NTDS46 vs NTDS44 vs NTDS49: which 6-digit NTP clock for my room?

NTDS46, NTDS44 and NTDS49 are three NTP-driven displays with the same 10.2 cm digit height, but each with a different digit format: NTDS44 with 4 digits (HH:MM), NTDS46 with 6 digits (HH:MM:SS) and NTDS49 with 9 digits (HH:MM:SS with three-digit day-of-year). Below you can read which model suits your viewing distance, space and information requirements.

Quick recommendation

• Choose the NTDS44 when you only want to show hours and minutes, the most compact format (41.4 cm wide) for small rooms, waiting areas, classrooms or spaces where second-level precision is not relevant.
• Choose the NTDS46 when you also want to display seconds (HH:MM:SS). The default model for control rooms, broadcast studios, data centres and operational spaces where second-level visibility is expected by default.
• Choose the NTDS49 when you want to show the day-of-year alongside the time (three-digit Day-of-Year for 1-365/366). Used in military, aerospace, broadcast and scientific contexts where Julian-style day numbering is required.

Specifications side by side

When to choose each model?

NTDS44, compact 4-digit HH:MM clock

The NTDS44 is the most compact format in this comparison: 41.4 cm wide and 1.8 kg. It only shows hours and minutes, ideal for rooms where seconds do not matter. Educational institutions place NTDS44 clocks in classrooms and corridors to display a centrally synchronised time. Waiting rooms, meeting rooms, fitness or wellness rooms and general office environments are typical scenarios.

A broader NTDS portfolio project often combines the NTDS44 in general rooms with the NTDS46 in control zones or operational core rooms. The low consumption (< 8 W) and the PoE option make installation easy: a single Ethernet cable per clock suffices provided a PoE switch is in place.

NTDS46, standard 6-digit HH:MM:SS clock

The NTDS46 is the best-selling NTP display in the Masterclock range. Six digits (HH:MM:SS) at 10.2 cm digit height, 63.5 cm wide, and the most flexible colour choice (red/green/blue/amber). It is deployed as standard in broadcast control rooms, director rooms, data centres, operating theatres, ATC towers, production halls and general operational spaces, anywhere seconds need to be visible.

Industrial customers use NTDS46 installations as a time display alongside operational dashboards. Broadcast studios combine red (classic studio) or blue (control room) with time-code-driven variants (TCDS46) for sync between NTP and LTC. The optional 5.8 cm seconds mode is a handy hybrid: the main minutes in 10.2 cm and seconds smaller.

NTDS49, 9-digit with day-of-year

The NTDS49 adds a three-digit Day-of-Year (1 to 365 or 366 in leap years) to HH:MM:SS. This makes it 106.7 cm wide, clearly the widest in this comparison, but surprisingly lighter (4 kg) than the NTDS46 thanks to its slimmer chassis. Limitation: red or blue only, no white or amber.

Day-of-Year (also called Julian Day) is used in military planning, aerospace and satellite operations, broadcast production (Julian-style program codes) and in scientific labs where continuous day numbering is expected. When your customer's operational documentation mentions Day-of-Year or when logging is in DDD format, the NTDS49 is the appropriate choice. For classical calendar-date displays the NTDS44 or NTDS46 with date-alternation suffice.

Často kladené otázky

What do the digits in NTDS46, NTDS44 and NTDS49 mean?

The naming system is NTDS{H}{D}: H = digit height (4 = 10.2 cm in these three models), D = počet číslic (4 = HH:MM, 6 = HH:MM:SS, 9 = HH:MM:SS with three-digit day-of-year). All three therefore have the same 10.2 cm digits, they differ in what is shown and in the width of the enclosure. For a larger digit format look at the NTDS84/86 (20 cm) or NTDS24/26 (5 cm).

What viewing distance can I expect?

All three models officially have a visibility of 60 metres. The rule of thumb across the Masterclock range is approximately 5 m of viewing distance per cm of digit height, 10.2 cm digits therefore give up to about 50-60 m under normal lighting. With strong backlight or a large viewing angle the practical figure sits slightly lower.

What power options do these clocks have?

All three support three power options that are selected at order time: IEC AC (international 90-240V, 50/60 Hz), PoE (Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3af) or DC (24 VDC). With PoE a single Ethernet cable suffices for both data and power, ideal in modern office cabling where PoE switches are already in place.

Which LED colours are available?

The NTDS44 and NTDS46 are dostupné v červené, green, blue, amber. The NTDS49 is limited to red or blue, presumably because of the more complex 9-digit driver. For specific requirements (for example green for control rooms, blue for broadcast) we recommend contacting us to confirm availability and lead time.

Can I combine an NTDS with countdown?

Yes. The RC600 controller adds count-up and count-down timer functions to the NTDS displays. It drives each NTDS over the network (NTP packets) and can therefore be paired with multiple displays at the same time. For production environments with two independent timing channels look at the RC1000.

Unsure about format or colour? Daylight bv has supplied NTDS installations across Europe since 2014. We are happy to help you with viewing-distance calculation, PoE vs-AC choice and the right bracket option.

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