led vs lcd panel price

Then there are the technical terms to deal with, such as LED TV, LCD TV, QLED TV, UHD TV, OLED TV, and more. You might feel like you need to be a tech pro just to watch your favourite TV show in the evening or enjoy a game with your friend.

First, an important thing to understand is that the LED (Light Emitting Diode) monitor is an improvised version of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). This is why all LED monitor is LCD in nature, but not all LCDs are LED monitors.

LCD technology revolutionized monitors by using cold cathode fluorescent lamps for backlighting to create the picture displayed on the screen. A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) is a tiny fluorescent bulb. In the context of this article, LCDs refer to this traditional type of CCFL LCD TVs.

LED monitors took the old technology a step further by replacing the fluorescent bulbs with LED backlight technology. And OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology improves it even further by eliminating the need for backlighting.

The quality of direct-view LED screens is measured by pixel pitch. The pixel pitch is the distance between two adjacent LEDs on the display. The smaller the pixel pitch, the better the quality of the image.

Since LEDs replace fluorescent bulbs with light-emitting diodes, LED TVs are more energy-efficient than LCDs. A 32-inch LED TV screen consumes 10 watts less power than the same size LCD screen. The difference in power consumption increases as the size of the display increases.

Light-emitting diodes are considerably smaller than fluorescent lamps used in LCD monitors. Fluorescent lamps have a considerable thickness, but the thickness of diodes is next to none. Moreover, countless diodes are assembled in the same plane, so the thickness of the array isn’t increased no matter how many diodes are present.

Edge-lit LEDs have a slight drawback in viewing angle compared to LCDs, because of the position of the light source. However, direct-view LEDs offer a better angle for viewing than LCDs as the light source is evenly spread on the screen.

Since LED displays use full-array LED backlighting rather than one big backlight, LED TVs offer significantly better contrast than LCDs. LCD backlighting technology only shows white and black, but LED backlighting can emit the entire RGB spectrum, thereby providing a deeper RGB contrast.

If you wonder which display will last longer, this debate is also won by LED displays. LED televisions have a longer lifespan of 100,000 hours on average, compared to 50,000 hours provided by LCD televisions.

An LED display provides the option to dim the backlight, along with other eye comfort features. Not only that, it provides a wider viewing angle without harming image quality. Therefore, an LED display is far better for your eyes than an LCD.

In an LED display, a lot of smaller diodes are used and if a diode is damaged, it can be replaced. In an LCD, you will need to replace the entire bulb in case of damage. Therefore, an LED display is easier and cheaper to maintain than an LCD.

Since LEDs are a better and newer technology, the price of an LED display is higher than an LCD. However, this is only when we are considering the purchase cost.

The picture quality of an LED display is far better than an LCD. Due to modular light-emitting diodes, an LED screen produces better control over the contrast, rendering a clear picture. Also, LED provides RGB contrast, which can show truer blacks and truer whites.

Not to forget, they provide a shorter response time as well. Both of these factors result inLED displays having a better picture quality compared to LCD displays.

Since LED displays are considerably thinner than LCDs, they weigh considerably less. On average, an LED screen weighs about half of an LCD screen of the same size.

As you might have noticed by now, LED wins the battle with LCD without any doubt. This is because LED displays have an advantage in all the factors that matter when considering a purchase, except price.

Even when you consider the price, you will find that while LED technology is costlier, it provides better value for money in the long run. This is because of the longer lifespan and easier maintenance of LED screens.

They are more attractive too. With the increasing shortage of space in new residential complexes, what better solution than an ultra-thin LED display giving a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.

LED screens are the first choice among the public today, across generations. All are opting to switch to LED from LCD to make their lives more enjoyable and better.

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.

To better close the local-dimming quality gap between edge-lit TVs and full-array back-lit TVs, manufacturers like Sony and Samsung developed their own advanced edge lighting forms. Sony’s technology is known as “Slim Backlight Master Drive,” while Samsung has “Infinite Array” employed in its line of QLED TVs. These keep the slim form factor achievable through edge-lit design and local dimming quality more on par with full-array backlighting.

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.

“Direct local dimming” is essentially the same thing as full-array dimming, just with fewer LEDs spread further apart in the array. However, it’s worth noting that many manufacturers do not differentiate “direct local dimming” from full-array dimming as two separate forms of local dimming. We still feel it’s important to note the difference, as fewer, further-spaced LEDs will not have the same accuracy and consistency as full-array displays.

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.

As if it wasn’t already confusing enough, once you begin exploring the world of modern display technology, new acronyms crop up. The two you’ll most commonly find are OLED and QLED.

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.

For a further description of QLED and its features, read our list of the best TVs you can buy. The article further compares the qualities of both QLED and OLED TV; however, we also recommend checking outfor a side-by-side look at these two top-notch technologies.

There are more even displays to become familiar with, too, including microLED and Mini-LED, which are lining up to be the latest head-to-head TV technologies. Consider checking out how the two features compare to current tech leaders in

In the world of TV technology, there’s never a dull moment. However, with this detailed research, we hope you feel empowered to make an informed shopping decision and keep your Best Buy salesperson on his or her toes.

Even though some say the picture quality of an LED TV is better, there is no straight answer for which has better picture quality since both TVs use the same kind of screen. For instance, a higher-end LCD TV can have a better quality than a low-end LED TV, but if you look at high-end models of either TV, the picture quality will be comparable.

