Differences between LED TV and LCD. What is the difference between LED and OLED TVs?

In this article, you will find the answer to the popular question of network users: what is the difference between an ice TV and a smart TV? Progress, as they say, does not stand still, new gadgets, devices with interesting, useful functions appear. Many of them have become indispensable, necessary assistants in the everyday life of the inhabitants. A place of honor among various types of household appliances is occupied by televisions. At the TV, we gather with the family to watch an interesting movie together or cheer on our favorite team with friends. In addition, few people do not like to lie on their favorite sofa in front of the TV on their day off to watch their favorite channel.

The first devices for converting waves into an image were large boxes with a small black and white screen and were considered a luxury, since not everyone could afford to purchase such an expensive device. Now every family has a representative of this kind of devices, and sometimes several. And these devices are completely different from their predecessors, modern TVs are screens that differ in size, which can be hung on a wall or mounted on a cabinet. A large number of representatives of different types of devices have appeared, which may differ from each other in a set of functions, in the way of transmitting pictures and sound. The so-called LED TVs have become widespread, and not so long ago, new Smart models have appeared. Let's try to figure out how ice TV differs from smart TV.

Features of LED TVs

In this chapter, we will consider the features of the LED TV and see how it differs from conventional representatives of this type of technology.

LED devices are a type of liquid crystal televisions in which the screen is backlit by diodes. A diode is a semiconductor that emits light when an electric current is passed. What determines the high quality of the picture in devices with LED? Due to the large number of LEDs, dimming or changing the brightness of different sides of the screen occurs evenly, which ensures good color reproduction and excellent image quality.

According to the number of colors, diodes are:

• monochrome - in such devices white backlight is used. This type of backlight is the most budgetary, it provides image quality similar to LCD;
• tricolor - for image transmission in such devices, diodes of red, blue, green colors are used. This method improves color reproduction, image palette. For the efficient operation of such a device, a powerful processor is required, which increases power consumption;
• mixed - this type combines the above two methods, when a layer of a special film with red and green dots is superimposed on a blue monochrome diode. With this method, color reproduction is carried out with the highest quality, the viewer can enjoy the entire palette of shades. At the same time, the energy consumption of such a TV is minimal.

The quality of image or color transmission also depends on the location of the diode backlight. There are two technologies for the location of the backlight Direct and Edge.

1. Direct - a way to arrange LEDs over the entire surface of the back of the screen. The presented type of arrangement provides a high level of contrast transmission. The body of such a TV is much thicker than other LED representatives, but the low cost and high image quality cover this drawback.
2. Edge is a technology for arranging the backlight around the perimeter of the back of the screen. Moreover, the diodes can be located below, on two opposite sides or around the entire perimeter of the screen. This method allows the production of models with a thin body, which can be less than one centimeter. Models of these devices are more expensive than representatives with direct illumination, since diffuse and reflective devices are additionally used in the design to evenly distribute light. Although Edge LEDs are more expensive, the picture quality is much lower and there is visible light at the LED locations.

LED technology has become the most widely used among manufacturers of televisions and digital equipment. The models presented by Samsung, Phillips, LG, SONY and many other manufacturers are very diverse both in terms of the number of functions, screen sizes, and pricing policy. A user with any income can purchase a suitable LED TV model with good image quality.

When choosing a TV, you need to think very carefully. It is important to choose a good TV, but is it worth paying extra for the technology? Today, we will deal with this. The subject of our article is the difference between LED TVs and LCD monitors. So, how is LED different from LCD? Let's look at what principle works in each of the technologies.

LCD monitors

The technology is based, as the name implies, on liquid crystals. But not only they give us a beautiful image. There are also two polarized transparent plates. Between them is a layer of liquid crystals. On each of the plates there are electrodes that supply current to each cell of the matrix. The light beam passes through this structure and is rotated by 90 degrees as a result of the operation of the polarizer. There is also a light filter and a backlight. In other words, the main difference between LCD and LED is the principle of crystal illumination - in the first we are dealing with a fluorescent lamp, and in the second, economical LEDs work.

