LED VS LCD : Learn This Before Buying a TV!

Everything You Ever Needed to Know about LED vs LCD TVs

What is LCD TV?
What is LED TV?
What is Plasma TV?
LED vs LCD Backlighting
Is LED TV The Same as LCD TV?
Which is Better: LCD or LED?

Power Consumption
Brightness
Viewing Angles
Aspect Ratio
Contrast ratio
Response Time

Technology in the modern television is different from the world of your parents and grandparents. When you actually stop to think about it, the world of televisions is nothing like it was just a few short years ago. The gradual evolution of CRT (Cathode Ray Televisions) to Digital Television took decades happen; as the rise in popularity (actually a legally mandated requirement) of the digital television continued, consumers are now faced with a myriad of television choices including the choice on the best LED vs. LCD monitor. There is one problem with the choice consumers are given: most consumers really have no idea what they need know when purchasing the modern television. Can you tell the benefits and drawbacks of the TCL L40FHDF12TA 40-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV with 2-Year Warranty to the LG 42LV4400 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV? Probably not-just like most consumers. Most consumers are obsessed with finding a great value-the cheapest LCD TV or a comparable LED or Plasma TV.

The Appearance of Digital TV

To not include a brief discussion on the impact digital television had upon the dynamic changes to television technology would be negligent. With a standard CRT unit, the display consists of a standard analog resolution. Specifically, this resolution or clarity of the picture received is determined by the strength of the signal actually received by the television. In non-technical language, the television signal you receive with a CRT unit is substantially weaker in strength by the time it actually is view on your television. If you remember seeing static lines or a blurry picture at some point your life when watching television, chances are you were watching an analog television.

When you examine the resolution type, style, and signal delivery of the digital television, you are able to see a much improved picture quality that is crisper, cleaner, and more vibrant than the standard CRT or analog television. This is achieved by a more precise signal delivery system that is a bit stream or data that consists of 1’s and 0’s similar to a binary coding. This bit stream delivery does not suffer from the degradation of the signal from the broadcast station.

The end result of digital television has been the ability of technology to increase at a greater intensity and pace that allows progressive scan DVDs to be seen at the highest quality as well as allow for Hi-definition broadcasting to be viewed on a digital television. Enhanced-definition televisions (these are substantially different from Hi-definition televisions) that include plasma televisions and any 3D TV can also benefit from digital television technology. You can see the impact that Hi-definition can bring if you look at the LG Infinia 55LW5600 55-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 120 Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV and Four Pairs of 3D Glasses or the Samsung PN51D8000 51-inch 1080p 3D Ready Plasma HDTV.Additional differences will be touched upon later when we examine LED vs LCD vs Plasma.

If one were to determine the greatest benefit of digital television it would probably be the creation of Internet-Ready HDTVs. Not only do these types of television offer the ability to watch the best video picture quality, they also allow for the end consumer (you) to take advantage of Internet video access from companies such as Netflix ®, Hulu®, Amazon ®, YouTube®, and Pandora®. Because of the tremendous access of Internet-Ready HDTVs new applications will continue to be developed. One of the top televisions for viewing these types of programming would be the LG 42LK450 42-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV.Customer reviews on this particular product indicate it has some of the best video quality they have seen on any television.

Is LED TV The Same as LCD TV?

LED Television is unwittingly considered by many to be its own genre of television technology. What should be understood by anyone looking to purchase a high quality HD TV is that the best LED TV or LCD TV is very closely related. The relationship between these two competing technologies suggests they are very close first cousins in the television devices. In the battle of LED TV vs LCD TV as one realizes they almost the same, how can we recognize the difference between LCD and LED TV?

What is LCD TV?

To begin, LCD TV is an acronym for liquid-crystal display television. This type of television uses LCD technology to reproduce images transmitted electronically. When one compares the standard CRT (cathode ray television) to an LCD TV, you can see why LCD technology is superior. The LCD technology allows a television to be constructed of lighter materials, thus translating into a thinner display.

Focusing onto the actual technology of the LCD TV, it becomes critical to understand what makes the LCD technology work. The display features of an LCD television are determined by something called a pixel: a small layer of molecules that is placed or aligned between two transparent electrodes and polarizing filters. The density or formation of these molecules can be modified by electrical impulses that allow different levels of light to pass through them.

The one thing that does not happen is the process self-illumination. This means that some type of artificial lighting is needed to allow the images received to be viewed. Because of the way the LCD crystals (molecule formation) are designed, LCD televisions require high levels of light so images can be seen. In the case of many LCD televisions the lighting mechanism has been a cold cathode fluorescent lamp or the CCFL. The CCFL is usually located directly behind the LCD panel. One good example of a CCFL LCD television is the Sharp LC32SV29U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV – Black. The picture quality and the ambient light settings do not impede the ability of this LCD television to overcome the CCFL technology.