RGB Dynamic LEDs show truer blacks and whites and thus get higher dynamic contrast ratio (which is desirable in a TV), at the cost of less detail in small bright objects on a dark background (such as star fields)

LED TVs use energy-efficient light emitting diodes (LED) for backlighting. These consume less power than cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) used in traditional LCD televisions. Power savings are typically 20-30%.

Edge-LEDs (the most common) are positioned around the rim of the screen and use a special diffusion panel to spread the light evenly behind the screen.

Flat Screen LCDs, about an inch or two thick are more expensive, but also more popular because of their sleek look and the flexible options of standing on a surface or mounting on a wall.

Front projection LCDs or projectors, which project an image onto the front of the screen. The TV itself is just a box installed anywhere in a room, which projects the image onto a flat screen hung on the wall as large as 300 inches.

Rear projection LCDs, where the image is sent from the rear of the TV to the screen in front. Rear projection LCDs are wide, heavy and only available in large sizes (60" and up).

But how do you know which technology is right for your project? As we look at digital signage solutions, there’s one question that always seems to pop up. What’s the difference between Direct View LED and LCD displays?

LED and LCD displays are both good technologies, and which is better depends on your application. LCD is a liquid crystal display. Commercial LED displays are a grid or group of Light-Emitting Diodes or LEDs that make up the image itself. To make things even more confusing commercial, or Direct-View LEDs, are actually very different than their consumer LED cousins. Here are the basics to help you understand what’s the difference between LED and LCD displays and which is better for your project.

LCD displays are an option for either indoor or outdoor signage. The LCD screen is a series of layers, like an onion. LCD displays have lighting on the base layer. Then comes the LCD sheet, which is a liquid housed between two plates. On top is a protective glass layer. If the display is meant for the outdoors, a final coating is added to protect against the elements- whether they’re natural, like weather, or human-caused, like vandalism.

Here’s where the difference starts to get muddy. LCD screens can be back-lit by LEDs. Meaning the lighting layer consists of many little LEDs that light the LCD sheet from behind. In the consumer world, these are marketed as LED screens. While accurate, it’s not the same as a commercial LED screen. When we talk about commercial LED’s we’re talking about Direct View LEDs, but we’ll get into that more later.

LCD displays come in Full-HD (1080p) or Ultra-HD (4K) resolution. 4K resolution has four times the pixels as 1080p. What does this mean in the real world? At about thirteen feet away from a 98 inch 1080p display, you can begin to see pixels. With 4K resolution, this decreases to seven feet before seeing pixels.

Direct View LED use LEDs as the individual pixels that make up the image itself. Pixel pitch is an important concept with Direct View LED displays. Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel cluster to the center of the next pixel cluster in a LED screen. This can range from .7 mm- 18 mm plus depending on the viewing distance.

A Direct View LED display is made up of different panels. These panels can be grouped into various shapes providing flexibility and scalability. Unlike LCD displays, Direct View LED video walls don’t have bezel lines between each panel. Various Direct View LEDs feature bezel-less panels which are placed together like building blocks. This LED technology creates a seamless viewing experience even for large-scale video walls.

Direct View LEDs can be curved, convex or concave. They can even wrap entirely around a pillar, the full 360 degrees. Since they’re panels, they can be configured in almost limit-less sizes and aren’t confined to the 16x9 aspect ratio.

Sizes:LCD Displays come in sizes provided by the manufacturer and aren’t that easy to customize. Some manufacturers have stretch sizes, but most of the options are at a 16x9 aspect ratio.

Resolution: LCD Displays typically have a higher resolution than LED screens. So, a customer can view the screen at a closer distance without seeing the pixels.

Bezels:If you’re looking for a video wall option, LCD displays do have bezels around each display. Conversely, some Direct View LEDs don’t have any visible bezels, so there will be no line breaks in your content.

Brightness:Direct View LEDs can range from 800–8,500 nits, which exceeds the brightness of most LCDs. Brightness may or may not be an issue, depending on if the display will be indoors or outdoors.

These basic features outline the difference between commercial LED vs. LCD displays. Which is better? It’s a question that can’t be answered without context. The specifics around your project and what you’re trying to achieve will define which technology should be used. Work with an integrator that understands both technologies and can make a recommendation based upon your project. There’s no one-size-fits all solution, but developing a better understanding of commercial LED vs. LCD displays will help you formulate the right questions to ask an integration partner.

There are tons of screens available in the market today. However, LED screens and LCD screens are by far the most popular. But what is the difference between LCD vs. LED screens?

LED screens feature light-emitting diodes lights installed in the screens. The screens can be volatile or static, with some of them only responding to touch. Other LED screens will display pictures even when turned off.

Some of the benefits of LED monitors nclude enhanced picture quality and local dimming. Local dimming helps to dim down certain areas of your TV"s backlight. This helps to make the screen appear darker and better in displaying blacks.

LED backlighting is an essential feature in offering realistic pictures. The features enhance the popularity of the LED screens (check out the Viewsonic TD2230 Review).

The main difference between LCD and LED displays is that the LCD screens come with a layer of liquid crystals. The liquid crystal layer is put between two plates. Images are made when light passes through parts of the liquid crystal.

The liquid crystal part either block or enhance an area which helps to create the image. Most LCD panel types have LED lights that help bring out the image.

Older LCD screens and use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFLs) to light the screen. The CCFLs use electron discharge and fluorescence to light the screen.

LEDs like the one from our "Dell Computer Ultrasharp 24.0-Inch Screen LED Monitor Review" are taking over the market while LCD screens with CCFLs are fading away. LCD screens are used in watches, some notebook computers, and calculators.

