LCD vs LED TV

A couple of decades ago, if you were out shopping for a TV, all you had to decide upon, was the size and whether to go for a black & white or color one! Now if you enter a consumer electronics store, you need to choose between LCD TVs, Plasma TVs, LED TVs and DLP TVs. Other than that you need to contend with contrast ratios, sizes, picture quality and many other features to make a choice. For a non-techie, all this can be very confusing, when all he wants is a decent television set, on which he can enjoy his favorite shows! With an intention of at least partially clearing out some of the confusion, I present an LCD vs LED TV comparison here, which will point out how these two technologies are different.

LCD Vs LED TV Comparison

Television is a great example of how technology evolves over time. The days of the CRT monitor are on the decline and the LCD technology has rapidly replaced it in almost every sector. LED TVs are recent entries on the scene and are fast gaining popularity. Let us begin the LED vs LCD TV comparison.

LCD Vs LED TVs: Fundamental Differences
A liquid crystal display (LCD) television displays picture through the modulation of light transmitting properties of liquid crystals. While the technology is quite complicated to be explained in detail here, you must know that these LCD panels need a backlight to function. LCD televisions use cold cathode fluorescent lamps for back lighting purpose. LED TVs are basically LCD TVs that use a light emitting diode (LED) back lighting facility. This is the fundamental difference between LCD and LED televisions.

The use of LEDs, instead of cold cathode fluorescent lamps in LED TVs makes a substantial difference in picture quality. These television sets deliver a better dynamic contrast ratio and much more gradation in display colors. One could say that the colors displayed on an LED are of a much more truer nature, than LCD televisions. There are two prime types of LED TVs which differ in terms of how LEDs are placed behind the screen. They are known as edge LED TVs and RGB dynamic LED TVs. Let us have a look at other points of difference in these two technologies.

LCD Vs LED TVs: Power Consumption
Another factor which matters, when it comes to televisions, is the power consumption. Since LED TV are embedded with light emitting diodes, they require a lot lesser power than LCD displays which use cold cathode fluorescent lamps. Low power consumption is one of the prime reasons why manufacturers opted for development of an LCD television. The same reason has led to the development of LED lights that have lighted up remote villages, which have little or no electric supply. If you make a LED TV vs LCD TV comparison with respect to comfort of viewing, LED TVs are far softer on the eyes. So comfort of viewing and LED TV power consumption are two prime factors in its favor.

LCD Vs LED TVs: Cost Comparison
What ultimately matters is the cost factor, when it comes to choosing between technologies. What has slowed down the spread of LED TVs in world wide markets is the high cost, compared to LCD TVs. As LED TVs find a more wider market, their manufacturing costs might slowly climb down with time.

Hope the LCD vs LED TV comparison presented in this article has cleared out some of the basic doubts about the difference in these two display technologies. To know the actual difference in picture quality, you have to watch an LED or LCD TV. The difference in quality of picture will be apparent to only a few discerning people who have an eye for it!