lcd screen vs led screen free sample

Shopping for a new TV is like wading through a never-ending pool of tech jargon, display terminology, and head-spinning acronyms. It was one thing when 4K resolution landed in the homes of consumers, with TV brands touting the new UHD viewing spec as a major marketing grab. But over the last several years, the plot has only continued to thicken when it comes to three- and four-letter acronyms with the introduction of state-of-the-art lighting and screen technology. But between OLEDs, QLEDs, mini-LEDs, and now QD-OLEDs, there’s one battle of words that rests at the core of TV vocabulary: LED versus LCD.

Despite having a different acronym, LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV, which uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. When an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align, so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of it as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.

Since both LED and LCD TVs are based around LCD technology, the question remains: what is the difference? Actually, it’s about what the difference was. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide lighting, whereas LED LCD TVs used an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen.

Since the technology is better, all LCD TVs now use LED lights and are colloquially considered LED TVs. For those interested, we’ll go deeper into backlighting below, or you can move onto the Local Dimming section.

Three basic illumination forms have been used in LCD TVs: CCFL backlighting, full-array LED backlighting, and LED edge lighting. Each of these illumination technologies is different from one another in important ways. Let’s dig into each.

CCFL backlighting is an older, now-abandoned form of display technology in which a series of cold cathode lamps sit across the inside of the TV behind the LCD. The lights illuminate the crystals fairly evenly, which means all regions of the picture will have similar brightness levels. This affects some aspects of picture quality, which we discuss in more detail below. Since CCFLs are larger than LED arrays, CCFL-based LCD TVs are thicker than LED-backlit LCD TVs.

Full-array backlighting swaps the outdated CCFLs for an array of LEDs spanning the back of the screen, comprising zones of LEDs that can be lit or dimmed in a process called local dimming. TVs using full-array LED backlighting to make up a healthy chunk of the high-end LED TV market, and with good reason — with more precise and even illumination, they can create better picture quality than CCFL LCD TVs were ever able to achieve, with better energy efficiency to boot.

Another form of LCD screen illumination is LED edge lighting. As the name implies, edge-lit TVs have LEDs along the edges of a screen. There are a few different configurations, including LEDs along just the bottom, LEDs on the top and bottom, LEDs left and right, and LEDs along all four edges. These different configurations result in picture quality differences, but the overall brightness capabilities still exceed what CCFL LCD TVs could achieve. While there are some drawbacks to edge lighting compared to full-array or direct backlight displays, the upshot is edge lighting that allows manufacturers to make thinner TVs that cost less to manufacture.

To better close the local-dimming quality gap between edge-lit TVs and full-array back-lit TVs, manufacturers like Sony and Samsung developed their own advanced edge lighting forms. Sony’s technology is known as “Slim Backlight Master Drive,” while Samsung has “Infinite Array” employed in its line of QLED TVs. These keep the slim form factor achievable through edge-lit design and local dimming quality more on par with full-array backlighting.

Local dimming is a feature of LED LCD TVs wherein the LED light source behind the LCD is dimmed and illuminated to match what the picture demands. LCDs can’t completely prevent light from passing through, even during dark scenes, so dimming the light source itself aids in creating deeper blacks and more impressive contrast in the picture. This is accomplished by selectively dimming the LEDs when that particular part of the picture — or region — is intended to be dark.

Local dimming helps LED/LCD TVs more closely match the quality of modern OLED displays, which feature better contrast levels by their nature — something CCFL LCD TVs couldn’t do. The quality of local dimming varies depending on which type of backlighting your LCD uses, how many individual zones of backlighting are employed, and the quality of the processing. Here’s an overview of how effective local dimming is on each type of LCD TV.

TVs with full-array backlighting have the most accurate local dimming and therefore tend to offer the best contrast. Since an array of LEDs spans the entire back of the LCD screen, regions can generally be dimmed with more finesse than on edge-lit TVs, and brightness tends to be uniform across the entire screen. Hisense’s impressive U7G TVs are great examples of relatively affordable models that use multiple-zone, full-array backlighting with local dimming.