LED TVs

When we talk about LED technology, we mean the same liquid crystal monitor, only LED technology is much more modern. The main difference is in the way the crystals are illuminated. LED technology uses LED backlighting. With the help of LEDs, it became possible to improve 4 image parameters - these are brightness, contrast, image clarity and color gamut. Also, a very important factor that suggests tangible differences is that the LED backlight allows you to illuminate the crystals as evenly as possible. This is necessary to obtain completeness of perception when viewing scenes with initially low contrast values. What's more, LED TVs have been proven to be much more economical than LCDs. This is justified by the fact that LEDs consume little energy and are able to maintain their characteristics much longer than conventional lamps in LCDs.

How LCD differs from LED: the result

LED TV technology may soon replace LCD panels, as they work much more efficiently and economically. As a result, having bought an LED TV, we get greater energy savings and a much better picture on the screen. Although the differences between the two TVs are very small. Only in the way of illumination. It is worth considering that modern films are created for the most modern technologies, therefore, to get the full experience, it is better to watch any movie on LED TVs.

Often we have to deal with the abbreviations LED and LCD when choosing monitors or TVs. As a rule, consultants in stores begin to sell products that are more expensive, but none of them can explain what are the fundamental differences between seemingly different technologies.
It’s worth mentioning right away that it’s impossible to compare a real LED display with an LCD: the use of technologies is completely different. In fact, LED is a matrix in which each pixel is formed by LEDs. Such screens glow by themselves, and they do not need light from outside. This technology is used in outdoor advertising or (if we talk about OLED) in the production of small screens for electronics. However, for the end consumer, the abbreviation LED still means displays with LED backlighting - TVs and monitors.
LCD displays- created on the basis of liquid crystal matrices flat displays used in the production of televisions, monitors and other electronics.
LED displays- a type of liquid crystal. The difference between them lies in the method of illumination - this is what the abbreviations in catalogs and price lists tell us about. By themselves, liquid crystals do not glow, so they require an external light source to form an image on the screen. LCD means backlighting with fluorescent or fluorescent lamps, LED means light-emitting diode.
LCD displays are inferior in terms of color reproduction and image quality to LED screens. The clarity of the picture on the LED is much higher, as well as higher refresh rates and contrast. However, this is absolutely true only in relation to the RGB variety of LED backlighting, which is used in professional monitors. In the standard version, the differences “by eye” are not noticeable. But the transition to a newer technology is beneficial for the end user. Thanks to Edge-LED, which consists in the arrangement of LEDs around the perimeter of the screen frame, the thickness of devices is minimized.
From an economic point of view, we can say that fluorescent lamps are less durable than LEDs, they fail more often and their energy consumption is somewhat higher. In addition, they require disposal under special conditions. On the other hand, traditional LCDs are cheaper than LEDs and more common.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between LED and LCD (LCD) is as follows:

The LED matrix uses LEDs for backlighting, while the LCD uses fluorescent lamps.
The quality of the image broadcast by LED displays is higher.
LED consumes less power.
LCD displays are cheaper both to manufacture and to sell.
LED displays made using new technologies can be much thinner than LCD

When choosing a modern TV, most buyers do not fully understand how led and oled models differ, what strengths and weaknesses each of these technologies has. It’s easy to get confused here, since both terms sound almost the same and are widely used by marketers who each promote their own direction in the development of television technology.

What is LED andOLED

In fact, both words mean that special semiconductor devices are used in TVs - light-emitting diodes (LED - from English L ight- E meeting D iode) that glow brightly when an electric current flows through them. They can be thought of as miniature light bulbs that emit red, white, green, or blue, depending on the chemical composition of the crystal or phosphor. Over time, a separate group of LEDs appeared, using the same principles, but built on organic polymers. Therefore, an additional letter O was added to their name - organic (OLED). These devices are made in the form of polymer films, therefore they are extremely thin and flexible.