OLED stands for organic light-emitting diodes, and it uses an organic compound to create outstanding high-contrast images - OLED screens are more environmentally friendly. They are also thinner than a standard LED screen as they don"t require a thick LED backlighting behind the screen to illuminate it.

On the other hand, you have QLED screens that are created and patented by Samsung. The QLED screens offer more crisp images as they create light with a shorter wavelength.

The Q in QLED stands for Quantum Dot (see Quantum Dot and IPS). The screens have an additional layer between the LCD screen and the backlight of the monitor. The layer allows light to pass through easily and produce better colors than an ordinary LED screen.

Slimmer design:LED screens to come in a slimmer design than their LCD counterparts. This gives them a sleek and elegant look, and it also takes less space.

Cheaper to run:If you are trying to cut down on energy cost, an LED screen will be a better option between the two as it is more energy-efficient. However, LED screens are more expensive than their LCD counterparts. As such, you can expect to pay more initially.

Better color:If you want to enjoy more realistic images, LED will be the better option. The screen offers you better color than other screens in the market. Additionally, it offers a better contrast, which is the range between the darkest blacks and brightest whites on the screen. The enhanced contrast ensures you end up with the most realistic images.

However, if you are working on a tight budget, you may consider an LCD screen. Besides the cost, LED performs better than the LCD screen in all the other aspects.

If you want to find out the type of screen you already have, you can check out the screen"s model number. The model number can tell you if the screen is an LED or LCD.

When it comes to picture quality, LED TVs look better than older LCD TVs. Manufacturers also make a big deal out of LED backlighting because sets that use the technology are usually more energy-efficient than CCFL LCD TVs. Therefore, the money you save on your power bill could eventually offset the extra cost of an LED TV.

You"ll be happy with the picture regardless of what kind of display you buy. Still, LED TV have a few practical advantages that make them a better purchase than the older LCD TVs.

With an LED light, the pixels are either edge-lit or backlit. As such, the lights behind the screen are designed to light up all the pixels in your monitor at once.

LED monitors feature better dimming options without sacrificing picture clarity. They also come with features that reduce eye strain, making them the ideal option if you are spending long hours in front of the screen.

Alternatively, you can go for LCD screens that offer arefresh rate of 120Hz or more. The LCD screens also offer a wider variety of viewing angles, which can offer better comfort.

You can trust an LED monitor to offer you the best resolution for the most precise and crisp images. This enables you to enjoy clear and lifelike images.

When choosing between LED and LCD monitors, there are several factors to consider. Besides the backlighting technology, you should also consider the panel type - see also what types of monitors are there. Various panels have their benefits compared to others.

LED monitors tend to be more expensive than LCD screens, thanks to LED technology being newer and featuring pricier components. Additionally, there is a newer form of LED called the OLED, which stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. These OLED displays are extremely expensive, especially at high resolutions. LED technology, on the other hand, is extremely cheap and readily available.

Are you lost on the best choice between LCD and LED monitors? If you spend a lot of time in front of your monitor, you should ensure you end up with the best quality screen. This will ensure that you get high-quality images and also minimize eye strain.

In the battle between LCD and LED displays, LED comes out as the better option. It offers more crisp and clear images, and it also comes with a sleek and elegant design. However, it can be a little expensive. If you are working on a budget, LCD monitors can make a perfect choice.

LED technology has improved drastically in recent years improving picture quality while driving costs down. LED is a bigger investment up front but generally has a lifespan of about 100,000 hours. LCD is cheaper and generally more familiar. A LCD screen typically has a lifespan of about 50,000 hours.

Sort of. Older technologies like LCD technology and Plasma displays are becoming obsolete due to the intrinsic properties of LEDs like brightness, efficiency, maintainability, and sustainability.

LCD screens emit blue light and thus negatively affects not only vision but also overall health. Continual extended screen time mainly can impact your eyes in two major ways. When we look at a screen, our blink rate drops significantly, thus causing digital eye strain.

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. SMD refers to Surface Mounted Diode, a technology that utilizes a process of mounting each LED chip (pixel) directly to a printed circuit board (PCB). Mounting the diodes in this fashion allows displays to be thinner and sleeker than older LED technology. SMD also allows for finer pixel pitch. Simply put, pixel pitch refers to the distance between the diodes and is responsible for resolution. Fine pixel pitch translates into high resolution. Fine pixel pitch is what makes HD and UHD LED possible.

LCD panels are made of a layer of liquid crystal between two pieces of polarized glass. Liquid crystal can not emit light. Backlights are therefore used to illuminate the display. LCD panels are sleek in design, but typically limited to specific sets of dimensions.

LEDs are their own light source. This means that LED video walls are glare free and not subject to many of the problems ambient lighting creates for other video display types.

LED technology is modular in nature. This means that LED panels fit together seamlessly and can be used to make displays to fit any space. Custom cabinets can even be built to accommodate unusual shapes or dimensions.

LCD video walls on the other hand take on a tiled approach. This means that screens are jutted against one another. This approach creates bezels or seams and the final dimensions of the wall is directly dependent on the dimensions of the individual screens.

LED is a versatile display option. Thanks to various IP options, LED video walls can be displayed indoors or outdoors. LED video walls can be built with a variety of internal mechanisms as well. Quick refresh rates and dual power backup can ensure that LED video walls look great on camera. Various pixel pitches can ensure the proper resolution for the right context.

