Comparing LED TV To LCD TV
LED TV has brought a whole new range of tv’s to the electronics market, citing breakthrough picture quality in an energy-efficient and eco-friendly package. But what is an LED TV and how does it compare to an LCD TV?
Most of the LED televisions out there aren’t in fact true LED displayhs – many are actually an LCD panel with an LED backlight, which can cost up to twice as much an older LCD TV and three times more than a plasma TV.
So why have a LCD with an LED backlight? Until now tv’s used florescent tubes to light the screen. As these tubes are always on, some light would always leak through and so the display had trouble producing deep blacks, which affected the perceived sharpness. The tubes also lacked a wide range of colours, meaning the colour saturation of the image could be limited.
An LED TV uses light emitting diode’s to illuminate the display by mounting tiny lights in rows either behind the display or around the edge of the display (known as ‘edge-lit’ displays).
It’s difficult to say which method is better as both have their own pros and cons. Edge-lit versions can be made ultra thin as the bulbs are on the side of the display. As they have fewer light emitting diodes in them they’re also less expensive than their backlit alternatives.
However, backlit displays are able to create much deeper blacks that edge-lit displays using the ‘local dimming’ technique, where diodes are shut off in black areas of images, stopping any light from leaking through. Of course these extra bulbs come at a price, and backlit displays can cost significantly more.
So it sounds like backlit is better…? Sadly it’s not that simple. It would be too expensive to shut off every diode on a backlit tv separately, so they tend to be controlled in larger groups. Unfortunately this isn’t perfect as the diodes can stay on / shut off in areas where light and dark meet causing the edges of light areas to be darker and the edges of dark areas to be lighter.
The alternative is a true LED screen that lights every diode separately, which would be very expensive and is only really seen as large billboards owned by major companies placed in high traffic areas.
Although the black levels are somewhat debated, there are some clear advantages of LED over LCD and plasmas. LED panels tend to use less power and don’t use mercury, which can be harmful to the environment. They tend to be well balanced in colour and contrast too, providing more vivid and sharper images.
There are pros and cons for all tv and as with any big purchase it’s important to fully research your options before you buy. Go to your local retailer and compare the tv’s in store for yourself. Take a note of the tv’s specification and compare it to your requirements and budget. Once your happy, take it home and stay enjoying some great tv!
Simplytvwallmounts is here for all your tv buying and installation needs. To read more about LED TV’s, visit LED TV.
