What is the difference between LCD and LED. What is the difference between LCD and LED technologies Led TV what is the difference

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

Facts about LED

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

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

LEDs are much more efficient than traditional lighting elements such as fluorescent lamps. Primarily in terms of size and brightness, as well as power consumption. The use of LEDs as backlight elements for liquid crystal displays allows for higher picture contrast.

It may be noted that LCD displays - television and computer displays that use traditional backlight technologies - are most often called LCD.

Facts about OLED

OLED- This is an organic light-emitting diode. Thus, OLED technology is the use 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 conversion of the flow of electrons into light is carried out in them through semiconductors made from organic materials. The main useful properties of OLED elements are their small size and energy efficiency. Therefore, LEDs of the appropriate type can be used as structural elements of a screen matrix that 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 organic LED.

OLED monitors have a number of 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 displayed colors.

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

Comparison

The main difference between LED and OLED is that the first technology involves the use of classic LEDs - quite large in size 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 (small in 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 the difference is between LED and OLED, we will record the conclusions in the table.

Table

LED	OLED
What do they have in common?
Both technologies are used in the production of computer displays, televisions
Both technologies are based on the use of LEDs (albeit of different types)
What is the difference between them?
LED technology uses traditional LEDs - large in size and bright	OLED technology uses organic light-emitting diodes, which are small in size and highly energy efficient.
Involves the use of LED elements as illumination of the liquid crystal matrix	Involves the use of OLED elements as independent matrix components, alternative to liquid crystals

When choosing a modern TV, most buyers do not fully understand how LED differs from OLED models, and what strengths and weaknesses each of these technologies has. It’s not difficult to get confused here, since both terms sound almost the same and are widely used by marketers, each promoting their own direction in the development of television technology.

What is LED andOLED

In fact, both words mean that televisions use special semiconductor devices - light-emitting diodes (LED - from English L ight- E mitting D iode), which begin to glow brightly when electric current flows through them. They can be thought of as miniature light bulbs that emit red, white, green or blue, depending on the chemical composition of the crystal or phosphor. Over time, a separate group of LEDs appeared using the same principles, but built on organic polymers. Therefore, an additional letter O was added to their name - organic (OLED). These devices are made in the form of polymer films, and therefore are extremely thin and flexible.

At first glance, there is little difference between the consonant concepts led and oled, and it lies only in the manufacturing technology and physical properties of the diodes. However, their areas of application in modern televisions differ radically. First of all, the designation LED TV does not mean at all that the image in it is created by point LEDs. They only illuminate a conventional liquid crystal matrix, replacing large, wasteful and short-lived fluorescent lamps. It would be more correct to say LCD TVs with LED backlighting, but the term, first voiced by Samsung, has caught on and is widely used in the market today.

True LED screens, built from arrays of multi-colored LEDs, due to their relatively large sizes, are used today only as information boards in stadiums, train stations, concert halls and presentations. But in OLED TVs, organic elements deposited on a flexible base actually make up a pixel matrix, which can be used to produce a color image. This technology makes it possible to make TV receivers with ultra-thin and even curved screens.

LED andOLED models: what are their strengths and weaknesses?

To make the right choice between LED and OLED TV, you need to consider and weigh all the strengths and weaknesses of each technology. As evaluation criteria, we will take the most important technical indicators of TV receivers.

Brightness . LED TVs are leading in this category. They can easily use the LED backlight of the screen at maximum brightness. But the service life of their organic analogues (especially blue ones) directly depends on the intensity of the pixel glow. Therefore, it is not recommended to set the screen brightness to the highest level on OLED TVs.
Contrast and depth of black. This is an unconditional victory for OLED technology. The most painful problem with LCD TVs is the inability to achieve natural black color on the screen. Even if the liquid crystal, which works like window blinds, is completely closed, some light will still leak through it. Because of this, dark areas of the image on the screen acquire a characteristic purple or gray tint.