What is LED TV?

The description of an LED TV is best given as a light-emitting diodes television display. LED televisions do not use CCFL technology to allow the images received to be viewed. With an LED TV you still have a thinner panel, however you gain reduced power consumption, efficient heat dispersal, more intense brightness controls, and higher quality contrast levels.

From looking at the descriptions of LED vs LCD display televisions, it becomes clear that the LED TV is in fact an LCD TV.

LED vs LCD vs Plasma

You now have the information necessary to determine that the LCD vs LED TV discussion really becomes a moot point. Where does the plasma television come into play?

What is a Plasma TV?

The primary difference between the LCD and LED TV to the Plasma TV consists of how the plasma television is constructed. Instead of using liquid crystals or light emitting diodes, the plasma television display is created from a myriad of miniscule gas-filled cells placed between two glass plates, two electrodes, a dielectric material, and a protective layer of material. When a systematic engineering of electrical impulses are directed through the gas-filled cells, the gasses contained inside, usually xenon or neon, have their atoms stimulated to release an ultraviolet light that reacts to the surrounding materials to create visible light images.

There is a control circuitry that increases or decreases the energy output to the gas-filled cells that creates the spectrum of colors needed to see a high quality picture. As a result of the control circuitry in the plasma television technology, no backlight is needed for the plasma television. One prime example of this television is the Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S30 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV with its extensive deep color controls that will reproduce the dynamic imagery one discovers in Blu-ray Disc and DVDs.

LED vs LCD Backlighting

The best question to ask when talking about backlighting in both the LED and LCD television technology is there a difference between CCFL vs LED. While you have already read about the LEDs reduction in power consumption, efficiency in heating dissipation, vivid brightness, and improved contrast controls, you may want to know more about the added benefits of an LED television.

Backlighting

As you search for your newest technology purchase, one of the terms you will hear repeated by almost every salesperson will be the term backlight or backlighting. Most of us don’t even know much more than just how to push a button on a remote control let alone understand why there should be a focus on something called a backlight.

For the standard consumer, the term backlight refers to the illumination or light source used to help the consumer view the images being transmitted to the television set. Backlighting is placing a light at the back of the LCD screen instead of the front of the screen. The adaptability in function of a backlight offers more detailed viewing in low lighting levels and how the backlight mimics the light similar to a standard CRT display.

In the modern LCD video display, there are typically 5 types of light sources used for the backlighting process:

Incandescent light bulbs
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Electroluminescent panels
One (or more) cold cathode flourscent lamps (CCFL)
One (or more) hot cathode fluorescent lamps (HCFL)

For the modern television, you will encounter the LED, CCFL, or (less common but gaining market share especially with the Bravia Sony HDTVs) HCFL technologies. The reason for these three having dominance in the television manufacturing is solely based upon a price comparison. The ELP (electroluminescent panel) technology is costly and is more commonly used in larger, outdoor displays. Incandescent light bulbs are limited in life expectancy and heat generation; although these bulbs do offer substantial bonuses in brightness this bonus is not enough to overcome the danger in excess heat and the cost of continuous replacement.

The typical backlight can be of any color; monochrome LCDs have yellow, green, blue or white backlights and color LCDs have white backlights to help with the visual acuity of the entire color spectrum.

LED versus LCD Backlighting

As you begin to examine exactly what makes an LED television different than the LCD television, the LED backlight is significantly more advanced with three typical designs: edge-LEDs, Full-array LEDs, or Dynamic “Local Dimming” LEDs. Each type of LED backlight has its benefits.

Edge-LEDs

The benefit to this technique of backlighting is a significant edge in size and space requirements. This technique allows the overall size of the television to be thin. The specialized panel used also gives a more uniform light dispersal.

Full-array LEDs

The television manufacturers who utilize this technology in their backlighting process find they have improved energy usages, continued performance in contrast and brightness, a more detail and unique color range, lighting needs are more controlled and consistent during rapid scene shifts or scenery changes, and the overall image is more accurate.

Dynamic “Local Dimming”LEDs

The greatest benefit of this technique is the ability of the consumer to control the dimming process more effectively for darker areas of the television screen. Ultimately, the increased range of blacks, whites, and some colors within contrast measurements can be controlled by the consumer by dimming or brightening adjustments. You do lose some detail in picture quality especially with smaller, bright objects on a dark background (such as a starry sky).