“Direct local dimming” is essentially the same thing as full-array dimming, just with fewer LEDs spread further apart in the array. However, it’s worth noting that many manufacturers do not differentiate “direct local dimming” from full-array dimming as two separate forms of local dimming. We still feel it’s important to note the difference, as fewer, further-spaced LEDs will not have the same accuracy and consistency as full-array displays.

Because edge lighting employs LEDs positioned on the edge or edges of the screen to project light across the back of the LCD screen, as opposed to coming from directly behind it, it can result in very subtle blocks or bands of lighter pixels within or around areas that should be dark. The local dimming of edge-lit TVs can sometimes result in some murkiness in dark areas compared with full-array LED TVs. It should also be noted that not all LED edge-lit TVs offer local dimming, which is why it is not uncommon to see glowing strips of light at the edges of a TV and less brightness toward the center of the screen.

Since CCFL backlit TVs do not use LEDs, models with this lighting style do not have dimming abilities. Instead, the LCD panel of CCFL LCDs is constantly and evenly illuminated, making a noticeable difference in picture quality compared to LED LCDs. This is especially noticeable in scenes with high contrast, as the dark portions of the picture may appear too bright or washed out. When watching in a well-lit room, it’s easier to ignore or miss the difference, but in a dark room, it will be, well, glaring.

As if it wasn’t already confusing enough, once you begin exploring the world of modern display technology, new acronyms crop up. The two you’ll most commonly find are OLED and QLED.

An OLED display uses a panel of pixel-sized organic compounds that respond to electricity. Since each tiny pixel (millions of which are present in modern displays) can be turned on or off individually, OLED displays are called “emissive” displays (meaning they require no backlight). They offer incredibly deep contrast ratios and better per-pixel accuracy than any other display type on the market.

Because they don’t require a separate light source, OLED displays are also amazingly thin — often just a few millimeters. OLED panels are often found on high-end TVs in place of LED/LCD technology, but that doesn’t mean that LED/LCDs aren’t without their own premium technology.

QLED is a premium tier of LED/LCD TVs from Samsung. Unlike OLED displays, QLED is not a so-called emissive display technology (lights still illuminate QLED pixels from behind). However, QLED TVs feature an updated illumination technology over regular LED LCDs in the form of Quantum Dot material (hence the “Q” in QLED), which raises overall efficiency and brightness. This translates to better, brighter grayscale and color and enhances HDR (High Dynamic Range) abilities.

And now to make things extra confusing, part of Samsung’s 2022 TV lineup is being billed as traditional OLEDs, although a deeper dive will reveal this is actually the company’s first foray into a new panel technology altogether called QD-OLED.

For a further description of QLED and its features, read our list of the best TVs you can buy. The article further compares the qualities of both QLED and OLED TV; however, we also recommend checking outfor a side-by-side look at these two top-notch technologies.

There are more even displays to become familiar with, too, including microLED and Mini-LED, which are lining up to be the latest head-to-head TV technologies. Consider checking out how the two features compare to current tech leaders in

In the world of TV technology, there’s never a dull moment. However, with this detailed research, we hope you feel empowered to make an informed shopping decision and keep your Best Buy salesperson on his or her toes.

Sometimes the distance between good and great seems like hardly any distance at all — such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) versus light-emitting diode (LED) displays. Both are suitable for retail window signage, campus wayfinding or large video walls. But LCD and LED have significant differences, and their specific benefits are worth understanding so you can choose the best displays for your business needs.

LCD is the broader category; LED is a subset. In other words, all LED displays are LCDs, but not all LCDs are LED. LCDs are made up of hundreds of thousands — even millions — of individual pixels built from liquid crystals. Each pixel is capable of displaying a color when it receives an electrical charge. Like a mosaic, the displayed image is built from tiny elements that combine to form the overall picture.

But the liquid crystals don’t produce any light of their own, so in order for the image to be illuminated, the liquid crystals need to be backlit. LCDs are illuminated by cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), evenly positioned behind the pixels so that, at least in theory, every part of the screen is evenly lit and at consistent brightness.

Up to a point, LED displays are much the same. An LED screen also uses liquid crystals to generate color — or pure black (no color), by not charging a specific pixel. So LED displays have the same need for backlighting. But rather than CCFL, tiny individual lights (light-emitting diodes) illuminate the liquid crystals.

