A nit equals one cd/m squared. The name is used mostly for displays, signage and video walls, where phones reach about 500 to 1,500 nits and outdoor LED billboards 5,000 or more. Lighting engineers more often write cd/m squared, but the quantity is the same, and quoting backlit panels and signs in nits makes them easy to compare with room surfaces.
That signage wall is 6,000 nits in daylight mode, make sure the scheduler drops it to 300 after sunset.
Also heard as
- cd/m2
- candela per square meter
- nt
Related terms
Luminance
The brightness of a surface or source as seen from a particular direction, measured in candelas per square meter.
Candela
The unit for how much light a source throws in one direction, and the SI base unit behind lumens and lux.
Glare
Visual discomfort or loss of visibility caused by excessive brightness or contrast in the field of view.