OLED TVs do not require matrix backlighting, since their screens themselves consist of an array of light-emitting elements. Therefore, every pixel in a dark area of the image is simply not lit, guaranteeing true black color. Because of this feature, OLED screens also demonstrate higher contrast: the range between the darkest and lightest areas of the screen is much wider than their LCD counterparts.
Screen luminosity uniformity . The clear leader is OLED. The side type of matrix backlight, which is most often used in modern LCD TVs, has one negative effect - it does not allow uniform illumination of the entire surface of the screen. When the panel is completely darkened, illuminated areas are observed along its perimeter, which are especially noticeable in the evening. For OLED TVs this problem does not exist.
Color gamut. Today, some premium LED TV models offer images with a wider color gamut than their organic competitors. For example, leading manufacturing companies use multicolor LED backlighting based on Wide Color LED and Triluminos phosphors, as well as Quantum Dots technology for this purpose. So far, the winner in this category is LED TV.
Viewing Angles . OLED devices are the leaders here, the image on which does not fade or change color even at critical viewing angles. In modern LED TVs, these indicators depend on the technology of constructing the LCD matrix. For example, IPS screens show a decent picture when viewed at an angle of up to 178º, but the simplest TN panels become dark already at 90º.
Energy efficiency. It's hard to pick a winner in this category. The level of energy consumption of an OLED TV depends not only on the brightness setting, but also on the scene shown on the screen. For example, when showing night landscapes, the TV will consume much less energy than when showing the sunny shores of Miami Beach. In LED TVs, this parameter is more stable, since it depends only on the brightness of the screen backlight, which was initially set. Therefore, formally they can be considered more economical.
Service life . Today, LED technology is ahead in terms of durability, since white backlight LEDs can operate steadily for up to 70-100 thousand hours. Organic devices still have much shorter service life; for example, the fastest-wearing blue OLED phosphor lasts no more than 7 thousand hours. Red and green LEDs last longer, but this doesn't make much sense, since the overall color rendering of the pixel is seriously distorted.
Price . Of course, LED TVs are still much cheaper. Suffice it to say that a decent 50-inch LCD model with LED backlighting can be bought today for about $500, and top-end devices that can compete with OLED counterparts by using the most advanced technologies will cost a maximum of $8,000. Today, OLED TVs are rapidly becoming cheaper, but still their price is still approximately 5 times higher than the cost of LED devices (with the same diagonal).

As you can see, there are significant differences between LED and OLED technologies. LED TVs impress with their price, wide selection of diagonal solutions and long service life. OLED models offer fast response speeds, unlimited viewing angles and realistic color gamut, especially in dark details. In addition, they are thinner than LCD models and can have a curved screen shape. We should also not forget that OLED is a young, promising and actively developing technology for building televisions, while LCD models, even with LED backlighting, have practically exhausted all their possibilities for moving forward.

Liquid crystal television models today do not surprise anyone, and they can be found in almost every modern apartment. However, if you have just decided to exchange your old TV for a new one, then when choosing a model you may be faced with the fact that the word LED will be indicated in its name or characteristics. You've probably heard about these types of displays, but before you make your choice in favor of an LED or LCD model, you should understand how one technology differs from another.

Device of LCD and LED TVs

Liquid crystal monitors consist of two transparent panels with electrodes, between which crystals are located in liquid form. Such crystals are arranged in a certain order in order to be able to transmit a picture. LCD monitors also have filters that create a polarizing effect and color filters to create a color image. In addition, TVs created using this technology have a backlight lamp, which is located at the back of the screen. This lighting is called CCFL.

Ice TVs have exactly the same production technology, only instead of a conventional cold cathode lamp, LED lighting is used for backlighting. That is, a large number of small LEDs are located on the sides of the screen or along its entire perimeter at the back.

As a result, we come to the conclusion that the only difference between these TV models is the type of screen backlight.

What is better anyway?

To decide which TV is right for you, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics that each of these TV models has.

Color rendition much better on ice screens, as LEDs allow you to create brighter colors and a greater number of shades.
Black level and contrast also much better in LED backlit panels. This is due to the fact that the overall backlight of the TV will make the black pixels not dark enough, causing the contrast and black levels to be lower than those of an LCD TV.
Energy efficiency. LCD TVs do not consume much less electricity than models with LED backlighting, so deciding which one is better in this regard is difficult.
Price LED TVs are currently still higher than conventional LCD models with the same diagonal and interface.
Viewing angle. Previously, this was significant, since older LCD models had matrices that could not provide a sufficient viewing angle and when viewing the TV from a certain angle, it looked too dark, or simply distorted the colors. Modern models no longer have this problem, and you can safely buy them. However, the winner in this category can be called an LED TV, since even in the very first models the viewing angle was at least 160 degrees.
Fast response is currently the same in both technologies. However, if you decide to save money and buy an older model of LCD TV, you may encounter a slow response speed, which is why the picture may have a so-called “trail” when watching a fast-moving video, for example, “Formula 1”.
Interface In TVs of both one and the other, the technology is the same. Both have support for game consoles, connectors such as MHL, USB, HDMI, and so on.
Durability. LEDs last much longer than conventional lamps, which means your LED display will last longer.
Dimensions. Ice TVs are noticeably thinner than conventional LCD displays. This is due to the fact that the LEDs are located around the perimeter of the monitor, and not behind it, so they take up less space.

conclusions

Technologically, there is no difference between LCD and LED TV, but judging by the characteristics, LED technology is still better. Therefore, when choosing a TV model, you should proceed from your own requirements for this device and preferences.