LCD is a more straightforward product and consumers are generally more familiar with LCD. LCD is used for cell phones, computer screens, and most TVs, but is it the best choice for video walls? Ultimately that choice is up to the consumer. LCD is cheaper, but generally less customizable. LCD does not work well for outdoor uses and is generally very limited in terms of size and shape.

LED technology has improved drastically in recent years improving quality while driving costs down. LED is a bigger investment up front but generally has a lifespan of about 100,000 hours.

Just like anything else, the best video wall product is largely dependant on context. If you like LED technology but are unsure of the process associated in obtaining a LED video wall read: How to Purchase a LED Video Wall Display.

Before buying a new TV, you should know the difference between LED and LCD displays. Both provide a high-definition picture, but each handles creating it a little differently and has a few other differences as well. We examined these two screen technologies to help you get a better idea of which one is right for you.

Both LCD and LED TV screens and monitors display a bright, high-definition picture. If you want to save money on the hardware, go with the older LCD setup. LED screens may offer more cost savings over time, however, because the system generally requires less energy to operate.

Although more expensive, newer LED screens are generally lighter than LCDs, especially on an edge-lit display that has fewer components to add bulk to the device.

Before you buy an LCD TV with LED backlighting, consider one important factor: price. LED full-array backlit TVs are impressive but are more expensive than their florescent-lit peers. If picture quality is important to you, spending more money to enjoy the benefits of full-array LED backlighting may make sense for you. If you want the thinnest TV on the block, edge-lit LED is the way to go.

If you"re a bargain shopper, you will probably satisfy yourself and your wallet with a florescent-lit LCD TV. That said, they are getting harder to find since demand is shrinking.

In the context of televisions, the term LED refers to the TV backlighting system, not the display technology that produces the image content. LED TVs use LCD displays; however, they use LED backlights rather than the fluorescent backlights found in traditional LCD TVs. Just as LED TVs are a type of LCD TV, OLED and S-AMOLED are different types of LED TVs.

The liquid crystals in LCD TVs do not produce light, so backlighting is needed to illuminate the image for the viewer. LCD sets originally used a series of fluorescent tubes (termed CCFL-backlit technology) for this purpose. In LED TVs, the illumination source is a series of light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs. In most modern LCD sets, those fluorescent tubes have been replaced with full-array LEDs, but both types of TVs still use LCD technology.

Each backlighting system has advantages and disadvantages. Edge-lit sets are typically thinner and lighter than those that use a full array because the lighting source takes up less space. Full array sets are thicker and heavier, but they make up for that with local dimming, which means one section of the LED panel can be dimmed while other sections remain bright. This feature slightly improves image contrast.

LED sets that use full-array backlighting tend to produce the best picture of all LCD TVs. Those that use edge lighting sacrifice picture quality, but they are the lightest and thinnest TVs on the market.

Because LCD screens rely on fluorescent panels behind the entire screen to make the picture visible, they use more energy than LED sets. TVs and monitors that use edge-lighting are more efficient than full-array ones because they contain fewer lights in general. However, full-array screens don"t necessarily use all of the LED backlights at once.

When it comes to picture quality, LED TVs look better than older LCD TVs. Manufacturers also make a big deal out of LED backlighting because sets that use the technology are usually more energy-efficient than CCFL LCD TVs. Therefore, the money you save on your power bill could eventually offset the extra cost of an LED TV.

You"ll be happy with the picture regardless of what kind of display you buy. Still, LEDs have a few practical advantages that make them a better purchase than the older LCDs.

This isn"t the same technology they use for the giant screens at football games; in fact, the LED screens you see in shops are actually LCDs, and the term "LED" is the invention of Samsung"s marketing department.

How do they get away with this? Samsung"s televisions use a series of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) — like the ones used in LED torches and alarm clocks — to "backlight" the LCD panel, and it"s not the only company that does this. But what is backlighting, anyway?

As a consumer technology, LCD has been in widespread use since the early "70s where it first appeared in digital watches. As its name suggests, Liquid Crystal Display is a liquid that has been sandwiched between two plates, and it changes when a current is applied to it.

While we"ve had black-and-white LCDs for years, colour LCDs are a lot more recent, but the technology is the same. As we all know, you need to press a button to read a watch in the dark, and an LCD TV is no different. It needs a light behind it because it emits no light of its own.

It"s helpful to think of an LCD panel as a sandwich, consisting of different layers. On a typical TV you have a polarised filter, followed by a protective glass layer, followed by the LCD sheet, and then a light source at the back.

At present, there are two main methods of backlighting in LCD flat-panels: Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) and LED (light-emitting diode). There are several others, and this includes Sony"s Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL), but only

CCFL backlighting consists of a series of tubes laid horizontally behind the screen. It used to be the most common method of backlighting for LCD televisions, but it is quickly being superseded by LED.

LED backlighting has been in use in televisions since 2004 when it first appeared on Sony WEGA models. Though there are several different ways of backlighting using LEDs (as we"ll explain shortly), the idea is the same: a series of LED bulbs throw light from behind to illuminate the LCD panel.

There are two different methods of LED backlighting: direct and edge. The main advantage of direct lighting is that it can be used to increase contrast levels by turning some LEDs off — thus increasing the amount of black in parts of the picture. LG is one of the champions of direct lighting.

In comparison, edge lighting"s main advantage is that it can be used to make screens that are incredibly thin — the LEDs are at the side and not behind the screen. Of course, you lose the ability to switch off parts of the backlighting for better contrast, and picture quality could also suffer if light isn"t sufficiently well dispersed.

