Table of contents
Why your LED wall looks wrong at first
If you’ve ever plugged a Windows player into an LED wall and thought “Why does this look so weird?” you’re not alone.
That’s because your player output resolution almost never matches your LED wall’s actual pixel resolution.
For example:
Player output (standard): 1920 × 1080
LED wall (actual): 336× 652
Between the two sits your LED controller. This device determines how the player’s signal is handled - cropping, scaling, or mapping pixels to match the wall.
To achieve the most accurate previews, a simplified content workflow, and the best visual results, configure your player to output the LED wall’s exact resolution or, at minimum, a matching aspect ratio.
How to set up your Windows player for an LED wall
To get your content looking right, you’ll need to choose a configuration method that aligns with your player, LED controller, and design needs.
If the player’s output resolution doesn’t match the LED wall’s resolution, you’ll need to configure the setup so your content plays correctly.
There are 3 main ways to do this:
Custom resolution + scaling – Set your player to output the LED wall’s exact resolution (recommended).
Pixel-to-pixel (region mapping) – Keep a standard resolution on the player and crop to the LED wall’s pixel dimensions using the LED controller.
Content resolution manipulation – Keep a standard resolution on the player but design your content at the LED wall’s resolution inside a larger frame.
The method you choose will depend on your player’s capabilities, the LED controller’s configuration options, and your content workflow requirements.
1. Custom resolution + scaling (recommended)
When to use: Your player supports custom resolutions (e.g., Fugo NUC, most professional or Windows-based players and mini PCs).
Note: If your LED wall has a non-standard resolution, your player must support custom output settings to match it exactly. Many professional or Windows-based players (including the Fugo NUC) can do this. If your player cannot, use Pixel-to-pixel or Content resolution manipulation instead.
Setup steps
Step 1: Check resolution support
Confirm your player can output your LED wall’s exact resolution.
If the resolution is non-standard (e.g., 336 × 652), you can create a custom resolution using your GPU settings or a tool like like CRU (Custom Resolution Utility):
1. Download Custom Resolution Utility.
2. Extract the files.
3. Run <CRU.exe>.
4. In Detailed Resolutions, select the existing resolution and click Add (copies the settings from the old entry).
5. Under Timing, change the option from Manual to Exact Reduced.
6. Input the desired resolution
Note that resolutions below 480 are not supported.
We recommend using 672x1304.
7. Input the desired refresh rate (take care not to exceed your monitor’s specifications)
8. Once done, press OK in both windows.
9. In the folder, run <restart64.exe> (restarts the graphics driver)
💡 If you experience any issues, press F8 for recovery mode.
10. Right click on the screen and go to Display settings > Advanced Display settings > Display adapter properties > Adapter > List All Modes
11. Confirm your custom resolution appears. If you can’t match the resolution exactly, choose one with the same aspect ratio so scaling stays proportional
Step 2: Prepare your LED controller
Load your LED wall settings in the controller software (e.g., NovaStar, Colorlight) so it reports the correct display information to the player.
Step 3: Test with a monitor
Disconnect the LED wall from the LED controller output.
Connect a standard monitor to that output instead.
This lets you check and adjust custom resolutions without risking sync issues or showing incorrect content on the LED wall.
Setup for testing:
[Windows Player] → [LED Controller] → [Test Monitor]
Step 4: Create a custom resolution
NVIDIA Control Panel: Change Resolution → Customize
AMD Radeon Software: Display → Create Custom Resolution
Intel Graphics Command Center: Display → Custom Resolutions
CRU: Add the custom resolution in Windows
Step 5: Test, confirm, swap
Once the resolution works correctly, disconnect the test monitor and reconnect your LED wall to the LED controller output.
You’re ready to go.
Diagram:
[Player Output: 336x652 (custom) or matching aspect ratio]
↓ (Optional scaling in controller)
[LED Controller] → [LED Wall: 336x652]
Pros & cons
Pros:
Smoothest Fugo content experience
Accurate previews with no surprises
No unusual design rules
Cons:
Requires a bit of technical setup
Some players may not support very low resolutions
2. Pixel-to-pixel (region mapping)
When to use: Your player can’t output a custom resolution, you only want to display part of the player output, or you need precise pixel mapping for maximum sharpness.
In this method, the player stays at a standard resolution (e.g., 1920 × 1080). The LED controller crops a region that matches your LED wall’s pixel dimensions and displays it pixel-for-pixel on the wall.
Setup steps
Step 1: Keep player output at a standard resolution
For example, 1920 x 1080.
Step 2: Configure the LED controller’s capture region
In your LED controller software (e.g., NovaStar, Colorlight), select a capture region that matches your LED wall’s exact pixel dimensions (e.g., 336 × 652) within the player’s output.
