LED TV’s

If you’re interested in purchasing one of the new LED TV’s, you want to become an educated consumer first. Big electronic companies can sometimes use a lot of hype and technical jargon to separate you from your money.

‘LED’ stands for Light Emitting Diode and you’re probably familiar with the term, as LEDs are just beginning to be used used in many lighting devices. And that’s exactly how they’re used in the new LED TV’s – as devices to light the screen of a conventional flat screen LCD television from the back. As you might expect, this is referred to as ‘backlighting’. Previously, a type of fluorescent bulb called a CCFL (for Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) was always used to backlight LCD televisions. So these new televisions should more accurately be referred to as LED LCD TVs.

There was a big announcement a year or two ago from Sony regarding the availablility of the first OLED tv’s. These are true OLED sets, using Organic Liquid Crystal Displays in place of the conventional Crystal Liquid Displays (LCDs). But these are very expensive, razor thin, not really for a typical consumer, and not to be confused with the new, so-called LED TV’s

And to confuse the issue a little more, there are two basic types of these LED sets being manufactured. Those that have LEDs around the edge or perimeter of the screen are called ‘edge-lit’, and those that cover the whole back of the set with LEDs are referred to as ‘back-lit’

However, the fact that these televisions may be using incorrect terminology to categorize themselves shouldn’t be taken to mean that their claims are all hype and no substance. The LED TV’s do have a number of advantages over regular LCD screens. Below are a few of them.

LED TV’s can have blacker blacks and whiter whites, which is a real step forward, because LCD sets have always suffered in comparison to Plasma TV’s in this area. However, this advantage is likely to occur only with a back-lit set.

LED TV’s can be made much thinner than regular LCD sets. This advantage will be more pronounced with the edge lit, and less so with backlit screens.

LED TV’s use much less power. Almost all of them qualify for the new stricter Energy Star standards, and some use 40 – 50% less energy than LCDs. They also help the environment by the fact LEDs contain no mercury (CCFLs do contain small amounts) and the lesser amount of materials used to make thinner sets, which can certainly add up if these sets begin to take over the marketplace from the CCFL LCDs.

So before you spring for one of the new LED TV’s, do your homework. Become an educated consumer. Know what you’re paying for and why, and you’ll be happy with your purchase.