The individual LEDs can be arranged one of two ways: full-array or edge-lit. For edge lighting, the LEDs are arranged around the edges of the back of the screen. Full-array, on the other hand, calls for many LEDs to be lined up evenly across the back of the screen, where they can be arranged into zones (usually called “dimming zones” or “local dimming”).

Is LED just plain better than LCD? Well, for a while, LCD screens represented the cutting edge of digital signage. But now, about the only meaningful advantage of LCD over LED is price point. As LCD is becoming outdated, it tends to be less of an upfront investment. In every other respect, though, LED displays have the advantage.

No matter the arrangement of the backlighting, LED has a greater nit value than LCD, which means it’s brighter (“nit” comes from the Latin “nitere,” meaning “to shine”). The average nit value for LCDs is between 500 and 700 nits, while LEDs are typically between 1,200 and 2,400 nits. With greater brightness comes greater contrast, and all-day visibility on outdoor displays.

Despite the energy output, higher brightness doesn’t necessarily mean a shorter lifespan. In fact, LED displays have an average lifespan of 10 years — double the average five-year lifespan of LCDs. Factoring longevity into the cost of your signage, LED’s longer lifespan can make it cheaper than LCD in the long run.

Even with edge lighting, LED produces more vividly lifelike images than CCFL-backlit LCDs — and with sleeker hardware, thanks to their minimalist design. And while LCD bezels have drastically reduced over time, they’re still greater than zero. LED has no bezels at all.

Full-array backlighting requires a little more depth to the screen, but with discrete dimming zones, LEDs can be illuminated far more precisely — which, in turn, means more accurate and engaging visuals.

LED isn’t the first technology to realize miniaturization is the way forward. Even as screens get bigger, the next big step is made of smaller parts: microLEDs.

Up to 40 times smaller than regular LEDs, microLEDs allow backlighting to be even more precisely targeted, with many times more diodes. This, in turn, delivers a more accurate picture, with greater contrast and highly focused areas of brightness. Samsung’s The Wall is a spectacular example of what microLED is capable of.

Whether you need your digital signage to entertain, inform or simply impress, understanding the differences between LCD and LED will allow you to make a better-informed decision.

With best-in-class picture quality and exceptional durability,Samsung LED displayscan help your business deliver content that engages, informs and entertains.Samsung’s trade-in program makes it easy for businesses to upgrade their video wall with LED technology. Once you’ve chosen your displays, learn how you can configure and tailor their real-time messaging using an integrated CMSin this free guide.

One of these choices is deciding between an LCD display or an LED video wall. Continue reading to find out more about the basics, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.

Most people are familiar with LCD technology, which stands for Liquid Crystal Display. These types of displays have a massive presence in this world, used in living rooms to watch movies, fast-food restaurants to showcase menus, airports to show flight schedules, and everything in between. LCD technology was developed in the 1960s and has been used worldwide as a standard for roughly 20 years. It is a tried-and-true technology that has stood the test of time and will be around for the foreseeable future.

On an LCD screen, the panel is illuminated by a light source and works through reflection or transmission of light. Overall, LCD displays have better viewing angles and less glare than LED screens. This technology was designed to be energy efficient and tends to be lighter in weight.

An LCD video wall is made up of multiple LCD panel monitors mounted on a surface to create a digital canvas, which then work together to create a unified experience. They operate 24/7 at a high brightness and have thin bezels that help create a seamless look when the displays are placed next to one another.

Bezel thickness and the brightness rating are among key attributes to consider for an LCD video wall display. Here is what each of these means and why.

Nits:Brightness is measured in Nits. A higher Nit value means the display will be brighter. A brighter display is necessary in a room that sees plenty of direct sunlight, or if the intent is to draw in visitors from far away. With LCD video walls, the price of the hardware goes up as the display size and brightness increase, and the bezel width decreases.

The next item to consider is the type of content that will be displayed on your video wall. LCD displays have high resolution screens — modern 4K displays have over 8 million pixels! This means that the content being displayed is highly detailed and crystal-clear. A viewer could stand less than 1 foot away from the screen and be able to see exactly what is being shown on the screen.

