LCD or LED?
The terminology for LED TV's has been confusing customers ever since it's introduction.
Are they something that is really worth you trading last years $1000 investment in or to spend a few hundred more if you're int the market for a new LCD HDTV? We've try to compile the right research for your to debunk the myths and understand your best options
Getting straight down to it , there is nothing called as 'LED HDTV' in the first place - and what we refer to as LED TVs are basically LCD TVs that haveto LED backlighting instead of the traditional CCFL backlighting. This misnomer can be attributed to aggressive marketing by manufacturers and retailers who introduced LED-backlit LCD TVs as LED TVs in the beginning of the 21st century. Confused? It isn't as difficult as it seems. By the time you reach half way through this writeup, all your misunderstandings about the LED vs LCD HDTV will be cleared.
High-definition televisions - abbreviated as HDTVs, are television sets which facilitate transmission of high definition video owing to the amazing resolution of 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 pixels that they boast of. These televisions are slowly - but steadily, phasing out their predecessors i.e. the standard-definition televisions aka SDTVs. Almost all the television models available in the market today resort to HDTV technology, and LCD televisions are no exceptions.
Simply put, LCD TVs - also known liquid-crystal display televisions, are those television sets which resort to LCD technology to produce and display images. In this technology, the image that is displayed on the screen is produced by selectively filtering of white light produced by a light source used in them. When LCD televisions were introduced back in the 20th century, they used a series of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) which was placed behind the display as the source of light. More recently however, these CCFLs have been replaced by light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are either arranged in an array behind the display (back-lit or full-array LED televisions) or in a straight line along the edge of the display (edge-lit LED televisions).
It is the use of LED bcklighting which has earned the new LCD TV models the colloquial name LED TVs. However, the fact remains that what are marketed as LED TVs, today, are nothing but LCD televisions with LED backlighting - which should be ideally referred to as LED-backlit LCD TVs. On the other hand, those LCD TVs which use CCFL backlighting as the light source should be referred to as CCFL-backlit LCD TVs. If this difference between LCD and LED technology is taken into consideration, we should be comparing LED-backlit LCD televisions against CCFL-backlit LCD televisions when it comes to LED HDTV Vs LCD HDTV debate.
LED HDTV Vs LCD HDTV: What to get?
Just because both use LCD technology, it doesn't mean that they are same through and through. While going through LED and LCD HDTV reviews, you'll see that there are quite a few differences between the two, and you need to take them into consideration when choosing which one of these to opt for. As you must have realized by now, the main difference between LED-backlit LCDs and CCFL-backlit LCDs is the source of backlighting that they resort to. While the former resorts to tiny light emitting diodes as the light source, the latter resorts to cold cathode fluorescent lamps for the same.
Being relatively new on the block, LED-backlit LCD television does have some advantages over its CCFL-backlit counterpart. Starting with the power consumption, opting for LED-backlit LCD TV is a better option as these units are known to save 40 percent power as compared to their CCFL-backlit units. The RGB color wheel used in LED-backlit televisions adds vibrant colors and gives them an edge on when it comes to image quality. It is difficult, at this juncture of time, to ascertain which of the two has a longer lifespan, but taking into consideration the fact that light emitting diodes have a longer lifespan than florescent lamps (as the florescent lamps have the tendency to fade with time) it's advantage LED TVs here.
Again, the halo effect that you are likely to experience when it comes to full-array LED-backlit TVs does have the tendency to play a spoilsport. Price is yet another - and perhaps the most crucial, aspect wherein LCD televisions have an edge over LED televisions, and that becomes all the more obvious when you compare the price of the same sized units. While most of the LED HDTV reviews suggest that these units have a better contrast ratio and deeper blacks, LCD TVs are fast catching up in this aspect. Being high-definition televisions, you will hardly see any difference between the two when it comes to fast moving videos. In terms of environment friendliness, the fact that CCFLs used in LCDs have mercury in them makes these television sets a potential environmental hazard.
As the LED TV vs LCD TV battle continues to heat up, the differences between the two are expected to come down by a significant extent. At the end of the day, everything comes down to your personal preferences. If you prefer spending extra rather than compromising on the quality, you can go for LED TV. However, if price is the driving factor that you are concerned of, then LCD is the best bet for you.
