Difference between lcd and led. Which TV is better LCD or Plasma or LED? Difference and comparison

Is it time to buy a new TV? You are probably choosing between different technologies and you are wondering what is the difference between LCD and LED? So, you should definitely get acquainted with this article, which dot the "and".

What is the fundamental difference between LCD and LED?

This is the main question for many people who are planning their home theater. Yesterday we were considering buying a cathode ray tube (CRT) TV or even a projector. And today we see other names: LCD, DLP, OLED, laser TVs. There were also LED (light-emitting diode) TVs. Let's look at what these letters mean and which ones indicate the best purchase.

LED TVs are also LCD TVs. Just a slightly different type. The real name for this technology is "LED-backlit LCD TVs" to be quite correct, but it's too long a name and most people simply won't remember it, so we usually only see three letters - "LED".

Liquid crystals are used to control the brightness of individual dots on both types of TV screens. If you do not go into details, then such a display consists of two sheets of polarizing material, between which there is a solution of liquid crystals. When an electric current passes through liquid crystals, they are ordered, which changes their ability to transmit light. One can imagine each such crystal as a damper, which can be open or closed.

Thus, both LED and LCD TVs use LCD technology. You may ask: “So what? Are they any different from each other?" There is a difference and it consists in the way the backlight is generated - the light that has to pass through the liquid crystals. This is the difference between LCD and LED. Conventional LCD TVs use a fluorescent lamp as the light source, while LED TVs use a set of small LEDs that turn electricity into light more efficiently.

Benefits of LED

Televisions, which, among other characteristics, have the abbreviation LED, have a number of advantages.

1. Firstly, LEDs can be significantly smaller than fluorescent lamps, which means that the matrix has smaller dimensions and weight. As a result, the thickness of the entire TV can fit in one inch.
2. Secondly, LED TVs are more energy efficient. But most importantly, they can form deeper blacks, which gives the picture extra depth.
3. Several fluorescent lights are used to illuminate the entire screen and cannot be turned off in individual locations. At the same time, in order to form a completely black color, we need to turn off the backlight completely. LED-displays have this possibility, in which you can “turn off” individual pixels and areas of the image.

This results in deeper blacks and increased contrast. Let's imagine that the starry sky is displayed on the screen. It should be almost completely filled with black, and only single dots (stars) have high brightness. Traditional LCD screens are not capable of displaying such an image in high quality. And if it is possible to completely turn off the highlighting of entire areas in the image, then it will benefit in many ways. As a result, we see a really black sky, on which only single dots glow.

Don't waste your money

I want to warn buyers that not all LED TVs have this ability. If those LED TV models that can turn off the backlight in local areas are comparable in image quality to plasma ones, then those that can only illuminate the entire field at the same time with LEDs are very close to conventional LED TVs. Therefore, having figured out how LCD and LED TVs differ, it should be remembered that the latter can also produce an image of very different quality. Before shelling out a hefty sum for an LED TV, you should make sure that it has the benefits described above.

However, even if you buy an LED TV that can't darken certain areas, you still get
several advantages. The TV will be lighter and thinner, which means that such a model is easier to mount on the wall. It consumes less electricity. The picture is more lively than in the case of conventional LCD. However, I consider all these advantages only as a free addition to the main one. If your budget is limited, and therefore a plasma TV is not an option, then an LED TV can replace it. Otherwise, I would recommend choosing "plasma". They may be too power hungry and look more massive, but the picture quality on their screen cannot be surpassed by any other type of TV. I advise you to choose a regular LCD screen only if there is not enough money for other options.

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, suggesting 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, so to get the full experience, it is better to watch any movie on LED TVs.

Can we skip all this nonsense about molecules, liquid crystals, diodes, light, and how cool and interesting it all works? Brrr ... It gives me the creeps from the flow of technical crap, which is stuffed with every article about LCD and LED displays. You want to know what is the difference between these two technologies and which one is better from the point of view of the buyer, right? So let's find out.

Which is better, LED or LCD?

Without a doubt, LED displays are considered superior to classic LCD screens in almost every way except price. Why classic? Because LED is a type of LCD technology that implements backlighting a little differently from conventional LCD displays, but you can learn more about this in the second part of the article. For now, let's get it right.

Image quality

LED TVs have much better black levels and contrast than their LCD counterparts. The same goes for color rendering. But this does not mean that LCDs are bad in terms of color accuracy, just that they still lose a little in comparison with LEDs.

As for the viewing angle, it is more or less the same for both, since the viewing angle depends on the glass that the manufacturer has inserted into the screen. The better the quality of the glass, the better the viewing angle.

Energy consumption

If power consumption is an important factor for you, then an LED TV is the best choice, as its power consumption is approximately 40% lower than that of LCD screens.

The size

In terms of size, LED TVs are thinner than their LCD counterparts, if not by much. However, if you like lighter and thinner, then the choice is obvious.

Computer games

Are you planning to connect a game console to your TV? In the long run, the LCD screen looks like the best choice. The fact is that the Head-Up Display (HUD), used in games for a long time, can create a ghostly image on the screen. This effect can also be called "burning out".

For those who don't know, HUD is a static image in a computer game that stays in the same place on the screen for a long time. For example, it can be time, sight, map, hit points or magic, in general, the element that practically does not change.

So, "burn-in" on LCDs is less likely than on LEDs.

Durability

It is believed that LED screens are more durable than LCD. Perhaps I also agree with this and add my vote for the LED display. My monitor is already 7 years old, and pah-pah, it still works like a clock, despite the fact that it is turned on almost constantly.

