LED vs LCD – The Differences

Advancement in picture quality from LED-LCD TVs and LCD TVs. Picture from Sharp Video.

If you’re in the market for a new television, chances are that you’re debating the LED vs LCD debacle. As the popularity of both LED-LCD and LCD televisions continue to soar, we take a look at some of the differences between the two, and who wins the “LED vs LCD” battle. But let me just say right now that both types of TVs are very nice. One technology is just more advanced and will continue to be improved upon. Not only that, one of the technologies is the basis in which major electronic companies are making new innovations  around, such as smart tv, internet capabilities, 3d, etc.

LED vs LCD – A LED TV is in fact a LCD TV

First off, this has to be made VERY clear, in the epic LED vs LCD battle to determine a clear winner, it is important to make known the number one misconception between the two before diving head-first into the LED vs LCD battlefield. LED TVs are actually a part of the big LCD TV technological family. Both LED and LCD TVs have liquid crystal displays. Display meaning: where you actually see the picture. Both are liquid crystal flat panel displays (LCD).

The big part that actually separates the two, is the backlighting they use to light up the display and deliver color so that you can actually view what comes from your TV display. So if you walk away from this article right now, understand one thing concerning LCD vs LED. There is no such thing as a LED only tv. It simply does not exist. There is only 3 main families of TVs right now…Plasma, CRT,  and LCD. So you have LCD only TVs, and you have LED-LCD TVs.

LED vs LCD Backlighting

Showing the difference in backlight layout in LED-LCD and LCD. Thanks to Sharp Video for the picture.

An LCD Display has tiny sensors built into it. These sensors detect the 1 and 0′s of data being sent to it and adjusts it’s crystal display pixel by pixel to use the light effectively that’s being directed from the backlighting to display what it reads. Picture a pair of flip sunglass. The kind where you can flip up the shades or flip them down to block the light. In a way that’s what these sensors do, except they have multiples upon multiples of different shades of flips. Once the data is sent to them the sensors immediately flip the right flip colors down, and it uses the light being shown from the backlighting to bring it to the front where you can see it. BUT when it comes to LED vs LCD it’s the way the light is delivered from the background.

A main difference in LCD vs LED is a LCD only TVs use what is called a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) for the background light. Look at the lights in your office ceiling. Those are fluorescent lamps. Then a special piece of plastic is used right before the sensors to evenly distribute the light. In a LED-LCD Tv they use LED’s for the backlighting. LED stands for light emitting diode. Much like Christmas tree lights, only smaller. And in the LED vs LCD debate that’s a major difference on how your picture will look. The LEDs are placed in rows and do not use a plastic shield to distribute the light. Instead, the newer models are actually placing sensors in the LED (as well as the crystal display) to control the exact picture being sent through. Doing it this way they can use those 1′s and 0′s to make the color that’s being called for. The end result is a much more exact color, much deeper blacks, and more true to live picture quality.

Local Dimming on LED Tvs

Local dimming picture brought to you by Sharp.

You can’t discount newer innovations when speaking of LED vs LCD, and one for LED TVs is called Local Dimming. LED TVs that feature local dimming are able to detect extreme dark areas of the picture. By acting in this manner, LED TVs are able to display a picture that has much better details in darker scenes. By turning off and on certain pixels. Thus, the upper hand with respect to contrast ratio and black levels goes to LED TVs at this point in time.

However, do keep in mind that not all LED TVs are superior to LCD TVs in this category. Thinking about LED vs LCD there’s another kind of LED-LCD TV and it’s called Edge Lit LED. It’s when you have the LEDs around the frame of the picture as opposed to have an entire panel of LEDs. There are two reasons for this. One, is it allows for you to have a much thinner TV. Two, the LEDs surrounding the TV are supposed to direct light to the center of the TV. Right now, Edge Lit LED TV technology is still more or less in it’s infancy and is constantly being improved upon. In a lot of cases, people use edge lit TVs in the LED vs LCD debate to say LCD Only is better. It’s really a judgement call based on your own eyes.

LED vs LCD – Area Light Detect Local Dimming

Local Dimming has come a long way, and in the battle between LED vs LCD, this feature will continue to be improved upon dramatically. Such as the inclusion of area light detecting local dimming. Like you saw in the video above, these LED-LCD TVs can detect the light around your TV, and dim, turn off certain pixels to allow you to actually see the picture perfectly. We’ve all experienced it. You’re trying to watch TV and the light coming from your window is making it so you can’t see the picture. This corrects that. Even at night. The sensors see it’s dark. It will make it so you see it perfectly without lighting up the entire room. It’s actually quite nice. That’s another major difference between LCD and LED. LCD only TVs do not have this.

A side note on LED vs LCD. Local Dimming in older technology has been known to cause a blooming effect. Sort of a haze, if you will. It will deliver incredible blacks and darks, but one of the drawbacks is that the whites seem to seep into the darks a bit and cause a sort of halo effect. This however is not the case in all TVs. Considering LED vs LCD stay with the newest models. Major TV Manufactures are working hard to perfect this technology and some have solved it. Such as the Sharp’s LED-LCD Aquos Series (Pictured above in video).