White LED is very similar to CCFL, and is meant to simulate the white light of the sun for a more "natural" result. But the LEDs aren"t actually white; this approach uses a blue light source that is made to look white by the presence of a sulphur coating on the bulb. CCFLs work in the same way.

As a result, the television could potentially be stronger in the green portion of the spectrum, but some CCFL technologies enable better red and blue response, so better white LEDs could also be possible. The

RGB LEDs, on the other hand, are potentially capable of a broader colour range because they use three LEDs coloured red, blue and green, which is a broadcast standard. RGB"s proponents argue that there is less of a green "push" as a result, and the colour spectrum is more evenly distributed. The Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR45 is an example of a television that used RGB LEDs in its backlight.

Here we have Samsung"s edge-lit LED unit, which comprises of two major components: a long LED module of tiny white diodes and a thin screen-sized plastic sheet known as a light guide plate. Four of these LED modules are deployed along the left, right, top and bottom of the television. The combined light output is then funnelled and redistributed evenly across the screen by the light guide.

We find it interesting that TV manufacturers are still asking for a higher price for LED-backlighting when many cheap devices — particularly mobile phones and netbooks — use LEDs as backlights. As of 2009, Samsung said that LED backlights cost three times more in large sizes than the equivalent CCFL arrangement, and this is mostly due to a lower number of manufacturers. Presumably, as the technology continues to take a firmer hold, the price will keep coming down.

In 2011, only the budget LCD televisions use CCFL backlighting, and all of the major manufacturers use LED lighting in their mid-range and premium models. It won"t be too long before it will become the default method of backlighting. While some people still prefer the look of a plasma, the LED"s combination of thin design and sharp picture quality will soon find favour with many people. If you"re looking for a further explanation of how LCD screens work, then you can try this video on the 3M site.

For companies interested in jumping into the world of video walls, or even upgrading your existing technology, the biggest question you’ll have to deal with is whether LED or LCD is right for your video wall.

Technically, LED displays are just LCD displays. Both use Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology and a series of lamps placed at the back of the screen to produce the images we see on our screens.

The main difference between the two technologies is that for LCD displays, the lamps at the back of the screen are fluorescent, whereas LED displays use Light Emitting Diodes.

There are two types of LED backlighting technologies; edge lighting and full array lighting. In edge lighting – as the name suggests – the LEDs are placed along the edge of the screen whereas in full-array lighting, an array of LEDs spans the back of the LED screen. In both cases, local dimming may or may not be used. The majority of LED displays are edge-lit without local dimming.

Image quality is one of the most contentious issues when it comes to the LED vs. LCD video wall debate. LED displays generally have better picture quality compared to their LCD counterparts. From black levels to contrast and even colour accuracy, LED displays usually come out on top. Among LED screens, full-array back-lit displays with local dimming provide the best picture quality. There is usually no difference in terms of viewing angle. This instead depends on the quality of glass panel used.

The question of viewing distance may crop up in LED vs. LCD discussions. In general there is not a huge distance between the two technologies. If viewers will be watching from up close the screen needs a high pixel density regardless of whether your video wall uses LED or LCD technology.

It’s generally accepted that LED displays have the lowest energy consumption levels of all displays. LCD displays commonly consume more energy than plasma and CRT displays, neither of which are in production.

In their research, CNET found that “No question, LED LCDs have the lowest energy consumption” in a comparative test between plasma, LCD and LED displays.

LED displays also win in terms of thickness, or lack thereof The reason, once again, being the advanced lighting technology. To start with, light emitting diodes are much smaller compared to the fluorescent lamps used in LCD displays.

Secondly, when the LEDs are placed at the edges as opposed to the back end of the display, the resulting screen will obviously be thinner. This explains why edge-lit LED screens are the slimmest displays available.

If your main concern is budget, then LCD is the obvious choice. As this article points out, you can usually buy a much bigger LCD display for vastly less money than an LED. LCD video walls are generally much cheaper compared to similar sized LED displays.

LCD software allows you to select the right amount of output for a video wall. You can plug a media player into a video wall processor or a daisy chain of displays. With LED displays, however, all cabinets have to plug directly from the video encoder or player. Either that or all cabinets have to be daisy chained together.

Chances are, the screen that you"re reading this article on is either an LED, OLED, or an LCD display. These are just three of the many display types out there in the wild. On the surface, they all seem the same. But deep down, they couldn"t be more different.

So, when it comes to OLED vs. LCD—or OLED vs. LED—what are the differences? Here"s a look at these three display technologies, what makes them different, and which one is the best.

LCD stands for "liquid crystal display". The early roots of LCD displays stretch back to 1888 when German scientist, Friedrich Reinitzer, discovered an odd substance. It was a liquid that had the molecular structure of a solid. It was later named "liquid crystal."  After decades of study, someone eventually saw the potential for this strange substance to be used for displays.

The first LCD displays to be used on consumer devices were on digital clocks back in 1968. The technology developed over the following years, being put into numerous other devices.

LCD display panels are divided into layers. The backmost layer is a light source. This is a translucent sheet that disperses light from bulbs at the bottom of the display.

OLED stands for "organic light emitting diode." During the 1970s, scientists were experimented with organic materials that can emit light. In 1987, scientists at Eastman Kodak developed an OLED display that consumed a low amount of energy. And in 2007, Sony unveiled the world"s first OLED television: the Sony XEL-1.

