Differences between LCD and LED
LED vs LCD- Which is better for TV technology?
No matter how progressive technology becomes, purchasing a new TV will never lose its glamour. And ever since the much sought-after plasma TV has run out of production, there is confusion about which one is the best option when it comes to choosing the right TV.
Needless to say, when you are investing with your hard-earned money, you will surely try to lay your hands on the best possible product within your estimated budget. But before you settle for an option, it's important to understand the differences between led vs LCD for making an informed decision.
LED TV is basically a version of the LCD TV using the light-emitting diodes for backlighting the display in place of CFLs or Cold Cathode Fluorescent light which were used in standard televisions.
LED functions as a semiconductor device emitting visible light as the electric current passes through. The light is monochromatic and occurs at one wavelength but it is not very bright. When compared to fluorescent lights, LEDs do not require high power consumption and can convert to light from the power very efficiently. As a result, the cost of energy consumption is much less. The focus is very accurate in order to facilitate reduced light leakage. Moreover, LED offers better longevity compared to other technologies.
There are three basic variants of LED technologies in use. The most common of these is the edge-lit LED. These displays are mostly very thin and the LEDs are positioned around the border of the screen and a diffusion panel is deployed for even illumination of the display.
Dynamic RGB LEDs are another type of LED placed at the back of the panel. It allows accurate dimming of the target areas which helps in the true reproduction of the monochrome colors.
The third kind of display referred to as the full-array LED is positioned at the back of the panel in the same way that the RGB LED functions without the ability to dim the brightness locally.
LCD is a display technology developed on the basis of liquid crystal display. Televisions developed on this technology utilize reduced power. This is because its function on the principle of blocking light in place of emitting it. The passive or active matrix LCD is used by LCD display. The active matrix LCD contains a grid of conductors with numerous pixels situated at every intersection. Streaks of current pass through two conductors present at the grid for controlling the light.
On the other hand, the active matrix transistor is deployed at every intersection of the pixels so that a reduced amount of energy is consumed. Due to this, the current passing through the active matrix display can be turned on and off more frequently which, in turn, boosts the refresh rate.
Some passive matrix display comes with dual scanning which implies that the scanning can be done two times with the same amount of energy as it takes with a single scan in the authentic technology. It's worthy of mention here that the active matrix is always a superior choice compared to its passive counterpart.
As we have understood what is LCD and LED, now let's turn to understand the differences between LCD and LED. The basic technology working in these two variants is the same with dual layers of polarized glass via which the light will be blocked or allowed by the liquid crystals. This implies that rather than being entirely different in terms of LCD vs LED TV, LED TV is a subset of its counterpart, LCD TV.
The difference in the placement of lighting, as well as the type of light, shows that LED TVs are generally thinner than the LEDs even though this point has started to change. Moreover, LEDs run with improved efficiency and gives a better display with crisper and brighter pictures.
Two reasons can be attributed to better picture reproduction of the LED TV. In the first place, LED televisions function on a color wheel with distinct RGB lights for producing a more realistic and crisper range of hues. Secondly, LEDs can also be dimmed as per requirements. As a result, the picture gets displayed with a truer replica of black by making the lights darker along with blocking more light from traversing through this panel.
Since the LED televisions are endowed with comparatively thinner skin, they typically come with anti-glare and anti-viewing problems. The backlit televisions offer a cleaner and better angle viewing compared to the standardized LCD televisions. In spite of the differences, both of these LED and LCD televisions come with good reputations for their gaming and playback quality.
When it comes to LED vs LCD TV, there are three variants of each type based on the methods of backlighting.
When you are considering the technology for your television, a full-array LED monitor should be your top choice. But you should avoid it if it comes with edge lighting. This is because the issue with edge lighting is that you can never find an optimal angle for viewing which is required for watching television and playing games. Even when you choose to sit back and try out different viewing angles, you will notice that the edge-lit LED doesn't offer good visibility when you move to another position or angle from the focal point of the viewing angle.
When you are on a tight budget with space constraints as well, edge-lit LED can be a viable choice for you. The first reason is that they are much thinner than the other variants. Moreover, they are a cheaper alternative because they don't involve expensive manufacturing processes and are easier on the wallet.
But when you are looking for the best display in terms of technology, you shouldn't forget about the specifications. Even though the type of backlighting is crucial, the contrast ratio, refresh rate, and resolution play equally important parts.
Resolution is the number of pixels that are displayed on the monitor. The higher the number of pixels, the better will be the image quality. The composition of colors will also be more dynamic and brighter. The premium class monitors come with a resolution of 1920x 1080 at least.
Next comes the refresh rate which is critical in lowering the motion blur or blurring of any part of the display which moves. Both LCD and LED televisions are equally efficient in handling this aspect. LCDs further comes with a black frame insertion technology which improves the motion resolution to a considerable extent.
The contrast ratio refers to the difference between the brightest and the darkest point of the display. LED is the sure winner here since it can produce an extremely bright display without any blooming.
When comparing the two kinds of display for television, power consumption is also an important area to consider. Typically, the brighter the screen would be, the more will be the energy consumption. This is also going to change as per the content that is displayed. In other words, a darker film will absorb less power than watching a cricket match on the television. The backlight setting also plays a part here. A basic LED or LCD television with its backlight set to a minimum will reduce the power consumption o a great extent.
So are you planning to upgrade your home entertainment setup? There are tons of factors to consider, but the process of selection starts with one major confusion: LED vs LCD? Which is better? What kind of television should you get. Now that you are enlightened with the knowledge of the key differences between the two, you can make an informed decision to allocate your money properly.