Which is Better: LCD or LED?

While LED versus LCD choice may fall down right to a personal decision or preference, there are some significant advantages the potential television purchaser should know. The comparison of the CCFL-backlit LCD to the LED-backlit LCDS boils down to 8 simple facts:

The images produced by the LED-backlit have a greatly improved dynamic contrast.
LED-backlit displays offer smaller, sleek designs that are slim, thin, and trim, often less than 1 cm in thickness.
The color range is higher when using the RGB-LED backlighting process.
The LED-backlight creates less of an impact upon the environment when disposed of properly.
The level of reliability is improved with the LED-backlight.
There is a wider range of dimming with the LED-backlight.
The expense in the LED-backlight is more.
The LED-backlight uses at least 20% less energy.

LED vs LCD-Power Consumption

If you look back earlier in this article, you may remember that a CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) is used to light behind the LCD panel. The LCD TV technology is rather inefficient, as the viewer never receives most of the light produced behind the LCD panel. As you can imagine, a high power output is required to overcome the inefficiency of the light absorption in LCD technology. Typically this equates to several hundred watts of power although some information sources (CNET Energy Efficiency Guide, http://reviews.cnet.com/green-tech/tv-power-efficiency/) suggests the average power consumption of an LCD television is 111 watts of power. When you debate the superiority of LCD vs LED based upon power consumption alone, the general consensus is that the LED standard appears a much better purchase option. But what other factors regarding power usage should be considered?

LCD vs LED Brightness

Tne factor of power consumption we mentioned already was the level of light output and the efficiency of the light dispersal through the LED or LCD technology. We already mentioned that LCD televisions require a high power lighting unit to allow images to be viewed; not only does the extreme heat become a concern; it also impacts the ability of brightness controls and image clarity. The inherent limitations of LCD technology does not allow for the ease in controlling how light passes through the display and as such, the excess use of power in the LCD television dramatically impacts the video quality and image more than one realizes.

LED versus LCD Viewing Angles

Just because you have made the distinction between LCD vs LED, you still have decisions to think about regarding your impending television purchase. Usually people pay attention to picture quality and price. Nearly everyone skips by one important facet of the television purchasing experience: the viewing angles. With the traditional CCRT televisions, it really didn’t matter where you sat when watching the television. Almost everywhere you could safely (or comfortably) sit afforded you a pleasant and enjoyable view. You didn’t have to worry about sitting too far out on the cusp of the true viewing area.

While most television manufacturers claim to have nearly 90° of true picture image viewing, the truth of the matter is that with minimal shifts from center, some major picture degradation can occur to your television viewing enjoyment. The gradual phase from clear picture quality to no picture quality is never really given by most manufacturers. In fact, they usually do not even indicate that the picture quality even alters once you move off center.

What is important to know about viewing angles for LED or LCD televisions is the viewing area will be affected with slight variations from direct 0° viewing. By the time you reach the nearly 90° picture image viewing suggested by the television manufacturer, your picture quality, brightness, and intensity is nearly gone. The cost of the LED or LCD television does not make the viewing angle better or worse depending on which way you go decide to go on cost,

What helps with Viewing Angles?

There are several specific items that should be considered with regards to viewing angles and picture clarity. The ability of any manufacturer to determine performance must rely upon the contrast ratio, the aspect ratio, the response time standards and advances, and the refresh rate standards and advances. While other items may factor into performance related discussion, these are four of the most vital to become familiar.

When contrasting LED vs LCD vs Plasma televisions, viewing angle is one component that Plasma televisions have greater performance standards. Plasma televisions do have increased contrast performance, they falter in the ambient light features; however, the best thing about plasma televisions is the nearly 180° viewing they offer. If you want to experience this viewing pleasure for yourself, just take a ride to the Samsung PN64D8000 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma 8000 Series Smart TV. The full screen viewing angle can’t be beaten as you are watching the best in 3D sports action.

Contrast Ratio

What does contrast ratio really mean? Simplistically put, the contrast ratio is the specific ratio of the level of white image brightness compared to the black image brightness. There is not a specific mathematical equation television manufacturers use where:

Brightness at screen center when all pixels are white

Contrast Ratio (CR) = Brightness at screen center when all pixels are black

So, what does this really mean other than you don’t remember high school trigonometry and geometry? Because there is not a standardized equation, you cannot compare Panasonic HDTVs to Samsung HDTVs or Sony HDTVs. You have to be careful to only compare contrast ratios between models and styles from the same manufacturer only. Failure to follow this guideline will keep you from actually comparing apples to apples and may lead you to believe you have purchased an inferior product down the road. One other item to consider regarding contrast ratio: the manufacturer of the television can advertise either the static contrast ratio or the dynamic contrast ratio (over time). Usually this equates to the manufacturer being able to give you an elevated contrast ratio if they so desired.