Model of Television

Let’s face it. It you want to talk about LED vs LCD you also need to bring in who actually manufactured the TV. As all LCD or LED-LCD TVs are not created equal. There is a reason, Sony, Sharp, Samsung, LG are the leaders. Take your favorite brand name cereal. If you look just a little down the isle you will see another cereal just like it, however it was created by the store. Which one tastes better? The top manufactures have made their entire business out of the perfecting every last minute calculated detail. I have NEVER see a store made TV better than the top manufactures TV. Sure the store made one costs less, but you get what you pay for. It’s better to pay the little extra for the perfect details. You’ll be so much happier in the end.

LED vs LCD – TV Angles

LED vs LCD brings another common debate, and that’s Viewing Angles. It’s a common misconception that LED-LCD TVs don’t offer better angle viewing over LCD CCFL. I’m not sure how this started, however it is not the case. This one is somewhat tricky to explain. When you view a LCD CCFL lighted TV the picture is pretty good, but not great. So if you move from left to right, up or down you won’t notice it as much when the picture takes a degraded view due to the fact that the picture wasn’t great to begin with. So in your head it looks wonderful. However when you look at the new LED backlighted LCD TVs the picture is actually incredible (in most cases). So when you move from left to right, up or down you will definitely notice the difference since the quality of the picture was so great to begin with. So in your mind you think it’s worse. In reality both LCD TV Models have the same issue. They are best when viewed when you are right in front of it, but will differ when you move from side to side. This is not so much a LED vs LCD issue, so definitely test this out when you go shopping for new HDTV.

LED vs LCD in Computer Monitors

Computer monitors have come a long way are no stranger to the LED vs LCD questions as well. There are many out there that still utilize the LCD CCFL technology. The newer models of computer monitors are starting to ship with LED-LCD technology. You will definitely see the difference when it comes to the thickness of the monitor. But just as in LCD and LED-LCD TVs the same situations will arise. The difference in the picture can be startling. Right now I’m working on an Apple Powerbook with LED backlighting, the colors are vivid, bright, very distinguishable. But my wife is using an older desktop LCD only monitor and looking at her screen simply causes frustration.

However this is not always the case. Monitors differ by Manufacturer. I’ve seen some LED Monitors that are extremely bright, but the images are not as clear. I’ve seen LCD Only monitors that are quite honestly fantastic to look at. This is where monitors and TVs differ and it’s not just about LED vs LCD. The computer has A LOT to do with picture quality in itself. Just like the top HDTV manufactures look at every minute detail in the TV to make the picture quality incredible, so do some top end computer manufacturers. The monitor is just half the battle. The technology within the computer itself is the other half.

HDTV Plasma or LCD Wall Mounts

Here’s another aspect of LED vs LCD TVs. It’s your ability to fit your HDTV within your home decor. Quite simply I’m talking about HDTV Plasma and LCD Wall Mounts. For all common purposes there is a wall mount for every single TV out there. LED vs LCD really has nothing to do with it, except to say that if you want a much thinner TV to hang or mount you’re best to stay with LED-LCD, as CCFL TV are usually more wide and heavy.

Response Time and Refresh Rates of LED and Lcd Tv’s

When it comes to the LED vs LCD discussion refresh rates get thrown out there quite often. How important is the refresh rate? VERY Important. In order for a TV to display a different image it has to be able to refresh the pixels and redraw (using pixels) another image. If a HDTV or any TV for that matter can not refresh what you’re left with, is a still picture. So not only does your TV have to refresh each pixel, it has to do it so fast that your eyes can not tell the difference. That’s what people mean when they talk about Refresh Rate…How quickly the TV can display the next correct image.

LED vs LCD – Refresh Rate Standards and Advances

Your standard LED-LCD or LCD only TVs have a refresh rate of 60Hz. Meaning it will show a picture 60 times per second before it refreshes and brings in a new pixel image. 60Hz is actually not bad in 37 inch LED or LCD TV models and below. There’s simply not enough real estate (display) to go any higher. Speaking LED vs LCD, when you get into the 40 inches and higher models you’re going to want that extra push. In fact this was a problem for manufacturers for a while until they simply figured out that they need to increase the Hz. And it made a world of difference. You will notice most newer models have a 120Hz refresh rate in anything over 37 inches now. Advice – Stay with 120 Hz or higher with anything over 37 inches.

Higher Hz have been achieved lately to the tune of 240Hz – 600Hz. Although, Most people can not tell the difference between 120 and 240 Hz, so your own eyes will have to be the judge on whether or not it’s worth the extra money. 3D TVs, on the other hand, the larger the refresh rate the better your picture will look. If you can imagine what it takes to run a LED-LCD TV, try to imagine everything that a 3D HDTV has to accomplish and it will make sense to get those Hz up as high as you can.

LCD vs LED Televisions – Does Size Matter?