At first glance, the difference between the consonant concepts of led and oled is small, and it lies only in the manufacturing technology and physical properties of diodes. However, their areas of application in modern TVs differ dramatically. First of all, the designation LED-TV does not mean at all that the image in it is created by spot LEDs. They only illuminate the usual liquid crystal matrix, replacing the overall, wasteful and short-lived fluorescent lamps. It would be more correct to say - LCD-TVs with LED-backlight, but the term, first voiced by Samsung, has taken root and is now widely used in the market.

Real LED screens, built from arrays of multi-colored LEDs, due to their relatively large size, are used today only as information boards in stadiums, train stations, concert halls and presentations. But in OLED TVs, organic elements deposited on a flexible base really make up a pixel matrix, with which you can get a color image. This technology allows you to make TV receivers with ultra-thin and even curved screens.

LED andOLED models: what are their strengths and weaknesses?

To make the right choice between LED and OLED TV, you need to consider and weigh all the strengths and weaknesses of each technology. We take the most important technical indicators of TV receivers as evaluation criteria.

1. Brightness . This category is dominated by LED TVs. They can seamlessly use the diode backlight of the screen at maximum brightness. But the service life of their organic counterparts (especially blue) directly depends on the intensity of the pixel glow. Therefore, it is not recommended to set the highest screen brightness in OLED TVs.
2. Contrast and black depth. Here the unconditional victory of OLED technology. The most painful problem with LCD TVs is the inability to achieve natural blacks on the screen. Even if the liquid crystal, which works like window blinds, is completely closed, a little light will still seep through it. This causes dark areas of the image on the screen to take on a characteristic purple or gray tint.
   
   OLED TVs do not require a matrix backlight, as their screens themselves consist of an array of light emitting elements. Therefore, each pixel in the dark area of ​​the image is simply not lit, guaranteeing true black. Because of this feature, OLED screens also show higher contrast: the range between the darkest and lightest parts of the screen is much wider than their LCD counterparts.
3. Screen uniformity . The clear leader is OLED. The side type of matrix backlight, which is most often used in modern LCD TVs, has one negative effect - it does not evenly illuminate the entire surface of the screen. When the panel is completely darkened, there are illuminated areas around its perimeter, which are especially noticeable in the evening. For OLED TVs, this problem does not exist.
4. Color gamut. Today, some premium LED TVs display a wider color gamut than their organic competitors. For example, leading manufacturing companies for this purpose use multi-color LED backlighting based on Wide Color LED and Triluminos phosphors, as well as Quantum Dots quantum dot technology. So far, the winner in this nomination is the LED TV.
   
   
5. Viewing angles . Here, OLED devices are in the lead, the image on which does not fade and does not change color even at critical viewing angles. In modern LED TVs, these indicators depend on the LCD matrix construction technology. For example, IPS screens show a decent picture when viewed at an angle of up to 178º, but the simplest TN panels darken already at 90º.
6. Energy efficiency. It is difficult to determine a winner in this category. The power consumption of an OLED TV depends not only on the brightness setting, but also on the scene shown on the screen. For example, when showing night landscapes, the TV will consume much less energy than when showing the sunny coast of Miami Beach. In LED TVs, this parameter is more stable, since it depends only on the brightness of the screen backlight, which was initially set. Therefore, formally, they can be considered more economical.
7. Service life . To date, LED technology is ahead in terms of durability, since white backlight LEDs can work steadily up to 70-100 thousand hours. Organic devices still have much shorter service lives, for example, the fastest wearing blue OLED phosphor lasts no more than 7 thousand hours. Red and green LEDs last longer, but this does not make much sense, since the overall color reproduction of the pixel is seriously distorted.
8. Price . Definitely LED TVs are still much cheaper. Suffice it to say that a decent 50-inch LED-backlit LCD model can be purchased today for about $500, while high-end devices that can compete with OLED counterparts using the most advanced technology will cost a maximum of $8,000. Today, OLED TVs are rapidly becoming cheaper, but still their price is still about 5 times higher than the cost of LED devices (with the same diagonal).
   
   

As you can see, there are significant differences between led and oled technologies. LED TVs captivate with their cost, a wide choice of diagonal solutions and long service life. OLED models show fast response times, unlimited viewing angles, and true-to-life color gamut, especially in dark details. In addition, they are thinner than LCD models and may have a curved screen shape. Do not forget that OLED is a young, promising and actively developing technology for building TVs, while LCD models, even with LED backlighting, have practically exhausted all their possibilities for moving forward.