Like previously mentioned with LCD video walls, an important consideration in the decision-making process is the type of content that will be displayed on the video wall. LED video walls suffer from image degradation and pixilation from up close, so fine details will be lost, and text will be illegible. If detail from up close is important, LCD displays are much better suited for that situation.Content examples that are well-suited for an LCD video wall:

Video walls are relatively new. But LCD technology has had decades of mainstream adoption, and with that comes both familiarity and lower costs. If those are important to you, then an LCD video wall is likely the right choice.

LED video walls are similar to LCD video walls, but the digital canvas is built using LED panels. Individual LED panels can be anywhere from 12”x12” to 36”x18”, which is much smaller than LCD displays. LED panels have a larger presence in this world than most might think—they are found indoors and outdoors at stadiums, arenas, concert venues, airports, and in use as large digital advertisements in iconic places such as Times Square.

The module is a small rectangular board that contains all the individual LEDs (light-emitting diodes).Unlike LCD, there is no glass or color filter on the LED video wall panels. The individual diodes that are placed on the modules produce both color and light.

One of the most impressive features of LED panels is that they can be combined to create almost any shape, without a bezel interrupting the digital canvas. LED video wall panels can be placed on curved surfaces, 90-degree edges, and other non-standard surfaces. The smaller size of the panels in relation to LCD video wall displays means they can fill more space on a surface—they aren’t limited to standard 46” and 55” sizes as are LCD video wall displays.

The most important factor to consider when scoping LED panels for a video wall is what is referred to as “pixel pitch.” The pixel pitch is effectively the distance between each pixel on the LED panel—a pixel pitch of 6mm means each pixel is spaced 6 millimeters away from the adjacent pixel. The smaller the pixel pitch, the smaller the distance is between each pixel, which means there are more pixels per square inch on the digital canvas.

Pixel pitch factors into viewing distance. When the pixels are close together, the image is more detailed and can be viewed comfortably by others from a close distance. But when the pixels are spaced further apart, a viewer needs to stand further away to view the image clearly.

Lastly, pixel pitch impacts the price of the LED video wall more than any other factor. For example, a 2mm pixel pitch LED video wall costs significantly more than its 10mm pixel pitch counterpart.

As is the case with an LCD video wall, an LED video wall will add exciting drama and premium value to showcase spaces. LED panel displays don’t enjoy the benefit of decades of mainstream adoption as do their LCD counterparts. However, the technology curve is increasing their availability and lowering their costs. At this time, an LED video wall will have higher upfront costs compared to an LCD video wall. If cost is the main concern, then an LED video wall system will not likely fit into your budget

An LED video wall would be well-suited and cost-justified if the intent of the video wall is to provide an immersive viewing experience from a further distance. This could be content with lots of movement, animation, imagery, and bright colors to draw viewers into your space or provide a unique experience.

Aside from LED video wall cost, there are other factors to consider which could make an LED video wall system the frontrunner for your project. Here are the advantages and disadvantages to consider:

Limitless shapes and sizes:the smaller size of LED panels allows them to be combined to create unique canvases, including curved, 90-degree edge, and other combinations not possible with LCD displays

Easy maintenance and service; high reliability:LED module replacement takes seconds with little effort; LED panels are rated with a lifetime of 80,000-100,000 hours, depending on the product

In case you’ve been wondering if Direct View LED video wall vs LCD video wall is synonymous with ‘future vs past,’ you’ve come to the right place. The interest in video walls is only growing and we’ll be seeing more of those, especially within business environments, event solutions, and advertising industries. It all comes down to the technologies that drive both displays, so here’s some food for thought that’ll help with decision making.

Read on to learn about the difference between a Direct View LED video wall and an LCD video wall or go ahead and checkViewSonic’s LED video wall solutions now.

LED video wall vs LCD video wall comparison takeaways will be relevant for several forms of display technology and will help you make the right choice when exploring video wall options. Getting your message across to dozens if not hundreds of people daily is an important endeavor, and you want to make sure the display helps you connect with your audience, team, or community more easily.

