bad lcd panel symptoms brands

However, if the digitizer or LCD is also damaged during a fall, that screen no longer carries value because it cannot be refurbished. Repair shops cannot sell broken LCDs to refurbishing companies; therefore, they cannot offset the cost of an LCD repair. That is why repair stores often charge a little extra if there is damage to the LCD or digitizer, to make up for that loss. Repair stores that don’t have an additional charge for an LCD repair typically inflate their glass repair price to make up for the loss from damaged LCDs. If they have one price, that means everyone is paying more to cover the cost of customers who have damaged LCDs and customers who only have cracked glass. This is why TCR separates the price of glass and LCD repairs for you! If you only have cracked glass, you only have to worry about paying to replace the cracked glass.

If your phone or tablet’s glass is shattered there will be cracks or chips on the screen itself. If it is just the glass that is damaged, the device may still function and you may be able to use it normally. If this is the case, it is likely that only the glass needs to be replaced. To prevent further damage to your device it is best to get it repaired quickly. For example, if liquids seep through the cracks it could cause permanent damage to the LCD.

Many people may continue to use their touchscreen with shattered glass and delay fixing the glass on their devices; however, if the touchscreen isn’t responsive, it could be a sign of more significant damage to the device’s digitizer which is integrated with the LCD screen.

A pixelated screen can indicate LCD damage. This would look like a patch of multicolored dots, a line or lines of discoloration, or a screen with rainbow colors. For many people, these colors are an easy way to know that their LCD is broken and that they should get it repaired.

Dropping your phone isn’t the only reason you’ll end up with a pixelated screen. Over time, your screen’s LCD may break down through regular use. This happens to other devices aside from your smartphone or tablet. Pixelation can happen to TVs and computers, too. People typically decide to buy a new device when this happens. Fortunately, with an LCD repair, you can fix the device without needing to replace it.

A black screen or black spots on your smartphone or tablet is an indication of a damaged LCD. Often with a bad LCD, a phone may still turn on and make noises, but there is no clear picture. This does not necessarily mean any other part of the phone is damaged and a simple screen replacement will get it functioning again. Sometimes it can mean a battery or other internal component is damaged. It is best to have a highly qualified phone repair technician diagnose what is wrong so the appropriate repair can be made.

Fortunately, your mobile device is fixable whether you cracked the glass or damaged the LCD. Stop by or call TCR: Triangle Cellular Repair at (919) 263-2699 for a free diagnostic and quick, affordable cell phone repair in Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. We’re always happy to help!

The difference between a LED TV and a LCD TV is that they are both LCD TV’s except one has LED stripes and the other has CCFL Backlights- (Florescent Tubes). I used a Philips Magnavox Emerson LG TV when testing these repaird, but they should work on other TV brands that are similar. Before you do any Repair, check to see if you are still under warranty, or are covered by a recall of your TV!!

If your Plasma or LCD/LED or CCFL/LCD TV or monitor has stopped working, or is displaying one of the following symptoms, then it *may* need some new capacitors in the power supply board or a replacement board

If the TV is still locked and will not respond to any commands from the front panel control buttons or the remote control unit, it is apparently locked in a failure or diagnostic mode, and would probably have to be diagnosed and repaired by a reputable TV repair facility. Good luck.

If it is a thin vertical line that appears on certain video resolution/image then it is normal and is indicated in the users manual under troubleshooting. If the line is almost half the screen, it could be a problem with the cable connection between the LCD panel and logic board, or the LCD panel itself. Try reseating the cable first if it’ll solve the problem. I’ve done similar issue in the past. Reseating the cable worked for a couple of months till eventually the LCD panel is the problem. Replacing the LCD panel is quite costly and impractical.

If the lines are there all the time or intermittent but in the same location it is an indication of a bad panel. The panel driver can also be the cause of this symptom.