The light from an LED is emitted from an electrical current going through an organic compound. That organic compound is sandwiched between a positively charged anode and a negatively charged cathode. The cathode is rich in electrons, and the anode is rich in electron "holes". Electron holes are areas in an atom where there is no electron.

On the other side of the OLED, the electrons flow from the cathode. The electrons then flow to the emissive layer, where they meet the holes. Since the electrons are sent through a voltage, they are "excited", meaning that they have an excess of energy.

When they meet the electron holes, they have to lose that excess energy in order to relax to the ground state for that atom. They release that energy in the form of photos (light particles). From there, the light travels through the red, blue, and green sub-pixels, just like with an LCD display.

LED displays are virtually indistinguishable from LCD displays. The only difference is in how the two types of displays get their light. Instead of using a translucent sheet, LED displays use individually LEDs. There are three primary arrangements of LEDs in the displays.

Full array LED displays have the LEDs arranged evenly throughout the display. This is the preferred arrangement on higher-end TVs. There are a lot of LEDs behind the panel, which means that local dimming is possible.

The direct-lit arrangement can appear to be similar to full array, but there are some differences. With the direct-lit arrangement, the LEDs are also dispersed evenly throughout the panel, but there are far less of them. Because of this, direct-lit displays can not do local dimming. This arrangement is present on lower-end devices.

A display is usually judged by its ability to create vibrant colors. This is an area where OLEDs come out on top. Compared to OLED displays, LCD displays often appear washed out and not as saturated. This is why OLED displays are becoming more popular in the smartphone market.

OLED displays can also produce images with higher contrast than the other two technologies. Since all of the OLEDs on the panel can be turned on and off individually, darker areas of the display can go as dark as they need to.

Full array LED displays come in right behind OLED displays because, like in the case of OLED displays, the LEDs in an LED display can be controlled individually. Full array LED displays use a method called "local dimming", a technique of shutting off LEDs completely in areas that are darker.

LCD displays come in last place because in order for any pixels to be visible, the entire back panel has to be lit. This means that completely black areas are impossible to achieve.

In terms of price, LCD displays are typically cheaper. High definition LCD displays can run you no more than a few hundred dollars. Since LED displays offer better contrast over LCD, you can expect there to be an added price premium.

When it comes to power consumption, OLED scores a win. Since the OLEDs are powered individually, the display only gives power to the ones that need it. Pixels can be turn off completely when there are blacks in the picture.

Full array LED displays come in second place because of the local dimming functionality. Certain LEDs can be completely turned off when the scene calls for blacks. Even though they have this feature, more energy is consumed per LED because the light has to pass through all of the layers of the LCD before reaching the viewers" eyes.

LCDs are the least power efficient. Regardless of the presence of blacks in the scene, the entire panel needs to be lit. This means that the light source is shining at 100% the entire time.

Each display technology has its benefits and its drawbacks. LCD displays are for people who want to save more money, while LED displays are for people who would like to spend more for a bit more contrast in their picture. You"ll spend more on the TV, but it will have a less significant impact on your electricity bill.

OLED displays are for those who want the best of all worlds. They produce the best contrast with the most vivid colors. You will be paying the most for the actual device, but the more power efficient display technology will help even out some of that cost.

Even the slightest differences in an acronym can represent huge differences in TV technology and therefore performance. Take "OLED" and "LED", for example: that one extra letter represents a vast upgrade. Then there"s "LED" and "LCD": just one swapped letter but these are completely different technologies.

So what is an OLED TV? How is it better than an LED TV? Why does no-one talk about LCD TVs anymore, despite that still being the most commonly bought type of TV? All of these questions and more are answered below.

You"ve almost certainly heard of "OLED" and probably already know that it"s widely accepted to be the best TV technology around, but what actually is it, and how is it different to what"s gone before?

OLED stands for "Organic Light-Emitting Diode", and is a type of display tech that involves a carbon-based film being placed between two conductors that pass a current through and cause the film to emit light.

And because OLEDs don"t rely on a thickness-increasing backlight, they can be slimmer and lighter than most TVs. Viewing angles tend to be more or less perfect, too, and response times can be supremely quick.

On the negative side, the organic nature of an OLED panel means it"s potentially susceptible to image retention and even burn-in, in a similar way to the plasma TVs of old. This doesn"t seem to be as widespread a problem as some might have you believe, though. We"ve never had image retention problems with any of the OLEDs that we"ve tested (or the models that staff members have bought for use at home) and manufacturers do build in features to reduce the risk.

Also, while prices for OLED TVs have tumbled over the last few years and are likely to continue to do so, they still tend to be a fair bit more expensive than LCD/LED TVs. It"s very rare to see an OLED under £1000, for example, whereas you can easily pick up a non-OLED for well under £500.

Here"s the thing; while manufacturers have been selling "LED TVs" for years, LED isn"t really a display technology in its own right. Confused? Bear with us.

As manufacturers began to move away from CCFL (cold-cathode fluorescent lamp) backlights and started introducing LED backlighting, they went heavy on the marketing and convinced everyone that they simply had to upgrade their LCD TV to an LED TV, despite both panels actually being LCD.

But just because the marketing was a bit misleading doesn"t mean the technology isn"t worthwhile. Compared to an old CCFL backlight, an LED backlight can generally go brighter, offer better contrast, improve power efficiency, and reduce weight and thickness.

LED backlights generally come in two varieties: edge or direct (also sometimes referred to as full-array). The names are fairly descriptive: an edge LED backlight consists of LEDs running around the edges of the screen, while a direct LED backlight sits behind the LCD panel and shines light directly through it.

