While LCD TV and LED TV are two words occasionally found in the advertising realm, the difference is not quite fully known. Any discussion resonating around digital TV technologies wouldn’t be whole without the mere mention of them. Let’s take a look at some of the distinct features that make each so unique from the other and what essentially counts in superiority comparison.
How are the two related?
Basically, LED is an upgraded version of LCD and it’s only the acronyms that throw so much confusion into the discussion. LCD stands for liquid crystal display while LED is an acronym for light-emitting diodes. Both the former and the latter constitute two layers of glass that are polarized via which liquid crystals both pass and block light. Technically, LED is a subset of the improved technology of LCD.
How are the two different?
Essentially, LCD TV uses fluorescent bulbs to enhance backlighting while LED TV utilizes much more effective light-emitting diodes for backlighting purposes thus the name suggestively differentiates it from the former. Simply put, LED refers to the technology that allows backlighting of the screen and not the system that facilitates image display. LED TV is a type of LCD but with more advanced technological input as far as backlighting is concerned.
Moreover, LCD TV’s liquid crystals do not produce light on their own hence the need for a backlighting system. In contrast, LED screens which formerly utilized fluorescent bulbs for light production, have now evolved a notch higher and currently make use of emitting diodes to act as a consistent source of light for backlighting. The most advanced set of LCD TVs have also upped their game and are discarding the archaic fluorescent bulbs for more efficient light-emitting diodes but crucially, it still revolves around LCD image display technology.
Additionally, the positioning of lights in both sets of TV technology can differ. LCD TV’s florescent bulbs are placed behind the screen whilst LED TV’s emitting diodes are located at the edges of the screen or behind it. This has a considerable impact on the size of the screen which translates to bigger screens in LCDs as opposed to LEDs. However, this particular trend is changing, with manufacturers of LCDs also keen on reducing the size of their screen which has a substantial contribution to the portability of the TV.
Why are LED TVs better?
Any budding TV dealer would tell you that LED TV is better than its predecessor in terms of picture quality. Manufacturers are investing a lot in LED backlighting thus making a meal out of it. Light-emitting diodes are much more efficient in relation to energy consumption. The reasoning behind the prominence of LED TV sets is that despite the extra cost of buying, offsetting it by paying less on your electricity bill would eventually balance things out in the long run.
LED TV makes use of two distinct backlighting systems- full array and edge-lit. The latter’s LEDs are placed at the very edges of the screen layout while the former’s LEDs are situated at the back of the screen. Each of them brings a different beneficial perspective to the table of choice. Due to the fact that the lighting sources in edge-lit screens occupy less space, the TVs are generally thinner. On the other hand, full-array TV sets are bulkier and thicker but they outstandingly make up for that by controlled (local) dimming. In hindsight, the dimming of parts of the screen can scale up the contrast of images. More importantly, though, those that use full-array backlit systems offer the best picture quality in the market. The fact that LED TV manufacturers have put customer preferences and orientations at heart elevate the TV screens a level above others.
In terms of longevity, LED TV trumps its LCD counterpart hands down. LED lights are typically long-lived and have a track record of durability. While florescent-based backlighting may as well last long, picture quality and color rendition wane with time due to the aging effect of the bulbs which is not the case with light-emitting diodes.
Conclusion
While LCD TVs are mentioned in the same breath as LED TVs, the comparison is unjust in most perspectives. Not only do LEDs offer much more pronounced picture quality, but they also do so without having to sacrifice screen size in a major way. All in all, the aspects of durability while retaining image quality cannot be looked at whatsoever, and LED TV offers exactly that.