If the lines/bars are across the OSD Menu, and all the video signal inputs also same result, that means the TV LCD Panel is defective Most of the time this symptom is caused by a bad LCD Panel 95%. You can try refitting LVDS Cable or replacing Main Board capacitors or replacing Main Board—5%

Bad news unfortunately, their are two possible causes for what you have described, one would be a fault with the picture drive pcb ( Power Control Board ), and the other is physical damage to the LCD cell matrix, (screen).

There’s videos on how to fix this. It has to do with putting foam, in between panel frame and screen, which applies pressure to solder joints, which then completes the circuit- Contact my10cents, for better explanation.

Is the OSD menu affected as well? If yes then possibility could be the LCD Panel or the t-con board. Since you have replaced the t-con board then possibility is the LCD panel. There could be also a possibility of mainboard where upgrading the firmware could restore the picture. If the OSD menu is not affected then the LCD panel is good.

If the lines are across the OSD menu then chances is very high the LCD panel is the cause of the problem otherwise it can be due to bad T-con board or even Mainboard. Have you tested on the OSD menu to see if the lines are really across the menu?

White Lines– There are several possibilities that can cause white lines on an lcd screen. One would be high temperature on the logic board. Logic board drives the LCD panel and when it overheats can cause this display problem. One solution would be to clean the vent holes around the TV. One possibility that I have experienced myself servicing is a bloated capacitor on the power supply board. The worst possibility is a defective LCD panel, which is costly to repair, and sometime more practical to buy a new TV set.

There are several problems that could cause this problem. It could be the connection from the T-Con board to the panel, try wiggling these cables around and see if the picture comes up even for a second. The Mainboard or it’s cables are not the issue in my opinion. The isdsue is either going to be a bad capacitor, faulty output from the power supply to the T-Con board, a bad connection from T-Con to panel, or the T Con or the panel itself are faulty.

It could be the connection from the T-Con board to the panel, try wiggling these cables around and see if the picture comes up even for a second. The Mainboard or it’s cables are not the issue in my opinion. This is due to either a bad capacitor, faulty output from the power supply to the T-Con board, a bad connection from T-Con to panel, or the T Con or the panel itself are fault. Also, it’s possible the A/V receiver’s Video On feature was turned off by an electrical surge or something else.Turn the Video feature back to On and suddenly that bad blue screen was gone.

Now we need to know if PSU Board has all the correct output voltages. This means checking the secondary side output voltages of Power Board. Probable causes are the Power Supply, the T-Con board, Main Board or the LCD panel itself has failed.

You will have to go into the TV and check for capacitors or burn marks or cracked solder around the pins–Main board could be IC’s, or regulators–Panel–Disconnect panel and see if your TV stay’s on—

The flashing green light indicates a fault on the power board inside your TV. This will be due to a faulty component like a capacitor or voltage regulator. Faulty electrolytic capacitors on the power board are the most common cause of this problem. These capacitors will often leak and stop working as the TV set gets older,but could also be caused by the Main Board or the inverter board. (LCD TV ONLY) So we will have to take a look inside and maybe do some circuit testing and a visual of your boards-

In a dark room take a flashlight and at an angle shine it on the screen and see if you can see any movement. If you can see movement or see your menu then its backlight failure. If totally black screen with sound then its T-Con board. So if you see movement on a led screen, then it’s your LEDs inside the panel. If on a LCD TV you see movement and lamps are not turning on, replace inverter. If with a LCD TV your lamps turn on, with no picture replace T-Con Board.

Plasma is the most durable in terms of panel failure. LED/LCD is terrible for panel failure. (But every model gets bad apples. Samsung LED/LCD panels die frequently. LG panels are a lot more reliable.) Overall I’d say plasma is more reliable, and even if it fails, in most cases plasma is repairable, LED/LCD is expensive to repair and often difficult to troubleshoot.