The controller will crop this region and map it directly to the LED wall.
Make sure your content fits entirely within that region - anything outside it will not be shown on the LED wall.
Step 3: Design content for the capture region (pixel-to-pixel region mapping in Fugo)
1. In the Fugo Design Studio, set your canvas to match the player’s full output resolution (e.g., 1920 × 1080).
2. Create your actual visual at the LED wall’s resolution (e.g., 336 × 652).
3. Position it exactly where the controller’s capture region sits.
4. Keep all important design elements inside that area - the rest of the HD frame will not be visible on the LED wall.
4. Publish as usual.
☝️ Tip: In your Fugo preview, this layout may look unusual because you’re only showing a cropped portion of the HD frame on the physical wall.
Diagram:
[Player Output: 1920x1080]
↓ (Controller crops 336x652 region, no scaling)
[LEDController]→[LEDWall:336x652]
Pros & cons
Pros:
Perfect sharpness
Works with standard resolutions
Cons:
Content must be designed specifically for the cropped area (in Fugo’s Design Studio, you’ll need to set the canvas to you player resolution, then position LED-sized content in the right spot.
Previews in Fugo will not match the final display
3. Content resolution manipulation
When to use:
You have pre-made videos or images
You can’t change your player resolution but want proportional scaling
Your player can’t output a custom resolution and you can’t configure the LED controller’s capture region
In this method, you keep the player at a standard resolution but create your content at the LED wall’s resolution and place it inside the larger frame. The LED controller then scales the content down to fit the wall.
Setup steps
Step 1: Create media at your LED wall resolution
For example, 336 × 652.
Step 2: Place it in a composition the size of your player output
Place inside a full-size composition matching the player’s output (e.g., 1920 × 1080) and align it as it will appear on the wall.
Step 3: Play it through your player
The LED controller will scale the signal to the wall.
Diagram:
[Content: 336x652 inside 1920x1080 output]
↓ (Controller scales to 336x652)
[LED Wall]
Pros & cons
Pros:
No GPU reconfiguration needed
Good for prepared content
Cons in Fugo:
Requires careful design discipline
FUGO previews will look stretched and not very user friendly
4. Content-resolution manipulation (no cropping)
Use this when you want to keep the player at 1920×1080 but avoid cropping.
Setup steps
1. Design your media at 336×652 (i.e., the LED wall’s native resolution).
2. Place that 336×652 media inside a 1920×1080 composition with the same aspect ratio alignment you will use on the wall.
3. Let the LED controller scale the full HD signal down to the LED wall.
4. Leave safe margins, at least 12 to 16 pixels around text and logos, because scaling can soften edges.
👆 Tip: In the Fugo preview the 336×652 block will look small or stretched inside the 1920×1080 frame. That’s normal for this method.
Pros & cons
Pros:
No GPU reconfiguration required
Suitable for prepared content
Cons:
Requires strict design discipline
Previews may not accurately reflect final appearance
Design checklist (applies to methods 2 & 3)
When your content is being cropped or scaled - as in Pixel-to-pixel or Content resolution manipulation - certain design choices can help preserve clarity and legibility on the LED wall.
Use the following guidelines to reduce visual artifacts and ensure your content looks as intended:
Text size: start around 28 to 36 px for body, larger for headlines.
Contrast: high contrast colors and bold weights survive scaling best.
Motion: avoid thin lines or 1 px patterns, they shimmer on low-res LED.
Export: H.264 MP4 for video, PNG for stills, 30 fps is fine for most signage.
Test on site: send a short 10 to 20 second loop first, verify framing, then ship the full playlist.
Quick comparison
Method | Quality | Content in FUGO | Preview in FUGO | Setup Difficulty |
Custom resolution + scaling (recommended) | ★★★★☆ | Easiest, matches wall or aspect ratio | Best | High (GPU setup) |
Pixel-to-Pixel (region mapping) | ★★★★★ | Restricted, needs precision | Poor | Medium |
Content resolution manipulation | ★★★☆☆ | Discipline needed | Poor | Medium |
Final recommendation
Whenever possible, set your player to the LED wall’s resolution or at least match its aspect ratio. You’ll get accurate previews, the simplest content workflow, and a better overall look.
If that’s not possible, pixel-to-pixel is sharp but restrictive, and content resolution manipulation works for prepared content but needs extra design care.
Need more help?
If you run into issues setting up your LED wall, check your player’s graphics settings and your LED controller’s documentation.
Still stuck? Reach out to our support team at support@fugo.ai with details about your player model, LED wall resolution, and controller software so we can help troubleshoot.