Broadly speaking, a direct LED backlight can go brighter and offer better contrast, but even the most advanced examples boast only around 500 LEDs that between them handle the lighting of the 8,294,400 pixels of a 4K display. In other words, even the best LED backlight can"t match an OLED for close contrast control, although Samsung"s flagship sets get much closer than you might imagine possible.

And yes, that was a reference to QLED, which we"re not going to go into massive detail about here as we"ve already done a comprehensive QLED explainer, suffice to say that QLED TVs (currently) rely on an LED backlight that shines through a layer of quantum dots rather than LCDs.

Also on the horizon are microLED TVs, which are self-emissive LED TVs. Think of these as being like OLEDs that can go much brighter and don"t suffer image retention and you"re on the right lines. You can read more about this next-gen TV tech in our full microLED explainer.

Once you realise that "LED TVs" are actually LCD TVs with better PR, you realise that LCD is by a huge margin the dominant TV technology in terms of sales - and it has been for well over a decade.

Created (along with plasma) to replace the huge CRT (cathode ray tube) televisions of old, LCD (liquid-crystal display) TVs have a panel of liquid crystals through which light from a backlight is shone. These backlights initially consisted of CCFLs (cold-cathode fluorescent lamps) but now are almost always made up of LEDs (see above).

Compared to what had gone before, LCD TVs were lighter, thinner, brighter, more colourful and cheaper to produce, but early examples in particular regularly struggled to produce deep blacks and convincing contrast.

These days, though, there are lots of very good LCD-based TVs around and many represent exceptionally good value (the Samsung UE49RU8000 is one of the best performance-per-pound televisions you can currently buy), but there"s no denying that OLED is better. One day, when OLEDs become much more affordable and something else (microLED?) replaces it at the top of the TV tech tree, LCD will drift off into the long goodnight, but there"s plenty of life in the old dog yet.

From panel technology to refresh rates, there are a lot of things to consider when looking for a new gaming monitor. To aid you on your journey for the perfect setup, we"re breaking down two of the most common display technology terms: LED and LCD. Here"s what you need to know about LED and LCD screens, what the terms stand for, and how they factor into modern gaming monitors.

LCD stands for liquid-crystal display, which refers to how the monitor works. Behind the screen, liquid crystals are sandwiched between two layers of glass and used to change the colors of pixels to create the images that you see. The whole process is a lot more complicated, but that"s the gist of how LCDs function.

In the past, some LCDs were backlit by CCFLs (cold-cathode fluorescent lamps). LCDs with fluorescent backlighting have been around longer, so if you can find one, they will be cheaper than LED monitors. However, if you"re a gamer looking for decent refresh rates and response times, it"s going to be hard to find a monitor with fluorescent backlighting. They"ve almost completely been replaced by LCD monitors with LED backlights.

LEDs work in a similar way; in fact, you can consider LEDs a subcategory of LCDs. The only difference between some LCDs and LEDs is the type of backlighting: LEDs use LED (light-emitting diodes) backlighting.

In contrast to fluorescent backlighting, LED backlighting generally provides brighter colors and sharper contrast. The monitors are also thinner in size and, in the long run, more energy efficient than LCDs with fluorescent backlights. LED backlighting is the newer technology and the current standard for monitors with high refresh rates and fast response times. When you see LCD in product descriptions, they"re almost always LCD monitors that use LED (as opposed to fluorescent) backlighting. For example, BenQ"s EL2870U monitor is listed as an LCD, but it"s an LCD with LED backlighting.

There are different types of LED backlighting: edge-lit and array-lit. In edge-lit monitors, the lights are placed around the edges of the monitor. Light guides are then used to diffuse the light evenly across the screen. In array-lit monitors, lights are placed behind the screen in a pattern.

For example, some edge-lit and array-lit LEDs have local dimming capabilities, a feature that can selectively dim certain zones of LED lights. Local dimming improves contrast ratio and provides deeper blacks in dimly lit scenes. These monitors, however, tend to be pricey. Some well-reviewed options include the Samsung Odyssey G7 and Philips Momentum 436M6VBPAB, both of which are edge-lit monitors with partial local dimming capabilities. The Acer Predator X35 is an (expensive) full-array monitor with full local dimming (FALD) capabilities.

You won"t have much of a choice between LED or LCD. Most monitors, regardless of whether they"re marked as LED or LCD, will use LED backlights. LED backlights became the new standard because they allow manufacturers to make thinner, more energy-efficient monitors with better graphics. It"s not worth going out of your way to find an LCD with fluorescent backlighting, unless you really, really hate LED lights.

Which backlights a monitor has isn"t as important as other factors such as panel technology, refresh rates and response time, G-Sync vs. FreeSync, and HDR --those are the characteristics you should pay more attention to when choosing a monitor. If you"re not looking to break the bank, a couple of great LED monitors at excellent price points we can recommend are the Asus VP249QGR, a nice budget 1080p monitor, and Acer XF250Q Cbmiiprx 24.5, a well-reviewed budget 240Hz monitor.

Check out our guide to the best cheap gaming monitors for more budget options; plus, see our picks for the best monitors for PS5 and Xbox Series X, best 144Hz monitors, and the best 4K gaming monitors for more LED displays worth picking up.

There are plenty of new and confusing terms facing TV shoppers today, but when it comes down to the screen technology itself, there are only two: Nearly every TV sold today is either LCD or OLED.