A blurry image on a high-definition LCD TV is typically the result of a mismatch between the TVs resolution capabilities and the resolution of the signal that is coming from connected devices, such as a DVD player or satellite TV receiver. Typically, blurry pictures result when a peripheral device connects to the TV through non HD cables and jacks.

If you ever notice multi-coloured or single-coloured vertical lines on your laptop screen, it may be a result of a hardware failure or due to damage to the screen. To try fixing it yourself, first unplug your laptop, hold the power button for 30 seconds and restart the laptop. If you continue to see coloured lines, the issue is probably with the LCD screen, which will need to be replaced from the brand’s service center. To be sure about the LCD screen problem, try connecting your laptop to another monitor and see if the issue persists. If it does, the issue is certainly in the LCD panel.

Firstly, check if your laptop’s brightness level is set to maximum. If the display is still dim, try restarting the device. This could just be a system error that can be resolved by restarting the device. Also, check if the AC adapter cord is loose and firmly connect it to the outlet and laptop. If the issue still persists, it is mostly due to a failure of the LCD. Behind the LCD, there is an inverter board and backlight bulb which control the picture.

The inverter board converts the low voltage your laptop uses, into higher voltage required by the long bulb that lights up the LCD screen. If the inverter board or bulb fail, you will experience the problem of a dimmed display. Even if one of these two components fail, the screen will need to be replaced, unless the service center can help by just replacing the bulb. We wouldn’t recommend you try resolving it yourself, as this is more complex and you could end up damaging the circuit board and the backlight lamp. So, it’s best to leave this job to an expert.

Troubleshooting CRTs versus LCDs begins with similar steps, but diverges due to the differing natures of the two display types. The first troubleshooting steps are similar for either display type: power down the system and display and then power them back up; make sure the power cable is connected and that the outlet has power; verify that the signal cable is connected firmly to both video adapter and display and that there are no bent pins; verify that the video adapter is configured properly for the display; try the problem display on a known-good system, or try a known-good display on the problem system; and so on. Once you"ve tried the "obvious" troubleshooting steps, if the problem persists, the next step you take depends on the type of display. The following sections cover basic troubleshooting for CRTs and LCDs.

Check the obvious things first. Verify that the CRT is plugged in (and that the receptacle has power), the video cable is connected to the video card, the computer and CRT are turned on, and the brightness and contrast settings are set to the middle of their range. If none of these steps solves the problem, your CRT, video card, or video cable may be bad. Check the suspect CRT on a known-good system or a known-good CRT on the problem system.

The CRT may need to be degaussed. A CRT that sits in one position for months or years can be affected even by the earth"s very weak magnetic field, causing distortion and other display problems. Exposing a CRT to a strong magnetic field, such as unshielded speakers, can cause more extreme image problems. Many modern CRTs degauss themselves automatically each time you cycle the power, but some have a manual degauss button that you must remember to use. If your CRT has a manual degauss button, use it every month or two. The degaussing circuitry in some CRTs has limited power. We have seen CRTs that were accidentally exposed to strong magnetic fields, resulting in a badly distorted image. Built-in degaussing did little or nothing. In that case, you can sometimes fix the problem by using a separate degaussing coil, available at RadioShack and similar stores for a few dollars. We have, however, seen CRTs that were so badly "magnet burned" that even a standalone degaussing coil could not completely eliminate the problem. The moral is to keep magnets away from your CRT, including those in speakers that are not video-shielded.

If your LCD displays no image at all and you are certain that it is receiving power and video signal, first adjust the brightness and contrast settings to higher values. If that doesn"t work, turn off the system and LCD, disconnect the LCD signal cable from the computer, and turn on the LCD by itself. It should display some sort of initialization screen, if only perhaps a "No video signal" message. If nothing lights up and no message is displayed, contact technical support for your LCD manufacturer. If your LCD supports multiple inputs, you may need to press a button to cycle through the inputs and set it to the correct one.