If there’s one thing about when talking about LCD vs LED Televisions that’s makes no difference, it’s the size of the TV itself. Get the TV that fits the room you want to put it in. However size makes a difference when deciding on 720p or 1080p. I’ll explain in the next paragraph.

LCD vs LED – 720p vs 1080i vs 1080p

You can’t talk LED vs LCD without talking about resolutions. First lets start with what I and P stand for. The “I” in 1080i stands for Interlaced (Alternate). The “P” stand for Progressive (Together). When someone says a TV is 1080i or 1080p they are saying that the TV displays 1920 pixels across your screen, and 1080 pixels down your screen. When someone says that a HDTV is 1080i, they are saying that the HDTV is displaying half the pixels across and down at the same time, and the other half of pixels across and down right after. An interlaced resolution alternates the pixels starting with the odd fields and then the even. It alternates each pixel so fast that both alternating pixels look like one seamless picture. But there’s a drawback. Sometimes the picture looks a little jagged, or edgy, something just seem off.

1080p displays all 1920 x 1080 pixels across and down at the same time. No alternating. This gives the viewer a very clear and seamless viewing experience, and that is why the “P” or Progressive resolutions are considered the best, they are the best, and are the standard in high end HDTVs of today. But what about 720p? 720p works the same way as 1080p, but instead it shows 1280 pixels across and 720 pixels down. And looks amazing. LED vs LCD, doesn’t matter in the case of resolutions. A resolution is a resolution.

Here’s where you can save a lot of money. 1080p HDTVs cost more than 720p HDTVs. 1080P has proven to be the best in clarity and resolution in models 39 inches and above. Makes sense. Bigger TV…More pixels will make the image that much better. But in 37 inch models and below there’s no need to go 1080p. You will not be able to tell the difference! LED vs LCD – Doesn’t Matter. The screen size simply does not demand that many pixels, and neither do your eyes. So when shopping for a TV, don’t just think LED vs LCD, also think about the resolution and if you need to spend the extra money for a higher resolution. The answer is if you’re buying a 37inch model or below stay with 720p. If you are going higher than 37inches go with 1080p. Avoid 1080i. In fact all the newer high definition televisions are not even making 1080i TVs anymore.

Something very interesting and everybody should know this. Cable TV stations and Local Channels, even HD channels do NOT broadcast in 1080p. And there are no plans to do this. The HD channels, local, cable, and satellite networks can only broadcast up to 720p. What this means, is the picture quality you will receive will be at the max 720p even if you have a 1080p HDTV. That’s something to consider. So why buy 1080p? The networks only broadcast at 720p at the most, however your peripherals can go much higher. Blu-ray players, DVD HD, PS3s, Xboxes all take advantage of the 1080p technology and make the 1080p purchase worth it.

LED vs LCD – The Cost

When asking about LED vs LCD there is a difference in cost. However just three years ago LED TVs were much more expensive than pure LCD TVs. But that’s just technology for you. If it’s new, it’s expensive. But times have changed quickly and years have passed and the price difference is not much more than a 150-300 dollars here and there. Reason being is pure LCD TVs are being phased out by the LCD LED backlit TVs. It’s becoming much better for businesses to only sell the top products that can keep up to date with all the new add on technologies for TVs. Such as Apple TV, etc… However the extra cost of LED-LCD TVs is completely offset when you read about the power consumption.

LED vs LCD – Power Consumption

LED vs LCD power consumption difference and cost. Thanks to Sharp Video.

Asking about LED vs LCD and the cost? The picture to the right says it all. Old LCD backlighting uses A LOT of power. In most cases almost double. Imagine that. Your neighbor just bought a brand new LED-LCD TV and you have the older model LCD and it’s costing you twice as much or more to watch the exact same thing your neighbor is watching. The last item to consider when comparing LED vs LCD is that of power consumption! If your energy bill is a concern to you, or you are simply looking to conserve for the sake of the environment, then this element may just be the most important. Over time. in a matter of months, you will save on your energy bill what you paid extra to get the LED-LCD model.

LED Vs LCD – Who Wins

Ultimately, moving forward with the newer technologies the winner in the LED vs LCD debate is LED-LCD HDTVs. LED based LCD TVs have a better picture. They do better with deeper blacks and whiter whites. They are “future ready”, and most of the innovations such as 3D viewing and Apple TV, even gaming consoles will be aimed at the LED-LCD TV. And of course there’s the power consumption. If saving money is as important to you as it is me, then that alone will sell you on it. Be mindful of the manufacturer. Know that the leading Manufacturers spend quite a lot of money into research to give you the best tech there is. Such as Samsung and Sony.

The important thing to remember, is “What do your eyes see?” Some can’t stand the 240Hz TVs. They are supposed to be better, but does it look better to you? If you are buying online, look at the all options that TV brings you. Especially the Smart TVs. Try and think about the future. What amazing products will be out that you can use on your TV. When I think of all these issues, I find myself easily leaning towards LED-LCD TVs in the LED vs LCD debate. Happy Viewing.