The biggest between the two is in how they work. With OLED, each pixel provides its own illumination so there"s no separate backlight. With an LCD TV, all of the pixels are illuminated by an LED backlight. That difference leads to all kinds of picture quality effects, some of which favor LCD, but most of which benefit OLED.

LCDs are made by a number of companies across Asia. All current OLED TVs are built by LG Display, though companies like Sony and Vizio buy OLED panels from LG and then use their own electronics and aesthetic design.

So which one is better? Read on for their strengths and weaknesses. In general we"ll be comparing OLED to the best (read: most expensive) LCD has to offer, mainly because there"s no such thing as a cheap OLED TV (yet).

At the other side of light output is black level, or how dark the TV can get. OLED wins here because of its ability to turn off individual pixels completely. It can produce truly perfect black.

The better LCDs have local dimming, where parts of the screen can dim independently of others. This isn"t quite as good as per-pixel control because the black areas still aren"t absolutely black, but it"s better than nothing. The best LCDs have full-array local dimming, which provides even finer control over the contrast of what"s onscreen -- but even they can suffer from "blooming," where a bright area spoils the black of an adjacent dark area.

Here"s where it comes together. Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest and the darkest a TV can be. OLED is the winner here because it can get extremely bright, plus it can produce absolute black with no blooming. It has the best contrast ratio of any modern display.

One of the main downsides of LCD TVs is a change in picture quality if you sit away from dead center (as in, off to the sides). How much this matters to you certainly depends on your seating arrangement, but also on how much you love your loved ones.

A few LCDs use in-plane switching (IPS) panels, which have better off-axis picture quality than other kinds of LCDs, but don"t look as good as other LCDs straight on (primarily due to a lower contrast ratio).

OLED doesn"t have the off-axis issue LCDs have; its image looks basically the same, even from extreme angles. So if you have a wide seating area, OLED is the better option.

Nearly all current TVs are HDR compatible, but that"s not the entire story. Just because a TV claims HDR compatibility doesn"t mean it can accurately display HDR content. All OLED TVs have the dynamic range to take advantage of HDR, but lower-priced LCDs, especially those without local-dimming backlights, do not. So if you want to see HDR content it all its dynamic, vibrant beauty, go for OLED or an LCD with local dimming.

In our tests comparing the best new OLED and LCD TVs with HDR games and movies, OLED usually looks better. Its superior contrast and lack of blooming win the day despite LCD"s brightness advantage. In other words LCD TVs can get brighter, especially in full-screen bright scenes and HDR highlights, but none of them can control that illumination as precisely as an OLED TV.

OLED"s energy consumption is directly related to screen brightness. The brighter the screen, the more power it draws. It even varies with content. A dark movie will require less power than a hockey game or ski competition.

The energy consumption of LCD varies depending on the backlight setting. The lower the backlight, the lower the power consumption. A basic LED LCD with its backlight set low will draw less power than OLED.

LG has said their OLED TVs have a lifespan of 100,000 hours to half brightness, a figure that"s similar to LED LCDs. Generally speaking, all modern TVs are quite reliable.

Does that mean your new LCD or OLED will last for several decades like your parent"s last CRT (like the one pictured). Probably not, but then, why would you want it to? A 42-inch flat panel cost $14,000 in the late 90"s, and now a 65-inch TV with more than 16x the resolution and a million times better contrast ratio costs $1,400. Which is to say, by the time you"ll want/need to replace it, there will be something even better than what"s available now, for less money.

OLED TVs are available in sizes from 48 to 88 inches, but LCD TVs come in smaller and larger sizes than that -- with many more choices in between -- so LCD wins. At the high end of the size scale, however, the biggest "TVs" don"t use either technology.

If you want something even brighter, and don"t mind spending a literal fortune to get it, Samsung, Sony, and LG all sell direct-view LED displays. In most cases these are

You can get 4K resolution, 50-inch LCDs for around $400 -- or half that on sale. It"s going to be a long time before OLEDs are that price, but they have come down considerably.

LCD dominates the market because it"s cheap to manufacture and delivers good enough picture quality for just about everybody. But according to reviews at CNET and elsewhere, OLED wins for overall picture quality, largely due to the incredible contrast ratio. The price difference isn"t as severe as it used to be, and in the mid- to high-end of the market, there are lots of options.

LCD stands for “liquid crystal display” and technically, both LED and LCD TVs are liquid crystal displays. The basic technology is the same in that both television types have two layers of polarized glass through which the liquid crystals both block and pass light. So really, LED TVs are a subset of LCD TVs.

LED, which stands for “light emitting diodes,” differs from general LCD TVs in that LCDs use fluorescent lights while LEDs use those light emitting diodes. Also, the placement of the lights on an LED TV can differ. The fluorescent lights in an LCD TV are always behind the screen. On an LED TV, the light emitting diodes can be placed either behind the screen or around its edges. The difference in lights and in lighting placement has generally meant that LED TVs can be thinner than LCDs, although this is starting to change. It has also meant that LED TVs run with greater energy efficiency and can provide a clearer, better picture than the general LCD TVs.

LED TVs provide a better picture for two basic reasons. First, LED TVs work with a color wheel or distinct RGB-colored lights (red, green, blue) to produce more realistic and sharper colors. Second, light emitting diodes can be dimmed. The dimming capability on the back lighting in an LED TV allows the picture to display with a truer black by darkening the lights and blocking more light from passing through the panel. This capability is not present on edge-lit LED TVs; however, edge-lit LED TVs can display a truer