So, if you are going to install the TV near the wall, then you can safely choose an LCD TV model, since you will only see it from the front, which means its thickness will not be significant.

If you want to enjoy a bright, contrasting image and like to watch TV in the evening with dim lights, then it is better to choose a model with LED backlighting, as it has better color rendering and black depth, judging by the characteristics.

Also, LED TVs will look better if you want to place the screen on the wall using a bracket. This way it will protrude much less, which will look better.

However, if ideal color rendition and the thickness of the TV are not particularly important to you, or you do not want to spend a lot of money, then you can choose one of the modern models of LCD displays. To the naked eye there will be virtually no difference.

Today, LED backlighting has, for many, turned out to be an additional feature that often complicates the choice of a particular device, since you need to think about the advantages of each individual option in order to make an informed decision.

Indeed, when buying a TV, you don’t want to end up making the mistake of buying something that is actually yesterday’s technology that makes no sense to use in today’s realities. Fortunately, there are actually no serious difficulties in this issue, and its importance is quite exaggerated.

Advantages and disadvantages of LED as such

Each version of LED technology has its own advantages, namely:

Higher degree of efficiency.
The ability to create televisions with fairly thin screens.
Complete absence of mercury content in LEDs.

These advantages are considered in relation to other backlight technologies that were previously used in other types of TVs.

It is worth noting several disadvantages that are typical for all types of LED backlighting:

Initially, this type of backlight does not improve the viewing angles of the LCD.
Thinner models with edge lighting may suffer from uneven screen illumination.
LED backlighting can ultimately cause unwanted local dimming of the image on the screen.

Of course, such shortcomings in the vast majority of cases are eliminated in various models of monitors and televisions, as the technology is continuously improved. At the same time, you need to correctly understand that not only the backlight affects the quality of the picture on the TV.

The high image quality that modern TVs allow you to watch was largely due to the fact that developers began to use LED backlight technology. At one time, the advent of LED TVs was able to produce a real revolution in the market, because the new backlight provided a significant improvement in color rendering quality, and also significantly increased the brightness of the image. However, many people have a well-founded question about what is better to choose - Edge LED or Direct LED. After all, each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, which must be taken into account in the selection process.

What are their main differences?

Today, all existing major TV manufacturers use only two types of backlights - Edge LED or Direct LED.

They differ from each other in the number, as well as in the geometric arrangement of LEDs. Depending on how the latter are located, the characteristics of the matrix may change, and each type of backlight has its own characteristics and advantages. It is for this reason that when choosing a TV, in each individual case you need to weigh all these points and think about what is better to choose - Edge LED or Direct LED. Next we will look at the features of each option.

Edge

The use of this backlight involves the distribution of LEDs on the sides of the screen. In this regard, this technology is often called side lighting.

Advantages of Edge

This technology has several advantages:

An extremely thin matrix, and in connection with this, the TV itself.
Relatively high brightness.
Acceptable contrast level.

The main advantage of using this technology is that the TV can ultimately become ultra-thin, which is often a deciding factor in favor of choosing such devices. Today, there is a clear trend towards the fact that when choosing between Edge LED or Direct LED, people often give preference to the first option for the reason that modern manufacturers produce ultra-thin screens with this technology.

It is also worth noting the fact that the lateral distribution of LEDs provides a high degree of energy efficiency.

Disadvantages of Edge

The technology also has certain disadvantages:

Glare at the edges of the screen.
Problems with backlight uniformity on certain models.

If you choose Edge LED, then you should immediately be prepared for the fact that the cost of such a TV will be slightly higher, since they use a specialized reflective surface, which is necessary for an extremely even distribution of the backlight, as well as eliminating any noticeable differences in brightness. If we talk about what the disadvantages of this technology are, it is also worth highlighting the presence of certain highlights at the edges of the screen, and when playing, for example, a bright snowy landscape near the edges of the screen, the snow will be much brighter compared to the image in the center.

In dark scenes, you can also quite often pay attention to the effect of a kind of flare, and, in particular, this is due to the fact that the LEDs are located around the perimeter of the screen, and the brightness in this area is quite logical. It is worth noting the fact that different TVs exhibit light in different ways, so there is always the possibility that you will be able to find a device that has the minimum possible picture differences. If the TV has such a function as local dimming, then in this case you can completely forget about what glare is, and that they can spoil the mood from watching certain moments.