Unlike CRTs, where increasing the refresh rate always reduces flicker, LCDs have an optimal refresh rate that may be lower than the highest refresh rate supported. For example, a 17" LCD operating in analog mode may support 60 Hz and 75 Hz refresh. Although it sounds counterintuitive to anyone whose experience has been with CRTs, reducing the refresh rate from 75 Hz to 60 Hz may improve image stability. Check the manual to determine the optimum refresh rate for your LCD, and set your video adapter to use that rate.

First, try setting the optimal refresh rate as described above. If that doesn"t solve the problem and you are using an analog interface, there are several possible causes, most of which are due to poor synchronization between the video adapter clock and the display clock, or to phase problems. If your LCD has an auto-adjust, auto-setup, or auto-synchronize option, try using that first. If not, try adjusting the phase and/or clock settings manually until you have a usable image. If you are using an extension or longer than standard video cable, try connecting the standard video cable that was supplied with the display. Long analog video cables exacerbate sync problems. Also, if you are using a KVM switch, particularly a manual model, try instead connecting the LCD directly to the video adapter. Many LCDs are difficult or impossible to synchronize if you use a KVM switch. If you are unable to achieve proper synchronization, try connecting the LCD to a different computer. If you are unable to achieve synchronization on the second computer, the LCD may be defective. Finally, note that some models of video adapter simply don"t function well with some models of LCD.

Not all analog video cards synchronize perfectly with flat panels. The gray Shutdown screen exaggerates the problem, so don"t worry if very tiny movements are visible after you"ve adjusted clock and phase as well as possible. After you"ve set the clock and phase controls for the best image possible on the gray screen, cancel Shutdown and the image should be optimized.

Your video card is supplying a video signal at a bandwidth that is above or below the ability of your LCD to display. Reset your video parameters to be within the range supported by the LCD. If necessary, temporarily connect a different display or start Windows in Safe Mode and choose standard VGA in order to change video settings.

This occurs when you run an LCD at other than its native resolution. For example, if you have a 19" LCD with native 1280x1024 resolution but have your display adapter set to 1024x768, your LCD attempts to display those 1024x768 pixels at full screen size, which physically corresponds to 1280x1024 pixels. The pixel extrapolation needed to fill the screen with the smaller image results in artifacts such as blocky or poorly rendered text, jaggy lines, and so on. Either set your video adapter to display the native resolution of the LCD, or set your LCD to display the lower-resolution image without stretching the display (a feature sometimes referred to as display expansion), so that pixels are displayed 1:1, which results in the lower resolution using less than the entire screen.

This is a characteristic of LCDs, particularly older and inexpensive models, caused by defective pixels. Manufacturers set a threshold number below which they consider a display acceptable. That number varies with the manufacturer, the model, and the size of the display, but is typically in the range of 5 to 10 pixels. (Better LCDs nowadays usually have zero dead pixels.) Nothing can be done to fix defective pixels. Manufacturers will not replace LCDs under warranty unless the number of defective pixels exceeds the threshold number.

Some people claim that leaving the unit powered off for a day or two will "erase" a persistent after-image. Others suggest leaving a neutral gray screen (like the one used for phase adjustment) up on the screen to "equalize" the display. I dunno. FWIW, I"ve seen this problem on older Samsung panels but never on the Sony or NEC/LaCie panels I use.

Again, this is a characteristic of LCDs, particularly older and inexpensive models. The after-image occurs when the display has had the same image in one place for a long time. The after-image may persist even after you turn the display off.

Transistor-based pixels in an LCD respond more slowly than the phosphors in a CRT. The least-expensive LCDs exhibit this problem even with slow image movement, as when you drag a window. Better LCDs handle moderately fast image movement without ghosting, but exhibit the problem on fast-motion video. The best LCDs handle even fast-motion video and 3D gaming very well. The only solution to this problem is to upgrade to an LCD with faster response time.