Aspect Ratio

The quest for understanding aspect ratio is also a simple mathematical formula. Simply take the width of the image divided by its height. The traditional style television was almost a perfect square. As such the image seen on the screen was slightly wider than it was high giving an aspect ratio of 4X3 or 4:3. To break it down more simply, just consider it to be 4 unites wide and 3 units high or an aspect of 1.33 to 1.

You will see the aspect ratio of 16:9 in many manufacturers. This is considered to be the HD standard for Internet Ready HDTVs. The Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV gives you a variety of aspect ratios including the 16:9 HD standard. You will definitely be impressed with this “widescreen” imagery in bold, brilliant 3D color.

Response Time Standards and Advances

When looking at the response time standards for CCFL, LED, LCD, or Plasma televisions, you should consider looking at higher speeds of response. What does this really mean to you? In the older generation LCD televisions, the pictures and images had a tendency to blur during high motion, fast action movies or scenes. This also included sports and gaming events. Because the LCD technology required different energy requirements for each pixel in the display, some pixels would remain lit for a short period of time giving the illusion of a freeze frame effect or the blurred images. The level of time needed for the LCD crystal displays to reconfigure after each lighting sequence is called the “response time”. The lag in response times was not isolated to just the standard LCD televisions; it also had a tendency to occur within the early models of plasma televisions.

Recent advances have made the improvements necessary to allow for better image handling and smoother action displays; however, if you go side by side with an LCD television such as the LG 42LK520 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV and a contemporary plasma television like the Samsung PN59D8000 59-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma HDTV (Black) what you will notice is something pretty amazing. The contemporary plasma television cannot be beat with regards to performance, picture quality, and picture stability by any LCD television in the market.

The reason for this is that the newest and most modern LCD panels now come with a 4 millisecond LCD response time in a 120 hz television; there is a 2 millisecond LCD response time in a 240 hz television. When you compare these figures to the standard almost a decade ago, these current standards almost appear like the speed of light in comparison to the 8 millisecond response time of long ago.

Will this actually be fast enough for you? The general consensus is that the most discerning eye usually will not be able to differentiate the lag time associated with these millisecond measurements. Any discrepancies you may witness would be minimal blurring impacting a small number of pixels and probably only when watching the most active sports events.

If you take a look at the response time of the CCFL and LCD television and then compare it with the plasma television, you will see an almost instantaneous response time that is calculated to approximately .001milliseconds. Unless you are Superman or Superwoman, you will never be able to see any difference in imaging qualities.

Refresh Rate Standards and Advances.

As you examine the impact response time has upon video imaging, you should also be aware of how refresh standards interact in the LCD and Plasma televisions. Again the question should be asked, what is a refresh rate and why is it so important in buying a television?

If you take a look at how many times a second one movie picture frame moves forward and slow it down, you will see approximately 24 frames go past you each second. Imagine that you have to watch that many frames go by in real time and the value of a refresh rate becomes quite obvious. The refresh rate coincides with image movement continuity and can be directly affected by a slow response time helping to make your picture movement appear to lag. This effect of picture movement lag time is simply called “flickering” and has the potential to damage not only your eyes, but your television as well.

One of the more advanced refresh rates can be found in the Samsung UN55D8000 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTV (Silver) with its 240 hz standard. Samsung details that their technology will allow each frame to be uniquely analyzed and adjusted to offer sharp and smooth motion.

LED vs LCD – The Cost

The overall talk about LED vs LCD vs Plasma has been an in-depth analysis of their associated technologies. Face it, sometimes the technology you want has a price tag you cannot afford. How do you make the determination between cost and technology? What are some items that should be non-negotiable and what are items that you could (or possibly should) live without?

3D or Not 3D? That is the question.

First off, do you really need the added features of 3D action, sports, and movies? Keep in mind that while some technology is advancing, will 3D continue to be one of those technologies? The value of watching the 3D sports event may bring out the best in the world and make you believe that you are actually part of the game. Just remember that the visual equipment you will need to enjoy your 3D Plasma set comes with an expensive price tag. The Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV does have an excellent price point at $1200 just don’t forget to add in the costs for the HDMI cable with Ethernet capabilities that supports 3D & audio return channel, the integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-Ray DVD Player, the 3D glasses and equipment, and the cost for your 3D programming. By the time you add up the various accessories, equipment, and programming you will need to experience the Plasma 3D experience you might be looking at an initial cost that will be close to $2000 plus recurring charges. The higher quality plasma you decide to purchase, the more your out of pocket initial expense will become.