In the past, the most common display technology for video walls was LCD, but today’s large-format all-in-oneLED displays have many advantages that have helped them become the new industry standard very quickly. In this post, we’ll discuss the differences between LED and LCD large format displays in more detail, give a general overview of each technology, and delve into the reasons why a high-quality all-in-one LED displayis invariably the best option for large-format display requirements.

Historically, LCD video wall display technology has been the most popular and it’s a good place to start with technical insights. LCD stands forliquid crystal display. Liquid crystals are sandwiched between the polarizing filters and electrodes and topped withthe display surface (something we casually refer to as a screen). The bottom part of the video wall is made of fluorescent lighting which backlights the liquid crystals. The light passes through the crystals and those – powered by varying electric current – produce the desired color.

LCD video wall displays are usually constructed by linking together four or more LCD screens. That’s because individual panels are not big enough and have size limits. The downside is, the bigger number of panels will be assembled, the heavier the display will become. That makes delivery and installation more difficult.

A major benefit of LCD displays is the sharp, crystal-clear image quality, which is especially apparent when you come up close to the display. Besides, its long-standing status as the most popular technology for video walls has helped to ensure the product’s relatively low price.

LCD technology remains a perfectly viable display option, but, aside from challenging delivery and setup, it is no longer regarded as the go-to video wall solution. Keep reading to find out more reasons.

Although LED technology for video walls is nothing new, it’s quickly gaining in popularity thanks to all its improvements. It has, consequently, become more accessible.

While LCD is a multi-layered thick device, the LED is much thinner and more effective. In contrast to LCD technology, LED video walls are typically constructed from modules of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) making the whole display slimmer and with higher brightness capability (discussed later in the post). Each diode works as the actual display pixel — emitting Red, Green or Blue (RGB) values to create any desired color. Since the LEDs produce the image for the display themselves, they don’t need any backlighting or filtering which considerably reduces the number of layers.

Within the broader category of LED video walls, there are also different packaging technologies. For more context, those include surface mount diode (SMD), integrated matrix device, and dots in place, but the real breakthrough happens elsewhere. It’s the chip-on-board orCOB technology, that has emerged as the LED game-changer of recent times. The most revolutionary aspect of this invention was the tightest pixel pitch that allows the direct mounting of the diodes onto the print circuit, placing them evenly along its surface.

The emergence of all-in-one LED displayshas also helped to improve the technology’s popularity. A Direct View LED display eliminates the LCD panel, resulting in a brighter picture and greater color clarity. Most importantly, it eliminates the grid issue and image uniformity when combining multiple LCDpanelstogether, so there are no lines breaking up the displayed content. This is whyDirect ViewLED technology can now create much larger video walls. The very latest all-in-onesolutions also integrate power, display,image stitching,and control systems for the ultimate user experience.

At the heart of the LED display vs LCD display comparison, it’s all about the use, impact, and price. In the sections below, let’s explore some of the various elements that make up the user’s experience and the cost-effectiveness of a video wall. That includes some of the plus points and drawbacks of these two competing technologies.

Let’s tackle the overall viewing experience. This is an area whereDirect ViewLED technology excels. Rather than serving as a backlight, the LED display adopts red, green, and blue LEDs for each pixel, and adjusts the values of each of those colors to create billions of possible colors for use on the display itself. Coloring the image directly from the light emitted from the diodes helps to provide a truer depiction of color, which can work magic in terms of heightening the audience’s sensory receptiveness.

Calibrating and synchronizing all the LCD screens require specific software that will add, both in costs and complexity, to the overall system. Each LCD panel operates, and therefore degrades, on an individual basis, which means they require calibration at different times. Panel degradation definitely adds up to the total cost of ownership.

Finally, it should be noted that added thickness of LCD displays — imagine over 110 mm — can also look cumbersome or unwieldy in an indoor space. This can detract attention away from the content being shown on the screen. By contrast, a high-end,All-in-One LED displaywill have a thickness of 25 mm – 35 mm with a 5 mm frameless edge. This is substantially less thick than LCD video walls and positively influences ideal viewing distance and immersion.

Even if LCD video walls are made of high-end screens, still their lack of brightness invariably results in poor visibility as soon as they’re viewed from a distance or under strong ambient light. This means that there are clear limitations when it comes to using an LCD video wall to display content.

