Humans rely on our senses to make decisions and some play a bigger role than others. I am sure that you have experienced certain emotions when a certain song plays or when visiting a venue that has featured an event that brings certain thoughts back to you. Call it a case of déjà -vu or sensory overload but it impacts our lives whether we want to admit it or not.
With this sensory bombardment in mind I thought I would try to understand and describe the difference between LCD TVs and LED TVs. Technology is moving towards an era where broadcasts will be more realistic than ever through the use of High Definition technology.
LED TVs are technically a member of the LCD TV family. The display screen on a LED TV is a liquid crystal display the same as it is on any other LCD TV. However the main difference between the two lies with different backlighting techniques which may change the picture quality characteristics dramatically.
The screen remains the same but LEDs are used in place of Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) that is found in most LCD TVs.
The LEDs can come in two forms, Dynamic RGB LEDs which are positioned behind the panel, or white Edge-LEDs positioned around the rim of the screen which use a special diffusion panel to spread the light evenly behind the screen.
RGB Dynamic LED TV
This back lighting method allows dimming to occur locally creating specific areas of darkness on the screen. This means you see truer blacks and much higher dynamic contrast ratios.
Edge-LED TV
This allows LED TVs to become extremely thin by means of this technique. The light is diffused across the screen by a special panel which produces a superb uniform colour range across the screen.
The benefits to choosing an LED TV over a LCD TV.
- Improved brightness and contrast levels, with deeper blacks.
- Edge-LED lighting is used which allows the TV to be thinner than standard LCD TVs.
- LED TVs can consume up to 40% less power than a LCD TV of similar size (Especially relevant with the price hike expected from Eskom)
- They can offer a wider color gamut, especially when RGB-LED back lighting is used.
Currently the LED TV pricing is significantly higher in comparison to LCD TVs and I believe that ultimately the choice goes down to your pocket and also how much value you place on the viewing experience.
