LED Brings Back the Cinema

The government recently announced that drive-in cinemas in the UK could reopen from the 15th of June. There has been a surge in interest in drive-in cinemas, partly in response to traditional cinemas shutting their doors at the start of lockdown.

Following this announcement, there have been many touring drive-in cinemas that have announced events across the UK adhering to social distance guidelines. Cinema-goers can sit tucked up in their car, with other members of their household – safely following government guidelines for social distancing.

Drive-in movies are retro and were a massive hit in the 50s and 60s, particularly in the USA. Since then they have been brought back for nostalgic events, and now as a way for families to get out and enjoy a movie on the big screen while remaining safe and without risk of spreading or catching the coronavirus.

It is not just the drive-in cinema where these large LED displays will be helping keep boredom at bay., there will also be stand-up comedy, bingo and a silent disco running. We have also seen football clubs open their car parks as a way for fans to cheer on their teams while socially distancing.

LED Displays are Perfect for Outdoor Applications 

Public ambient light viewing has technical hurdles to overcome, which LED as a technology can combat. Whereas previously, drive-in cinemas had to be at night to avoid ambient lighting, and size was restricted. The advances in LED technology have allowed them to pop up in the most fabulous and unexpected locations, from Parks, rooftops, fields, beaches, as well as the traditional car park. 

Compared to LCD or projectors, LED displays are more visible outside, providing more significant impact! They offer high brightness to combat direct sunlight and ever-changing ambient light conditions, adapting the intensity dynamically, as well as providing higher contrast ratios compared to traditional projection. 

“Direct-lit LEDs are very robust, very reliable, and very bright, LED can produce high brightness even in high ambient light environments.” 

-Stuart Holmes, Director, PSCo, a specialist division within the Midwich group. 

We offer a range of LED products, including direct-lit LED, a technology that originated for the outdoor market.  

What makes LED stand out against its competitors is the quality of the content displayed. 

Flexible LED Offers More Outdoor Options 

“Flexible display solutions will be the evolution of LED also.” 

- Jenny Hicks, Head of Technology at Midwich. 

One of the many benefits of using LED displays is its flexibility. Curved screens provide a wider viewing angle, meaning that more people can see the screen when parked at a safe distance, allowing cars to park further apart.

Furthermore, modular LED allows flexibility to build a video wall in any configuration imaginable, almost to any size imaginable. This modular design benefit will allow drive-in cinema to pop up in more and more locations across the UK. 

“Where previously you were restricted to a 16:9 ratio, due to the flexibility of LED’s modular design, we are seeing it being used in more bespoke applications to fit literally any space. It also excels in areas where a bezel-less canvas is required, so to provide one uninterrupted image ensuring there is no disruption to content.” 

- Stuart Holmes, Director, PSCo, a specialist division within the Midwich group. 

To find out more about our LED offering and how this technology can be used right now, contact your account manager, or contact our sales team on 01344 592 222