LED Sending Cards: What They Do
In an LED panel or screen setup a sending card is the point where your video signal becomes something the LED panels can actually understand.
At a high level the sending card:
- takes a video signal (from a computer, media player, or controller)
- processes it into LED-friendly data
- sends that data onward to the receiving cards inside the panels
It bridges the gap between your source video input + your LED screen, holding the screen configuration + working alongside receiving cards to map the pixels correctly.
What the sending card controls
Depending on the system, a sending card is responsible for:
- output resolution and canvas size
- colour calibration and brightness limits
- refresh rate and signal timing
- mapping content across multiple panels
Sending cards are usually set up using dedicated software rather than plug-and-play display settings, which adds complexity but allows for a lot of flexibility once you understand how everything works.
Why it matters
The sending card defines the overall behaviour of the screen. If something feels wrong like tearing, incorrect colours, or odd scaling then the issue is often at the sending stage rather than with the panels themselves.
It’s also the component that sets hard limits such as:
- maximum pixel count
- supported refresh rates
- how large a system can grow without adding additional hardware
Practical note
In modular or DIY LED setups, the sending card is often the first place complexity appears. Understanding its role early makes the rest of the system feel much less opaque.