Direct

The Direct LED backlight type provides for the distribution of LEDs over the entire area behind the matrix.

In this case, local dimming technology can be used extremely effectively and quite conveniently, when the processor sets the brightness level of certain groups of LEDs, thereby increasing the contrast level, while ensuring extremely uniform illumination.

Advantages of Direct

Considering the advantages of Direct LED technology, it is worth highlighting the following:

Uniform illumination.
Quite a high contrast level.
No glare at the edges.
Acceptable brightness level.

Disadvantages of Direct

Also, LED Direct backlight has some disadvantages compared to its analogue:

Higher power consumption.
Not such a thin matrix thickness.
Relatively large Input Lag.

What to choose?

As mentioned above, there is no precise definition of which specific option is more relevant in a given situation. In this case, you can pay attention to many factors, choosing between which option is more optimal - Direct LED or Edge LED: where the picture quality is better, where more energy is consumed, in the end, which TV has a more attractive design in itself.

Thus, if the thickness of the device does not matter to you, and you have no intention of using it as a monitor for various computer games, then Direct backlight technology is quite suitable, but if you are a fan of extremely thin devices, then in this case Edge is the optimal choice. It is better to independently compare the performance of each backlight in the store so that you can decide for yourself which particular option is more acceptable. According to users of such TVs, in the end, the choice of backlight is largely a matter of personal taste.

In order to answer the question of how LCD differs from LED, it is necessary to say a few words about the technology of LCD displays itself. LCD, as you may have guessed, is short for Liquid Crystal Display. Thus, it becomes clear that LCD and the more well-known popular name LCD are one and the same. To understand the difference between LED and LCD, it is worth taking a closer look at LCD display technology.

1. Differences between LCD and LED

As mentioned above, LCD is a technology for manufacturing liquid crystal screens. The essence of the technology is the use of liquid crystal molecules, which are located between the layers of the matrix. These molecules are able to change their location depending on the strength of the electric field, thereby refracting light at different angles. In other words, liquid crystals are a kind of light filter that, depending on the voltage, blocks or transmits one of the primary colors.

The first LCD TVs used fluorescent lamps as a light source. However, this solution did not allow the production of large screens with good image quality, since it was impossible to achieve uniform light distribution. It is because of this that a new lighting system was developed - LED.

LED is a technology for illuminating crystal molecules. It is economical and efficient. The LEDs in the LED backlight provide brighter and more uniform light.

In addition, due to the compactness of such a system, several options for implementing LED backlighting have become possible:

Side lighting;
Illumination around the entire perimeter (top and bottom, as well as on the sides);
Backlight.

Thus, it becomes clear that there are no differences between LCD and LED, since LED is a backlight method in an LCD screen. It is not correct to say that there is any difference between LCD and LED, since these are two components of the same technology.

Due to incorrect marketing advertising, many people believe that there is a difference between LED and LCD TVs. But as mentioned above, there is no difference. Considering all of the above, there is no difference between LCD and LED. The difference may be in the way lighting is implemented in LED displays. Today there are two options:

LED – LED backlight;
Fluorescent lighting.

The second method is already considered obsolete, although fluorescent-illuminated TVs can still be found in stores. Their advantage is low cost.

2. LED backlight

LED lighting was developed and introduced relatively recently. Its main advantage is bright and even lighting, as well as economical energy consumption. Thanks to LED technology for illuminating crystal molecules in LCD displays, it has become possible to achieve uniform illumination of even large screens. Thanks to various design solutions for implementing LED backlighting, manufacturers have the opportunity to produce large LCD TVs that are of high quality, not inferior to small displays.

Nowadays, thanks to LED technology, LCD TVs are not inferior in quality to their direct competitors - plasma panels. In some parameters, LCD TVs are even superior to plasmas. For example, an LCD display has a longer lifespan, that is, it is more durable.

Another advantage of LED backlighting is its high flicker frequency. Few people know that the frequency of 100 Hz, which we cannot see, affects the organs of vision, and even the human psyche. This is primarily expressed in a feeling of eye fatigue, as well as general fatigue when watching TV for a long time. The LEDs in the LED backlight have a flickering frequency of 480 Hz, which is absolutely harmless and has no negative impact on humans. In addition, this frequency improves image quality.

Modern LCD TVs with LED backlighting, due to their obvious and undeniable advantages, are in greatest demand among buyers all over the world. They are more economical and durable.