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Fine-pitch LED isn’t what it used to be. Since the early 2010s, the category has moved through several distinct phases. As you probably know, those eras are often defined by packaging method: Surface-Mount Device (SMD), Integrated Matrix Device (IMD) and today, Chip-on-Board (COB).

COB technology bonds LED chips directly to a substrate and seals them with a protective coating, resulting in a display surface that is more durable and uniform than traditional SMD designs. As COB adoption accelerates across corporate, broadcast and simulation environments, the challenge has shifted from access to execution. While more COB products are entering the market, fewer are engineered to meet the performance, serviceability and resolution requirements of mission-critical applications.

That gap is where the Planar Komodo Series enters the conversation.

Positioned at the top of Planar’s COB portfolio, the Planar Komodo Series targets environments where image fidelity, native resolution support and long-term reliability are non-negotiable. Available in 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2 millimeter pixel pitches, the fine-pitch LED video walls are designed for indoor applications ranging from executive collaboration spaces to broadcast and visualization environments.

In particular, the 0.7 and 0.9 millimeter configurations are optimized to achieve native 4K and other industry-standard resolutions and aspect ratios, including 16:9 and 21:9. This allows integrators to build walls that align precisely with common content formats while minimizing scaling artifacts. Brightness reaches up to 1,000 nits, and color reproduction spans the DCI-P3 gamut.

The series is powered by Megapixel’s HELIOS LED Processing Platform, which supports high-bandwidth workflows, including 8K input and SMPTE ST 2110 media-over-IP. Beyond processing performance, HELIOS also provides a centralized interface for configuring, monitoring and maintaining the video wall throughout its lifecycle.

What distinguishes Planar Komodo Series within the company’s lineup is how closely image quality and system design are tied together. The series incorporates several COB-specific advancements — including high pixel density, deeper blacks and improved surface protection — alongside Planar’s alternating LED orientation technique, which helps reduce visual artifacts and improve color uniformity across the wall.

“We wanted to make sure that Planar could bring something to the table that really elevates the performance,” said Robert Detwiler, senior director, product management and training at Planar. “… COB itself inherently had some struggles with uniformity both within a module and module-to-module. That was one of the things we wanted to focus on trying to make better.”

According to Detwiler, that effort begins at the component level. Planar evaluates LED dies while they are still on the wafer, selecting components with closely matched brightness and color characteristics before assembly. During manufacturing, module placement alternates direction to further minimize pattern anomalies across large-scale installations.

“It fits at the top of our portfolio,” Detwiler said. “It really is designed and architectured so it has performance for the most discerning of customers, and it has features for the most discerning of customers.”

Beyond visual performance, Planar Komodo Series is also designed to streamline installation and long-term service. Precision mechanical tolerances support faster assembly and more accurate alignment, while the combination of COB construction and HELIOS monitoring tools is intended to simplify maintenance over the life of the system.

While engineered primarily for enterprise environments — including corporate lobbies, higher education and control rooms — the performance characteristics of the Planar Komodo Series also make it suitable for media production, visualization and broadcast applications. As fine-pitch LED continues to replace projection and LCD video walls in premium spaces, the question is no longer whether COB will play a role, but which solutions are built to meet the highest expectations.

To learn more about the Planar Komodo Series, check out this conversation from LAVNCH WEEK 12: