If you’ve purchased an HDTV in recent years, you likely had the option of buying a plasma or LCD TV. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but recently LCD TV’s were taking most of the market share. So of course tv makers had to come out with something new to keep people buying new tv’s.
LED TV’s are part new technology, part marketing gimmick. LED TV’s are actually the same as LCD TV’s, just with a different lighting source. LCD’s use flourescent lighting while LED’s use – you guessed it – LED lighting. They are called LED TV’s because LED’s are a popular term right now, associated with energy conservation and green technology.
LED TV’s are more than just a clever marketing gimmick to make something sound like new technology when in fact it isn’t. The LED lights do create a better picture than normal LCD screens. With LCD screens the lighting is always on behind the screen, even when the screen is meant to be black. Some of this light bleeds through, making the black appear slightly gray instead. LED TV’s have the ability to turn off the light behind black scenes, making the black, well, black.
In the near future LED’s will completely replace LCD TV’s, particularly in 3D TV models. Of the 3D models out to start, probably 50% are LED, 40% plasma, and 10% LCD. 3D LED TV’s cost more than their LCD counterparts because they are new and offer better image quality. In time they will drop and prices will be comparable to what LCD TV’s were once selling at. Then tv makers will undoubtedly release new technology… But until then 3D LED’s will be here for a while.
