LED Vs. LCD Vs. DLP

If you are planning to buy a new television, you have an extensive range of options to choose from including range of brands and technologies. The age of the CRT (cathode ray tube) televisions and computer monitors is on the decline. The reason for this can be attributed to rise of new display technologies in the form of LCD and LED televisions. Another relatively older technology is DLP (Digital Light Processing) which has also been in vogue for some time now.

Choosing a television today can be seriously confusing with the plethora of brands and technologies to choose from. It is not at all as simple as before when there were only the CRT monitors and TVs to choose from.

LED Vs. LCD Vs. DLP Comparison

In the last few decades, we have been hit by a range of digital display technologies that offer superior picture quality, compared to older CRT screens. While LED and LCD televisions are most similar in their basic technology, DLP is quite a different one. Let us first have a look at the basic differences between the three. That is, let us see how do these different types of televisions differ in the way they create picture.

Basic Differences
LED and LCD televisions use the same basic display technology but differ in the backlighting used. An LED TV is actually a modified version of an LCD television. Both used liquid crystal display technology to display picture. The picture is created by modification in the polarization properties of liquid crystals. Unlike CRT monitors, the light needed for creation of picture is not generated by a cathode ray picture tube. Instead cold cathode fluorescent lamp is used for backlighting. In LED TVs, instead of cold cathode fluorescent lamps, LEDs (light emitting diodes) are used for backlighting purpose. This single factor contributes to all the differences between these two technologies.

While LED and LCD TVs share lineage, DLP technology has an entirely different origin. Technology used for Image creation in DLP projectors and televisions is quite different from LCD. Light is shone on a DLP chip, which has thousands of mirrors embedded on it. With the used of a colored rotating wheel, light is modulated and focused through a lens to form a picture. DLP technology is more predominantly used to develop projectors while LCD and LED television sets continue to dominate the television market.

Features
You will see that the power consumption of LED powered displays is a lot less power consuming than LCDs. This is because of the inherently very less power required for light emitting diodes to function. DLP displays draw a lot more power in comparison.

DLP television sets are thick and bulkier compared to LED or LCD TVs which are substantially thin and light. The picture quality offered by all three technologies in terms of resolution, is comparable. LCD and LED TVs have a better contrast ration compared to DLPs. Although there were many DLP TV problems after the initial launch, they have lessened with time as the technology has improved.

I am sure that the comparison presented above, has clarified the basic differences in these display technologies. So next time, you visit your local electronic store for choosing a television, you will be able to make an informed choice surely!