Performance issues may occur if there is any type of damage that is caused to the display cables or the LCD screen. LCD screen may show that symptoms like LCD screen stops working, work intermittently, color mismatch, flickering, display horizontal or vertical lines if there is damage to the display cables or the LCD screen.

LED and LCD TV Repair is it worth it? For a lot of people who are using LED or LCD TVs, there is a real fear about breaking. Anyone who has owned an expensive and high quality piece of technology knows that there is a good chance a break means it cannot be repaired. However, this “common” knowledge is actually an assumption that isn’t rooted in much fact. With the right professional, it is possible to get your television working again without any problems. More importantly, you can do so without having to worry whether or not you have to buy a fully new TV!

If your TV panel is still in one piece, meaning a brick hasn’t gone through the screen there is a good chance it can be repaired! A lot of common issues such as power, audio, HDMI can be fixed.

The most important part of any LED TV repair is to figure out what is wrong with the product in the first place. Imagine a scenario where your television suddenly stops working and you think it is broken and thus throw it out. In some cases, a LED or LCD TV repair job means looking at the software and seeing whether there is a quick fix.

There are some people who claim to have expertise in a certain field, but actually do not have many credentials. You want to make sure that you find a professional for LED TV repair so that you don’t end up with an even worse television or being wrongly told that you cannot fix it. There is a risk of finding a poor quality LCD TV repair person so make sure that you are able to find someone who knows what they are talking about.

If you can’t figure out what is wrong with your television or you just want to get the opinion from an expert, it’s a good idea to start looking for local shops that can help you. Even if you have to travel a bit to find a good quality LCD TV repair person, you’ll welcome it in the end when you are at home with a fixed television that is as good as new.

An accurate diagnosis is the first step in fixing your TV. Once you figure out what"s wrong with your TV, you can narrow down the defective part(s) that"s causing your TV"s symptoms. A quick Google search of your TV model number will help you figure out if your TV is an LCD, LED or Plasma model. Once you know your TV type, use these videos as general guides to help you properly diagnose and repair your TV.

Some LCD blur or ghosting issues result from electrical interference or faulty surge protectors. To eliminate this as a cause, try plugging your TV directly into the outlet without any power strips or surge suppressors in the chain. If that solves the problem, you can try using a different power strip.

One of the most common causes of a blurry picture on a flat-screen LCD TV (or monitor) is a mismatch between the content’s resolution and the native resolution capability of the screen.

LCD, Mini-LED, microLED, Plasma, OLED, or QD-OLED all use different types of technology to make moving pictures. However, one thing they all have in common is a “native” resolution. This refers to the TV’s grid of physical pixels (picture elements). A 4K UHD TV has a pixel grid of 3840 x 2160 pixels. This is four times as many pixels as a Full HD TV at 1920×1080. So, for every pixel of information in a Full HD image source, the TV must fill four physical pixels’ worth of data.

HDMI is digital, and usually, it works correctly or not at all. We have seen situations, though, where bad ports or cables can cause snow or other image artifacts. HDMI is built to have a certain level of digital error correction. However, if the amount of electrical interference or damage to a cable or port passes a threshold, it may degrade the image.

Companies like Samsung and Sony have worked tirelessly to create new panel technologies to combat these issues. If you have an old TV, it may not benefit from the fast pixel response times more recent models can achieve.

As for motion blur caused by the sample-and-hold nature of flat panel technology, there are two main features you can activate to combat it. The first is motion smoothing, also known as frame interpolation. Different TV brands have other names, so you’ll have to look for something that refers to motion, smoothness, or do a web search for your TV model with the term “motion smoothing.”

The Hisense U8H matches the excellent brightness and color performance of much pricier LCD TVs, and its Google TV smart platform is a welcome addition. But it’s available in only three screen sizes.