You might want to consider the Samsung PN64D8000 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma 8000 Series Smart TV at almost $4000. This particular unit happens to have an extensive refresh rate tested at almost 600 hz and an optimal resolution that offers full HD 1080p resolution and multiple HDMI inputs for all of your video and audio technologies.

LCD-Is it for me?

Great picture quality can come in packages that are not as large as the plasma television. Some of the top selling LCD televisions have excellent characteristics quite similar to those found in their plasma counterparts. The LG 42LK520 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV is an excellent quality 42 inch Internet Ready HDTV priced to please at just under $700 to $800. While the 120 hz refresh rate does not even come close to the 600 Hz of plasma television, motion delay and image blurring certainly will not be noticeable to the casual observer. The benefits to this particular model may not be as detailed or expensive as owning a plasma television, however, the picture quality, image detail, and resolution will be there for television, cable, movies, and streaming videos.

LED-The Next Best Thing to LCD

The quality of the standard LED–LCD television has been pictured quite thoroughly; while the differences are minimal when compared to the conventional LCD display, just remember the improved picture clarity and quality, the efficiency in heat dispersal, and the other benefits described above.

More importantly, as you start examining the price point of the LED televisions, you will see some drastic price differences. The LG 42LK520 42-Inch 1080p 120 HZ LCD HDTV mentioned in the preceding paragraph is similar in price point to the LG 42LV4400 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV. If you look at the differences you will see a lighter product, a thinner construction, and many other benefits.

If you would like to move more towards the benefits you get from the plasma experience, you might also look closer at the Samsung UN55D8000 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTV (Silver). The 3D capability of this particular model brings out the best of both worlds with a similar price point but in a more compact package and the features found in the Samsung PN59D8000 59-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma HDTV (Black) television set. While you are at it, why don’t you consider the largest LED TV-the Sharp 80-inch AQUOS (80-inch diagonal) LC-80LE632U HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) Smart TV with built-in Wi-Fi? It will be a steal at almost $5500.

The Price Is Right

You certainly will have a tremendous decision ahead of you as you try to determine exactly what you need. The easy and safe route might be to stick with the less expensive models found both in the LED and the LCD arena. However, you need to take into consideration can you attain the full feature benefits afforded by the more expensive plasma technologies? Just remember that often the price you pay today for expensive technology may not be that price tomorrow.

Take a close examination of what you need right now with regards to the types of technology you currently own. Do you have an older DVD or Blu-Ray Player, Audio System, or speaker system? You might be able to justify the added expense for more expensive equipment if you consider it an investment for your home, family, and lifestyle. For those who have newer equipment, make the determination whether you will be keeping it for one year, two years or more. This will help you create a starting point for budgeting your future purchase.

LED VS LCD-Who Wins?

Wouldn’t it be nice to just do some research and make the final decision that LED or LCD is the best choice? The problem is that things just are not that simple, especially with the level of technology you will be facing. No longer is the search for the perfect product established by price alone. The level of support, the brand name of the manufacturer, whether the technology is too new or too old, what is the picture quality, what is the longevity of the technology itself, compatibility issues, and much, much more. All this clouds out the decision making process when you start asking what is the best LED TV brand.

Face it, the added confusion to the American economy makes your decision that much more difficulty as well. How can you be certain that the company you will be purchasing from will be there to uphold your warranty next week let alone next year.

Earlier the comment was established that the decision between LED, LCD or even Plasma TVs could simply fall right down to personal choice and preference. You have been given the necessary information you need to make the comparisons and analysis for each of these choices.

As a quick refresher you should remember to evaluate your purchase on 8 simple factors and ranking from low to high:

The purchase of an LED backlight have a greater dynamic contrast when compared to the standard LCD television display. Plasma television will make the LED backlight television pale in comparison.

The ranking goes: LCD, LED, Plasma.

The Led-backlit displays offer small, sleek designs. Many are less than 1 cm thick. This equates to lighter weight and less bulk. The Plasma television is substantially heavier, many weighing almost 100 pounds. LCD televisions are significantly lighter than Plasma but still weigh more than LED.

The ranking goes: Plasma, LCD, LED.

The color gamut is better with an LED backlight than the typical CCFL illumination found in LCD displays. Be prepared to be blown away by the phenomenal color variations and spectrums offered through the Plasma television.