Many of any modern flat-screen TV is called "plasma", wrong in 9 cases out of 10. Discharge technology, on the basis of which plasma TV works, is rare among ordinary people. For all its merits, this is an expensive solution. More often purchased models built using liquid crystal modules. They cost an order of magnitude less, while not inferior in most respects.

It is about LCD monitors that will be discussed below. They come in two varieties: LCD and LED. The difference in technical performance is not as significant as it seems at first glance.

Let's explore this issue in more detail.

Why can't you compare

In fact, it is impossible to compare LED and LCD. Since the first abbreviation means a kind of device group, designated by the second. This is the same as asking which is better - a car or a BMW.

Nevertheless, this is how citizens are used to sharing LCD monitors. Therefore, further, when we say "LED" we mean this technology, and "LCD" refers to all other models of liquid crystal devices.

The structure of LCD displays

It makes no sense to delve deeply into the principle of operation of liquid crystal equipment: it will be difficult for an unprepared reader to navigate in all the subtleties. Within the framework of the article, it is enough to briefly mention the device of the liquid crystal panel.

Simplifying, the LCD matrix is ​​​​two transparent plates, divided into tiny cells. Each of these capsules is filled with a special substance - a liquid crystal. The inside is covered with RGB color filters: red, blue or green. Each screen pixel includes three cells with inserts of different colors.

The liquid crystal substance has an amazing property. If an electric current is passed through it, it becomes translucent, while remaining opaque in its normal state. Thus, if you illuminate the assembly from the inside, you can build a combination of multi-colored dots, which together represent the image.

What is the difference between LED and LCD? Only in the way of implementing backlighting.

LCD technology

The conventional LCD backlight is a simple cold light fluorescent lamp installed in the monitor cabinet in front of the display.

Such lighting allows you to create a palette of different colors. The power consumption of electroluminescent backlighting is relatively low, but it requires a high frequency AC source to operate. Converters for the operation of the light source consume an average of 25 watts per hour.

The durability of the LCD (halving the brightness of the initial) is approximately 5 thousand hours, which is affected by the set glow intensity.

LED technology

This backlight is made from a group of bright LEDs. For models with a small matrix size, tapes with built-in emitters are installed on one side only (most often on the side). In widescreen devices, LEDs are installed over the entire display area.

The technical functioning of the LED can be provided from a 5V voltage source without the use of converters. This solution consumes a minimum of energy and can be used in compact portable devices.

To adjust the brightness of the glow, pulse-width modulators are used.

What type of monitor should you choose?

LED or LCD: which is better? Definitely, LED lighting of LCD matrices is preferable. Semiconductors win on many criteria. Let's list the main ones.

1. Low power consumption. LEDs do not need additional converters for power supply. The current limiter is the only component of the circuit that consumes energy. Backlight consumption, even on screens with a diagonal of 46+ cm, never exceeds 10 watts, for standard household models - 3-5 watts.
2. Durability. LED lifetime is 50,000 hours. At the same time, replacing LED strips is a simple and cheap procedure, repairs are quick and do not involve serious costs.
3. Dimensions. The miniaturization of semiconductor devices makes it possible to make a monitor with a truly “flat” display. In a number of devices (for example, laptops) this is an indispensable solution.
4. Color quality. The difference between LED and LCD is that in the case of LEDs it is possible to distribute the backlight evenly around the perimeter of the screen. This improves the contrast and increases the saturation of the image. In addition, by changing the brightness of the glow of individual sections of the display, the problem of local dimming is solved.

Monitors and displays equipped with LED backlighting are slightly more expensive, but this difference is not so significant. Choosing such a brand is an excellent compromise between price and performance. Efficient, with a bright "live" picture, ergonomic and trouble-free: the main qualities of the "correct" TV.

LCD technology is becoming a thing of the past, many manufacturers have already stopped mass production of devices with fluorescent lamps. The future belongs to semiconductor emitters.