The Hisense U8H is the best LCD/LED TV for most people because it delivers the performance of a much pricier TV yet starts at under $1,000, for the smallest (55-inch) screen size. This TV utilizes quantum dots, a full-array backlight with mini-LEDs, and a 120 Hz refresh rate to deliver a great-looking 4K HDR image. It’s compatible with every major HDR format. And it’s equipped with two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs to support 4K 120 Hz gaming from the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Add in the intuitive, fully featured Google TV smart-TV platform, and the U8H’s price-to-performance ratio is of inarguable value.

In terms of design, the Hisense U8H is not as svelte as our upgrade pick, but it’s plenty sturdy and doesn’t look or feel cheap. Two narrow, metal feet jut out from beneath the panel and steadily hold the TV. They can be attached in two separate spots, either closer in toward the middle of the panel or out toward the edges, to account for different-size TV stands. The feet are also equipped with cable organization clasps—a nice touch for keeping your TV stand free of cable clutter. Though the TV is primarily plastic, its bezels are lined with metal strips, providing a bit more durability in the long run. I moved it around my home, and it was no worse for wear, but we’ll know more after doing some long-term testing.

The Hisense U8H has some difficulties with banding, or areas of uneven gradation, where transitions that should appear smooth instead look like “bands” of color (sometimes also called posterization). Like many current 4K HDR TVs, the U8H uses an 8-bit panel rather than a 10-bit panel, which affects the color decoding and color presentation process. This is usually relevant only with HDR video and games. When playing games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I saw a few instances where the content wasn’t rendered correctly and displayed ugly splotches of color on the screen. However, this almost always occurred during static screens (such as a pause menu or loading screen); I rarely spotted it during actual gameplay. Hisense has stated that it would address the problem in a future firmware update, but at the time of writing it was still present. This is a flaw that may give dedicated gamers pause, but we don’t consider it to be a dealbreaker for most people.

Finally, like most TVs that use vertical alignment (VA) LCD panels, the U8H has a limited horizontal viewing angle, which may be a bit annoying if you’re hoping to entertain a large crowd. Our upgrade pick uses a special wide-angle technology to address this.

Shopping for a new TV is like wading through a never-ending pool of tech jargon, display terminology, and head-spinning acronyms. It was one thing when 4K resolution landed in the homes of consumers, with TV brands touting the new UHD viewing spec as a major marketing grab. But over the last several years, the plot has only continued to thicken when it comes to three- and four-letter acronyms with the introduction of state-of-the-art lighting and screen technology. But between OLEDs, QLEDs, mini-LEDs, and now QD-OLEDs, there’s one battle of words that rests at the core of TV vocabulary: LED versus LCD.

Despite having a different acronym, LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV, which uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. When an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align, so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of it as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.

Since both LED and LCD TVs are based around LCD technology, the question remains: what is the difference? Actually, it’s about what the difference was. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide lighting, whereas LED LCD TVs used an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen.

Since the technology is better, all LCD TVs now use LED lights and are colloquially considered LED TVs. For those interested, we’ll go deeper into backlighting below, or you can move onto the Local Dimming section.

Three basic illumination forms have been used in LCD TVs: CCFL backlighting, full-array LED backlighting, and LED edge lighting. Each of these illumination technologies is different from one another in important ways. Let’s dig into each.

CCFL backlighting is an older, now-abandoned form of display technology in which a series of cold cathode lamps sit across the inside of the TV behind the LCD. The lights illuminate the crystals fairly evenly, which means all regions of the picture will have similar brightness levels. This affects some aspects of picture quality, which we discuss in more detail below. Since CCFLs are larger than LED arrays, CCFL-based LCD TVs are thicker than LED-backlit LCD TVs.

Full-array backlighting swaps the outdated CCFLs for an array of LEDs spanning the back of the screen, comprising zones of LEDs that can be lit or dimmed in a process called local dimming. TVs using full-array LED backlighting to make up a healthy chunk of the high-end LED TV market, and with good reason — with more precise and even illumination, they can create better picture quality than CCFL LCD TVs were ever able to achieve, with better energy efficiency to boot.