Prior to the emergence of Direct View LED video walls, these limitations may have been more acceptable to the average user, but that has started to change. The high-end LED displays provide higher brightness while also making it possible to adjust brightness levels on the device itself. This often may be essential for optimizing the specific settings of the video wall (as low brightness images won’t be clear even if you can adjust the display for the strong ambient light).

Resolution-wise, most LCD displays come with 1080p but 4K UHD is available, which is the same as LED’s. However, the Direct View LED’s fine pixel pitch means that the LEDs are ultra-close to each other, so even when you’re closer to the display than usual, you’d still be able to clearly see the visuals. This can have an extra impact when showing vivid landscapes, detailed product images, design sketches or mechanical drawings in spaces of various sizes.The real-to-life color depiction is made possible thanks to the light being directly seen by human eyes without going through different materials which is the case for LCD. LED also delivers a wider color gamut, and the very best options on the market offer 120% coverage of the Rec.709 color space.

ViewSonic All-in-One LED video walls address the challenges of the past with finesse thanks to the Direct View technology and, for the most advanced models, Chip on Board (COB) packaging. For example, the multi-award-winningAll-in-One LED Displayprovides up to 4,440Hz ultra-fast refresh rates and 600-nit adjustable high brightness, offering an unparalleled viewing experience in any space.

Another important thing to remember when comparing LED display vs LCD display is the difference in shipping, installation, and all-around maintenance of a video wall. This is one of the areas where all-in-one LED video walls really outperform LCD video walls in almost every way imaginable, resulting in a far better experience for end users and greatly reducing the amount of time and effort needed to set the video wall up.

LCD large-format displays will have significantly higher shipping and installation costs. This is partly because an LCD video wall installation will require at least three people, often taking more than 4 hours. Furthermore, on top of free-standing models, LCD video walls can only be installed on a wall.

By contrast, an All-in-One LED Display can be installed in around two hours, thanks to the all-in-one modular design. Individual modules will automatically configure and calibrate to their location relative to the rest during installation.

One of the challenges associated with LCD video walls is the fact that each panel operates independently, so there is a realistic chance that one panel will wear out before the others. The core issue here is that if one panel wears out, the cost of tearing down the display to replace it and then deliver it will be high.Besides, the repair process takes around a month and during this time the LCD cannot be in use. After fixing, the display will need to be calibrated again. In the long term, this translates to high maintenance costs.

This is not true for LED video walls, thanks to the modular approach. In such cases, you would need to replace the single LED module without removing the whole screen. Besides, the LED modules can be swapped out while the display is powered on and in continuous use. This means anyone can replace a defective piece for quick and easy maintenance. The industry term for it would be “full front maintenance with no downtime”.

Each LCD display has different color and brightness, so calibration is needed upon installation. And each display will change over time (the degree of degradation of brightness and color performance also varies by each display), so users will take further time and effort to calibrate for maintenance.

LCD video walls have traditionally required an additional control box and a variety of other accessories and components to provide a smooth display and an acceptable user experience. Until relatively recently, this has also been true for LED displays and resulted in an unsatisfactory user experience, more complex maintenance, and day-to-day management. Often, a specialist technician would be needed to even get a large format display up and running.

Fortunately, the emergence ofAll-in-One Direct View LED displays has helped to change all of this. Such a comprehensive solution will combine everything the user needs in a single package. Imagine a control system, display system, and power supply that are all integrated together along with the image stitching technology. Crucially, such an approach results in a far superior and more user-friendly experience, with no need for specialist knowledge.

As the cherry on top, the all-in-one LED display can be turned on with just one click and is easy to operate with remote control. Additionally — aside from wireless content sharing — the display’s I/O port provides easy connection options.

While LCD video walls have historically been the most popular option, improvements to LED technology and thus its greater affordability ensured a clear frontrunner of any Direct View LED wall vs LCD video wall debate. A high-quality, Direct View LED video wall will be easier to install, manage, and operate on a day-to-day basis. There are affordability benefits as well, and modern all-in-one solutions deliver excellent user-friendliness from the get-go.

