LED Televisions: Backlit on a Budget
The LED (light-emitting diode) panel has been typically used outdoors in billboards and store signs, and in recent years they have also become commonplace in destination signs on mass transit vehicles. LED panels can be a small display or a component of a much larger display. LED panels are sometimes deployed for the purpose of illumination—as is the case of LCD televisions (which are backlit with LEDs).
With all the jargon and acronyms being tossed about with flat-panel televisions, it can be confusing to understand what type of HDTV you’re viewing. Is an LG 47″ 1080p 240Hz HDTV (Model 47LH90) an LCD or LED television? Actually, both! The LCDs do one job while the LEDs do another job.
LCD or LED? Actually, both!
Simply put, the LED designation on a television strictly refers to the form of backlighting used in newer LCD televisions. LCD chips and pixels do not produce their own light—only the image content. Therefore, the LCD’s pixels must be backlit using LEDs to display a visible image on your screen.
DEEP BLACKS ARE BACK!
In recent years, LCD televisions have been backlit with cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL). Because fluorescent lamps are always illuminated, some light continually leaks through to the front of the television—even when a part of the image is supposed to be a deep black.
As a result, this reduces the viewer’s perceived sharpness of the image. The deep blacks are still there but the fluorescent lamps dull the true color. Also, fluorescent lamps lack a wide range of colors so color saturation is limited. Problem solved!—enter LED backlighting on LCD televisions.
TWO WAYS TO BACKLIGHT
There are two different ways LEDs are used to backlight a LCD television: edge and full-array.
Edge – Light is disbursed using a series of LEDs placed along the outside of all four edges of the screen. The key benefit to this form of backlighting is the television can be very thin—we’re talking razor thin (25mm).
Full-array – Several rows of LEDS are placed behind the entire surface area of the display. The key benefit to this form of backlighting is the ability for localized dimming, which means each LED, or a specific group, can be turned off and back on again independently (within selected areas of the screen). This provides more precise control of the darkness and brightness for those selected areas, depending on the video source being displayed at the time.
GREEN & ECO-FRIENDLY
LCD televisions which are backlit with LEDs are better for the environment than LCDs backlit with fluorescent tubes because LCDs and LEDs work together by lowering power consumption to the point of being ENERGY STAR® qualified.
The Sharp AQUOS 32” HDTV (Model LC32LE700UN) consumes a mere 55 watts and exceeds the ENERGY STAR guidelines by 52%. Unlike fluorescent lamps, LEDs do not contain mercury which can pollute the environment by ending up in a landfill.
FINAL THOUGHTS
You might have asked yourself, “Why not just use LEDs to make a television?” Well, LEDs in their current form are much too large to be deployed as individual pixels on a flat-panel television. LED-only displays are still reserved for much larger screens used in commercial situations.
Sharp AQUOS 32” HDTV (Model LC32LE700UN)
The cost of an LCD/LED television is comparable to its plasma counterparts and will keep you within your budget. In fact, hhgregg carries six LCD/LED televisions for under $2,000 (with screen sizes ranging from 32”–47”).
Still have questions? Feel free to speak to an expert hhgregg sales associate. We offer the best-educated associates in the business who are smart enough to make it simple. Price and Advice Guaranteed!
hhgregg proudly carries LG, Samsung, Sharp, and Toshiba LCD/LED televisions.
