LED TV.. a Misnomer to be guarded Against. Review on Tips on Buying a Home Theatre

Hi friends, based on my earlier review aboutLCD Vs Plasma TVs and my Post yesterday (which was well received) I thought I will rather post this as a review for better visibility in view of Customer interest in the Festive season. I had been receiving some inquiries about comparison with the LED Televisions. While the comparison between LCD and Plasma is confusing enough, the TV companies (Samsung in India and recently LG) have been adding to this rather inadvertantly.

The baffled customer has been flabbergasted with the terms and (often attractive) imagery so that he can get used to the price band of Rs. 40, 000/- for a 42" HD ready Plasma to Rs. 1.4 Lac for 40" LED series - 7000 Samsung TV (Full HD).

A brief explanation of the Terms may not do us any harm : Plasma : Is a Technology where the whole screen is split into several thousand CRT (cathode Ray tube ) traditional tube TVs and picture is reproduced by lighting them up. WithPlasma technology, every individual pixel (3 Colors x cells or sub-pixels) contains all the elements necessary to make colours, which helps Plasma produce a wider colour palette with more natural tones. Each pixel is like a color TV.

LCD on the other hand ( is Liquid Cristal Display) where the light source (normally Fluorescent white light) is in the background and the LCD filters of RBG colors come into play in creating ( allowing or blocking) colors. An altogether different way of dealing with picture reproduction but not new to those who use LCD watches and Calculators even today (most are monochrome) and Modern LCD color screens on Mobiles and laptops.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) is really one of the oldest solid state indicator (minimal display) devices but have been really having a sea change. But there is a confusion among people who about LED TV concept. At macro level in the REAL LED TV panels of several Ft x several Ft ( What you see as Big displays and a few premium stations and Stadia. Tricolor or RBG LEDs are used to create colors (in real LED TVs) whereas in the LED TV Technology in compact Sub 50” regime, the LED’s role is limited to that of a an illuminator. It just replaces the Fluorescent illumination white LEDs as a backlight9instead of traditional florescent lamps) while the LCD still acts as the color filter and controls the picture quality.

Now that we know that the Home Seg LED and LCD Technologies are both based on LED/fluorescent as a means of just back lighting vis-à-vis our old age florescent illumination; we shall now treat any LED TV as an extension of LCD Tv though both sound misleadingly similar yet Different.

While Samsung adopted Edge lighting ie placing all back lighting LEDs along the frame, the better Technology is to distribute them along the entire screen (even better is to Use RBG LEDs to improve Color Reproduction ) and control them differently based on the Picture Displayed in that area. When ever a Dark scene is displayed the TV electronics shuts of the LEDs in that Dark area by Local Dimming, thus Large Contrast ratios are possible; While in LCD Florescent back Lit TVs the Back light is always ON and hence Leaks out through the LCD layer.

Thus any advantages can be said to be significant Only with Local Dimming or Distributed LED Backlighting LCD Panels ( Not Samsung LED which is Edge Lit) like in Sony LED Technology with Distributed lighting allowing Local Dimming. Recently Advertized LG Product correctly Termed as LED-LCD TV is having Local Dimming ; not Edge Lighting.

Conclusion :TV manufacturers can use an LED backlight instead of the standard Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (LCD-CCFL) used in most LCD televisions. It is important to distinguish this method of backlighting, a conventional LCD panel, from a true LED display, or an OLED display. Televisions described as 'LED TVs' are vastly different from the self-illuminating OLED, OEL or AMOLED display technologies.

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority has banned Samsung from running advertisments using the term "LED TV" unless accompanied by a description detailing that the LEDs are for backlighting. JAAGO GRAAHAK JAAGO..... ( I dont mean any offence to the Companies but a bit more transparency in Advertising would do every one Good). NOTE : I would remove my post shortly... It is a pity MS Doesnot allow you Two Reviews in the same category. This Perhaps needs review...