A Direct View LED video wall, otherwise called LED display, will also offer a superior overall viewing experience, with improved brightness, color gamut, contrast, and all-around flexibility. Users will not need to worry about grid issues or irregular aspect ratios, and for these reasons, LED’s cutting-edge technology is widely regarded as the ultimate solution for large displays.

Before buying a new TV, you should know the difference between LED and LCD displays. Both provide a high-definition picture, but each handles creating it a little differently and has a few other differences as well. We examined these two screen technologies to help you get a better idea of which one is right for you.

Both LCD and LED TV screens and monitors display a bright, high-definition picture. If you want to save money on the hardware, go with the older LCD setup. LED screens may offer more cost savings over time, however, because the system generally requires less energy to operate.

Although more expensive, newer LED screens are generally lighter than LCDs, especially on an edge-lit display that has fewer components to add bulk to the device.

Before you buy an LCD TV with LED backlighting, consider one important factor: price. LED full-array backlit TVs are impressive but are more expensive than their florescent-lit peers. If picture quality is important to you, spending more money to enjoy the benefits of full-array LED backlighting may make sense for you. If you want the thinnest TV on the block, edge-lit LED is the way to go.

If you"re a bargain shopper, you will probably satisfy yourself and your wallet with a florescent-lit LCD TV. That said, they are getting harder to find since demand is shrinking.

In the context of televisions, the term LED refers to the TV backlighting system, not the display technology that produces the image content. LED TVs use LCD displays; however, they use LED backlights rather than the fluorescent backlights found in traditional LCD TVs. Just as LED TVs are a type of LCD TV, OLED and S-AMOLED are different types of LED TVs.

The liquid crystals in LCD TVs do not produce light, so backlighting is needed to illuminate the image for the viewer. LCD sets originally used a series of fluorescent tubes (termed CCFL-backlit technology) for this purpose. In LED TVs, the illumination source is a series of light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs. In most modern LCD sets, those fluorescent tubes have been replaced with full-array LEDs, but both types of TVs still use LCD technology.

Each backlighting system has advantages and disadvantages. Edge-lit sets are typically thinner and lighter than those that use a full array because the lighting source takes up less space. Full array sets are thicker and heavier, but they make up for that with local dimming, which means one section of the LED panel can be dimmed while other sections remain bright. This feature slightly improves image contrast.

LED sets that use full-array backlighting tend to produce the best picture of all LCD TVs. Those that use edge lighting sacrifice picture quality, but they are the lightest and thinnest TVs on the market.

Because LCD screens rely on fluorescent panels behind the entire screen to make the picture visible, they use more energy than LED sets. TVs and monitors that use edge-lighting are more efficient than full-array ones because they contain fewer lights in general. However, full-array screens don"t necessarily use all of the LED backlights at once.

When it comes to picture quality, LED TVs look better than older LCD TVs. Manufacturers also make a big deal out of LED backlighting because sets that use the technology are usually more energy-efficient than CCFL LCD TVs. Therefore, the money you save on your power bill could eventually offset the extra cost of an LED TV.

You"ll be happy with the picture regardless of what kind of display you buy. Still, LEDs have a few practical advantages that make them a better purchase than the older LCDs.

Although there are big differences between LCD and LED displays, there are a lot of confusion in the market which shouldn’t happen. Part of the confusion comes from the manufacturers. We will clarify as below.

LCD stands for “liquid crystal display”. LCD can’t emit light itself; it has to use a backlight. In the old days, manufacturers used to use CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) as backlight, which is bulky and not environment friendly. Then, with the development of LED (light emitting diode ) technology, more and more backlights use LEDs. The manufacturers name them as LED monitors or TV which makes the consumers think they are buying LED displays. But technically, both LED and LCD TVs are liquid crystal displays. The basic technology is the same in that both television types have two layers of polarized glass through which the liquid crystals both block and pass light. So really, LED TVs are a subset of LCD TVs.

Quantum-dot TVs are also widely discussed for recent years. It is basically a new type of LED-backlit LCD TV. The image is created just like it is on an LCD screen, but quantum-dot technology enhances the color.

For normal LCD displays, when you light up the display, all the LEDs light up even for unwanted area (for example, some areas need black). Whatever perfect the LCD display made, there is still small percentage of light transmitting through the LCD display which makes it difficult to make the super black background. The contrast decreases.

