiving
card configuration files
Are the cabinets showing a subtle difference
Are the cabinets still glitching? in brightness and/or colour?

YES NO YES NO

Replace power Start the calibration process and

boxes flash all the modules

All the cabinets are properly calibrated

and the system is running as desired

YES NO, the modules do not show any changes

Reset calibration coëfficients

All the cabinets are properly calibrated

and the system is running as desired

YES NO

Start the calibration process and

flash all the modules

All the cabinets are properly calibrated

and the system is running as desired

YES NO

Replace the
faulty modules

57
 05. Annex
05.1 Glossary
Regular: any video that has a rectangle or square shape.
Video
Irregular shape: any video with a layout that is not strictly a rectangle or a square.
Standard: a LED wall with one type of LED cabinets.
Screen Complex: a led wall built with different types of LED cabinets (eg: a combination of flat
tiles and curves).
The resolution of the LED tile video should match the resolution (amount of
pixels) of the screen. This is called ‘pixel to pixel’ and means that every pixel in
the video represents pixel in the screen. To calculate the resolution of the screen,
first count the amount of cabinets in your screen. To calculate the resolution width,
Pixel to pixel multiply the amount of horizontal cabinets in your screen with the
amount of horizontal pixels in one cabinet (Hi-LED 55 2.8 mm = 176 pixels; Hi-LED
55 2.5 mm = 192 pixels). To calculate the resolution height, multiply the amount of
vertical cabinets in your screen with the amount of vertical pixels in one cabinet
(2.8 mm = 176 pixels; 2.5 mm = 192 pixels).

Using a BrightSign media player offers a lot of advantages (small, auto loop, scaling).
Some extra steps are required to play the video. After exporting the video file, it also
BrightAuthor needs to be published. To publish the video you can make use of the free software
offered by BrightSign: BrightAuthor. The files that are created by publishing have to
be copied onto a micro-SD card, which is inserted in the BrightSign media player.

The signal/data flow is the order in which the cabinets are connected. The signal/
data flow is very important to keep in mind for the configuration of the cabinets later
on. The maximum amount of cabinets in 1 signal/data flow depends on the used
controller. See chapter 01.6. The power and data do not necessarily need to follow
the same flow. 1. AHorizontal or a vertical snake pattern is the most efficient cabling
Signal/data flow layout. 2. If you are working with different cabinets (a combination of different pixel
pitches or straight tiles and curves) try to group cabinets of the same shape and
batch together on a cable. This makes configuration easier later on. That being said
you, can definitly mix batches and shapes on one cable. 3. Just like power flows
there is a limit on the amount of cabinets you can connect in one dataflow. Head to
chapter 1.12 to calculate a dataflow layout.

The connection mode setting in the software is the front view. In other words. it
Connection mode represents the flow when standing in front of the screen. This can be confusing,
since the cabinets are connected from the back, the flow is mirrored.

Maximum amount of cabinets on one data port if the controller is fully loaded.
Output maximum When the controller is not fully loaded one output port can power a maximum of
20 2.8/17 2.5 cabinets.

Controller maximum Maximum amount of cabinets on all data ports (this is limited).

Standard video has 8 bit data rate . HDR video has a 10 bit datarate. Because of
HDR video
the higher bitrate, with HDR video the controller capacity is reduced by half.

Novastar M600 & pro controllers have a video out port. This is for situations
where you want to play the same video on different screens. You can have one
media player, sending the video to LED controller 1, controller 1 sends the video
Cascading
to controller 2 and so on. Note: Cascading is not intended to use one 4k media
player and 4 600 controllers to fill a 4k screen. The controllers cannot decode
and pass trough a video signal larger than 1920x1200px)
58
 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 05. ANNEX
05.2 Tables & settings

Resolutions Hi-LED tiles

Hi-LED 55/ 90° 90° 30° 30°

Hi-LED 55+ CONCAVE CONVEX CONCAVE CONVEX

Pixelpitch 2.5 176 x 176 244 x 176 274 x 176 274 x 176 274 x 176

Pixelpitch 2.8 192 x 192 266 x 192 300 x 192 300 x 192 300 x 192

Powerflow
The power flow is the order in which the cabinets send power from one cabinet to the other.

Connect up to 18 (EU)/9 (US) 2.8 mm cabinets and 17 (EU)/8 (US) 2.5 mm cabinets in one power flow,
but always keep in mind the maximum and average power consumption.

Max. connections Max. connections

Max. power (W) Average power
EU US

2.8 Hi-LED 55 18 9 147.5 49

2.8 90° CONCAVE 13 6 204 68

2.8 90° CONVEX

2.8 30° CONCAVE 12 6 230 77
2.8 30° CONVEX

2.5 Hi-LED 55 17 8 152.5 51

2.5 90° CONCAVE 12 5 211 70

2.5 90° CONVEX

2.5 30° CONCAVE 11 5 238 79
2.5 30° CONVEX

59
 LED controllers

300 600 660pro 4k

Number of ports 2 4 6 16

2.8 output 20 18 12 16
max. full load

2.8 output max. 20 20 20 20

(controller not fully loaded)

2.8 controller max. 40 72 72 256

2.5 output 17 15 10 14
max. full load

2.5 output (controller not 17 17 17 17

fully loaded

2.5 controller max. 34 60 60 224

1280 x 1024 1920 x 1200 1920 x 1200 4096 x 2160

max resolution
@60fps 60fps @60fsp @60fps

HDR no no yes yes

Low latency no no yes no

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 05. ANNEX
Video file export settings
Take the following settings into account when exporting your video file:

Container: .mp4 (other formats possible depending on media player)

Resolution: HD (1920 x 1080) — 4K (3840 x 2160)
Codecs: H.265 best quality, very long render time — H.264 slightly lesser quality,
faster rendertime
Frame rate: 25/50fps (EU) — 30/60fps (US)
Field order: progressive
Max. Bitrate: 25 Mbps (LS424) — 70 Mbps (HD224)

Full HD settings
Hi-LED 2.8 mm

− Horizontal cabinets: 1920 px (screen width) divided by 176 px (cabinet width) is 10,9 = 10
− Vertical cabinets: 1080 px (screen height) divided by 176 px (cabinet height) is 6,1 = 6
− The Hi-LED 55 screen should be 10 cabinets wide and 6 cabinets high

Hi-LED 2.5 mm

− Horizontal cabinets: 1920 px (screen width) divided by 192 px (cabinet width) = 10

− Vertical cabinets: 1080 px (screen height) divided by 192 px (cabinet height) is 5,6 = 5
− The Hi-LED 55 screen should be 10 cabinets wide and 5 cabinets high

Hi-LED 2.8 mm (10x6 cabinets)

− Video width matches screen width: black banding at top and bottom of the screen.
− Video height matches screen height: video is full screen, but some of the video is lost at the left
and right of the screen.

Hi-LED 2.5 mm (10x5 cabinets)

− Video width matches screen width: video is full screen, but some of the video is lost at top and
bottom of the screen.
− Video height matches screen height: black banding at left and right of the screen.

61
 05.3 Downloads
NovaLCT Software
This software is used to configure the MCTRL300 controller.

The software installation file can be downloaded from the Aluvision website:
www.aluvision.com/en/products/downloads.

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 Hi-LED 55 MANUAL > 05. ANNEX

63
 STAY IN TOUCH!

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