Another form of LCD screen illumination is LED edge lighting. As the name implies, edge-lit TVs have LEDs along the edges of a screen. There are a few different configurations, including LEDs along just the bottom, LEDs on the top and bottom, LEDs left and right, and LEDs along all four edges. These different configurations result in picture quality differences, but the overall brightness capabilities still exceed what CCFL LCD TVs could achieve. While there are some drawbacks to edge lighting compared to full-array or direct backlight displays, the upshot is edge lighting that allows manufacturers to make thinner TVs that cost less to manufacture.

Local dimming is a feature of LED LCD TVs wherein the LED light source behind the LCD is dimmed and illuminated to match what the picture demands. LCDs can’t completely prevent light from passing through, even during dark scenes, so dimming the light source itself aids in creating deeper blacks and more impressive contrast in the picture. This is accomplished by selectively dimming the LEDs when that particular part of the picture — or region — is intended to be dark.

Local dimming helps LED/LCD TVs more closely match the quality of modern OLED displays, which feature better contrast levels by their nature — something CCFL LCD TVs couldn’t do. The quality of local dimming varies depending on which type of backlighting your LCD uses, how many individual zones of backlighting are employed, and the quality of the processing. Here’s an overview of how effective local dimming is on each type of LCD TV.

TVs with full-array backlighting have the most accurate local dimming and therefore tend to offer the best contrast. Since an array of LEDs spans the entire back of the LCD screen, regions can generally be dimmed with more finesse than on edge-lit TVs, and brightness tends to be uniform across the entire screen. Hisense’s impressive U7G TVs are great examples of relatively affordable models that use multiple-zone, full-array backlighting with local dimming.

Because edge lighting employs LEDs positioned on the edge or edges of the screen to project light across the back of the LCD screen, as opposed to coming from directly behind it, it can result in very subtle blocks or bands of lighter pixels within or around areas that should be dark. The local dimming of edge-lit TVs can sometimes result in some murkiness in dark areas compared with full-array LED TVs. It should also be noted that not all LED edge-lit TVs offer local dimming, which is why it is not uncommon to see glowing strips of light at the edges of a TV and less brightness toward the center of the screen.

Since CCFL backlit TVs do not use LEDs, models with this lighting style do not have dimming abilities. Instead, the LCD panel of CCFL LCDs is constantly and evenly illuminated, making a noticeable difference in picture quality compared to LED LCDs. This is especially noticeable in scenes with high contrast, as the dark portions of the picture may appear too bright or washed out. When watching in a well-lit room, it’s easier to ignore or miss the difference, but in a dark room, it will be, well, glaring.

An OLED display uses a panel of pixel-sized organic compounds that respond to electricity. Since each tiny pixel (millions of which are present in modern displays) can be turned on or off individually, OLED displays are called “emissive” displays (meaning they require no backlight). They offer incredibly deep contrast ratios and better per-pixel accuracy than any other display type on the market.

Because they don’t require a separate light source, OLED displays are also amazingly thin — often just a few millimeters. OLED panels are often found on high-end TVs in place of LED/LCD technology, but that doesn’t mean that LED/LCDs aren’t without their own premium technology.

QLED is a premium tier of LED/LCD TVs from Samsung. Unlike OLED displays, QLED is not a so-called emissive display technology (lights still illuminate QLED pixels from behind). However, QLED TVs feature an updated illumination technology over regular LED LCDs in the form of Quantum Dot material (hence the “Q” in QLED), which raises overall efficiency and brightness. This translates to better, brighter grayscale and color and enhances HDR (High Dynamic Range) abilities.

And now to make things extra confusing, part of Samsung’s 2022 TV lineup is being billed as traditional OLEDs, although a deeper dive will reveal this is actually the company’s first foray into a new panel technology altogether called QD-OLED.