UPDATE: I found information on the net that the expected life of LED displays when used for 8 hours a day is 30 years. In the same scenario, the service life of the LCD is 20 years. If you spread your brains a little, then you can say much more simply - LED will last 30% longer than the LCD screen.

How do you like this MEM? I came up with it myself, sculpted it in Photoshop for half an hour.

Environmental impact

When recycled, LEDs have a lower environmental impact than LCDs.

Price

If, roughly speaking, every penny counts, then the choice is obvious - LCD. Devices with LCD-displays have become very cheap after the introduction of LED on the market.

Drawing conclusions

Considering the pros and cons of both, it's clear that LED TVs are a more advanced display technology than LCDs, with slightly better picture quality, energy savings, and thinner body designs, but more expensive.

LCD TVs remain in production, and moreover, the demand for them is very good. The fact is that in addition to the democratic price, the technology of classic LCD screens has been improved in recent years by manufacturers, the backlighting method has become more perfect, but at the same time TVs have remained an order of magnitude cheaper than LED.

Not everyone can notice the difference between LED and LCD, are you sure that you are one of those who can? And if not, then why pay more? Go to a large hardware store, they usually have a lot of TVs and monitors on display, showing the same content at the same time. Look, try to find the differences between LED and LCD, and then everything will fall into place.

What is the difference between LED and LCD

Yes, at the beginning of the article I said that I didn’t want to powder your head with technical texts, so I described the pros and cons of technology as simply as possible in the first part of the article. But, if you want to delve into more details, then I ask you to love and favor, the next few paragraphs are just for you.

LCDs are based on liquid crystals. LCs have the properties of liquids and solid crystals, having molecules of the same structure, but having the fluidity of a liquid. In an electric field, a liquid crystal can change the orientation of molecules, which has opened up opportunities for the use of LCs in many fields, including screens.

An LCD is made by sandwiching liquid crystals and transparent electrodes between two polarizing filters through which light passes. Some time ago, a typical LCD had CCFL lamps to illuminate the crystals. These bulbs are cousins ​​to the "curly bulbs" that many people use to replace incandescent bulbs.

CCFL (left) and Curly Light Bulbs (right)

Screens with such lighting worked well, but had some drawbacks, such as requiring a high voltage AC power supply for lighting.

Once LEDs became bright enough, they replaced CCFL bulbs in most TV and computer monitor displays. After all, in addition to the fact that the LEDs worked from low voltage, they covered a very large range of brightness. If you look at conventional LCD displays, you can see a rather low contrast ratio, about 1000:1. The same CRT usually had 15000:1, DLP and plasma did a little better.

As a result, over time, CCFL-lamps in the screens, like the "curly bulbs" in my house, switched to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting.

In the new generation of LCD displays, LED, the brightness of each LED can be controlled separately, allowing the screen brightness to be controlled locally. As a result, the contrast ratio in such screens has become dynamic, and can vary from 10,000:1 to 1,000,000:1. Not bad, right?

So we came to the answer to the question of how the LCD screen differs from the LED screen, and what does the LED TV mean. LED displays are a hybrid of LCD and LED (light-emitting diode) technology, and differ from classic LCDs in the way the display is backlit. Well, in what it is expressed, in what pros and cons, can be found at the beginning of this article.

By the way, there are full-fledged LED displays, consisting of organic light emitting diodes, this technology is called OLED. But more about that some other time.

Among the most common technologies on which the operation of modern TVs and displays is based are LED and OLED. What are they?

Facts about LED

LED is a Light-Emitting Diode. This technology is based on the use of LEDs in the design of displays and televisions.

The principle of operation of the corresponding elements is as follows: electrons generated by applying voltage are passed through a semiconductor, after which they are converted into light radiation. The main advantage of LEDs is a very high level of brightness. Therefore, they are ideally suited for use as backlighting elements of displays, most often liquid crystal displays.

LEDs are much more efficient than traditional lighting elements such as fluorescent lights. First of all in terms of size and brightness, as well as power consumption. The use of LEDs as elements of the backlight of liquid crystal displays makes it possible to provide a higher image contrast.

It may be noted that LCD displays - television and computer displays that use traditional backlight technologies - are most commonly referred to as LCDs.

Facts about OLED

OLED is an organic light-emitting diode (Organic Light-Emitting Diode). Thus, OLED technology is the application of the corresponding type of LEDs in the design of displays.

The principle of their operation is similar to that characteristic of LED-elements. However, the transformation of the electron flow into light is carried out in them by means of semiconductors made from organic materials. The main useful properties of OLED elements are small size and energy efficiency. Therefore, LEDs of the corresponding type can be used as structural elements of the screen matrix, which do not complement liquid crystals (as in LED technology), but are used instead of them. Each pixel on a monitor or TV can thus be illuminated by a separate OLED.

OLED monitors have several advantages over LCD and LED displays:

• providing a brighter and more readable picture in direct sunlight;
• no noticeable color distortions when viewing images from different viewing angles;
• higher brightness and contrast of the picture;
• wider range of displayable colors.

It can be noted that OLED technology has gained particular popularity in the industry of mobile gadgets. Due to the small size and high efficiency of OLEDs, smartphone and tablet manufacturers are able to bring devices to the market with displays that have excellent performance.

Comparison

The main difference between LED and OLED is that the first technology involves the use of classic light-emitting diodes - fairly large and bright - as backlight elements for the matrix of liquid crystal displays. OLED technology, in turn, is associated with the use of organic light emitting diodes (which have a small size and high energy efficiency) as independent elements of the screen matrix.

Thus, despite the consonance, LED and OLED technologies are very different. Although they use electronic components that operate on similar physical principles - traditional and organic light-emitting diodes, respectively.

Having determined what is the difference between LED and OLED, let's fix the conclusions in the table.

Table