The benefits of LED TVs

The world is becoming increasingly technology integrated and we are seeing computing power being integrated into every-day appliances and objects. The world of television and displays is no different. Because of the mass global market it incorporates this has to be one of the fastest evolving markets. Less than a decade ago high definition television was a new foreign technology that was beginning its meteoric growth. However, now a quarter of all US households have a Full HD TV.

The competition amongst television manufacturers is intensely fast paced. With the innovation of new technological advancements comes a competitive edge that drives profits. One of the latest technologies that have come on the scene is the ‘LED TV’ from Samsung. What is it that makes this breed of television different from the LCD TVs that we have seen over the last decade, is it just advertising hype or a technological revolution?

The difference with this new type of television is with the method of lighting that it uses to light the screen. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are what are used to light the display. There are inherent properties that give LEDs benefits when compared with CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) which have been previously used in LCD displays up to this point. Firstly LEDs are more energy efficient and use less power to produce light. They can also produce brighter light and a fuller spectrum of white light. They also have reliability benefits too as their performance does not degrade like fluorescent lamps does and they have a longer lifespan. LEDs are physically more compact than fluorescent lamps leading to design benefits.

Essentially an LED TV is just an ‘LED-lit’ LCD TV which may seem a bit misleading to label it as this. But because of the benefits incorporating LED lighting into the design of televisions rather than fluorescent lamps, there are some very real benefits to be had.

The colour reproduction of LED TVs is said to be improved because of the quality of light that LEDs produce, this leads to more natural and vivid on-screen images. Also it is worth pointing out that many LEDs are used to light the display and each LED can be individually controlled. The significance of this is that areas of blackness were previously difficult to produce with fluorescent lamps, but because individual LEDS or areas of LEDs can be turned off, this has vastly improved the reproduction of blacks. Coupled with the brightness of light that can be achieved with LEDs the contrast ratios have been massive improved.

If you think the fact that LEDs use less power is insignificant then maybe you reconsider this fact. As power consumption is improved by up to 40% and considering the usage that an average television gets over its lifetime this could add up to a considerable saving to you electricity bill (as well as being comforting that it does its bit in helping the environment by ultimately reducing CO2 emissions). Another financial advantage is that because LEDs are more reliable than fluorescent lamps, the lifetime of an LED TV is increased.

So if you are in the market for buying a new television surly LED TVs come into consideration. They may not be a radical advance in technology but there are certainly many benefits to be had.