LED vs. LCD TVs

Maybe you want to buy a new flatscreen TV, or a new monitor for your computer. In either case you will be confronted with an important choice: to go with LED or LCD. Although plasma is still an option in the world of TVs, the technology has been steadily losing market share for several years owing to the advantages of the LCD/LED type display. LCDs and LEDs typically have better longevity, better constrast, and use less energy than the standard plasma display. Thus, if plasma is no longer in the running for you, the choice between LED and LCD really comes down to price.

It is a common misconception that LCDs and LEDs offer completely different displays. The fact is, LEDs are LCDs; LED displays use liquid crystal technology just as LCDs do. The difference between the two displays is all in the lighting. The backlighting in LCDs are provided by cold cathode fluorscent lamps (CCFLs), essentially the technology you might use in your lamps at home. LEDs, however, use an array of LEDs, which stand for ligh-emitting diodes. LEDs are more efficient than CCLFs, using less electricity and producing less heat. This allows LED displays to run quieter, cooler, and longer. They also allow LED displays to be thinner than their LCD counterparts, which can substantially reduce the weight of LED devices and the amount of material used in their production.

In addition to being lighter and more energy efficient than LCDs, LEDs are generally brighter, provide higher-contrast, are more colorful, and have better resolutions than LCDs. The better contrast and additional colors are particularly noticeable when viewing photos, movies, or other media. With LEDs, the blacks appear more deeply and richly black, while the whites are more vivid and bightly white. Simply having darker blacks can have a dramatic impact on the picture, as it provides contrast for other colors and brighter portions of the scene or image. Support for higher resolutions may be particularly useful when playing graphic-intensive video games or watching blu-ray movies. This is any area where Plasma TVs might out-do many LCDs and some LEDs. Plasma TVs also typically have a wider viewing angle than LCD/LEDs, allowing you have a clear bright view at nearly any angle. For some, this advantage alone is enough to consider once again the plasma alternative. It is likely, however, that LED technology will continue to improve in all areas, undermining any advantage plasma may still have.

With the many advantages LEDs have over LCDs, it is no surprise that they often cost significantly more. For most models of the same size and brand, LEDs currently cost anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent more than comparable LCDs. The prcie of both technologies, however, are continuing to decline, making LEDs increasingly affordable on nearly any type of budget. While the new Samsung (nearly) "edgeless" LED TVs are selling for around $2,600 for a 55-inch, a similar LCD model released in early 2010, the Samsung LN55C650, currently can be snagged for as little as $1400. Down the price scale you will find smaller LEDs, such as the Sharp Aquos 40-inch 40LE810UN model with Quattron technology. These smaller LED displays are currently retailing for bout $800, which is a significant price drop from just a year earlier. As the price of the LEDs continue to fall, and given all their advantages over the older LCDs with CCFL backlighting, it is likely that both LCD and plasma's share in the market will continue to decline.