Photo-emissive quantum dot particles are used in RGB filters, replacing traditional colored photoresists with a QD layer. The quantum dots are excited by the blue light from the display panel to emit pure basic colors, which reduces light losses and color crosstalk in RGB filters, improving display brightness and color gamut. Although this technology is primarily used in LED-backlit LCDs, it is applicable to other display technologies which use color filters, such as blue/UV AMOLED(Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes)/QNED(Quantum nano-emitting diode)/Micro LED display panels. LED-backlit LCDs are the main application of quantum dots, where they are used to offer an alternative to very expensive OLED displays.

Micro LED is true LED display without hiding at the backside of the LCD display as backlight. It is an emerging flat-panel display technology. Micro LED displays consist of arrays of microscopic LEDs forming the individual pixel elements. When compared with widespread LCD technology, micro-LED displays offer better contrast, response times, and energy efficiency.

Micro LEDs can be used at small, low-energy devices such as AR glasses, VR headsets, smartwatches and smartphones. Micro LED offers greatly reduced energy requirements when compared to conventional LCD systems while has very high contrast ratio. The inorganic nature of micro-LEDs gives them a long lifetime of more than 100,000 hours.

As of 2020, micro LED displays have not been mass-produced, though Sony, Samsung and Konka sell microLED video walls and Luumii mass produces microLED lighting. LG, Tianma, PlayNitride, TCL/CSoT, Jasper Display, Jade Bird Display, Plessey Semiconductors Ltd, and Ostendo Technologies, Inc. have demonstrated prototypes. Sony and Freedeo already sells microLED displays as a replacement for conventional cinema screens. BOE, Epistar and Leyard have plans for microLED mass production. MicroLED can be made flexible and transparent, just like OLEDs.

There are some confusions between mini-LED used in LCD backlight as Quantum dot displays. To our understanding, mini-LED is just bigger size of micro LED which can be used for larger size of cinema screen, advertisement walls, high end home cinema etc. When discussing Mini-LED and Micro-LED, a very common feature to distinguish the two is the LED size. Both Mini-LED and Micro-LED are based on inorganic LEDs. As the names indicate, Mini-LEDs are considered as LEDs in the millimeter range while Micro-LEDs are in the micrometer range. However, in reality, the distinction is not so strict, and the definition may vary from person to person. But it is commonly accepted that micro-LEDs are under 100 µm size, and even under 50 µm, while mini-LEDs are much larger.

When applied in the display industry, size is just one factor when people are talking about Mini-LED and Micro-LED displays. Another feature is the LED thickness and substrate. Mini-LEDs usually have a large thickness of over 100 µm, largely due to the existence of LED substrates. While Micro-LEDs are usually substrate less and therefore the finished LEDs are extremely thin.

A third feature that is used to distinguish the two is the mass transfer techniques that are utilized to handle the LEDs. Mini-LEDs usually adopt conventional pick and place techniques including surface mounting technology. Every time the number of LEDs that can be transferred is limited. For Micro-LEDs, usually millions of LEDs need to be transferred when a heterogenous target substrate is used, therefore the number of LEDs to be transferred at a time is significantly larger, and thus disruptive mass transfer technique should be considered.

It is exciting to see all the kinds of display technologies which make our world colorful. We definitely believe that LCD and/or LED displays will pay very important roles in the future metaverse.

Before buying a new TV, you should know the difference between LED and LCD displays. Both provide a high-definition picture, but each handles creating it a little differently and has a few other differences as well. We examined these two screen technologies to help you get a better idea of which one is right for you.

Both LCD and LED TV screens and monitors display a bright, high-definition picture. If you want to save money on the hardware, go with the older LCD setup. LED screens may offer more cost savings over time, however, because the system generally requires less energy to operate.

Although more expensive, newer LED screens are generally lighter than LCDs, especially on an edge-lit display that has fewer components to add bulk to the device.

Before you buy an LCD TV with LED backlighting, consider one important factor: price. LED full-array backlit TVs are impressive but are more expensive than their florescent-lit peers. If picture quality is important to you, spending more money to enjoy the benefits of full-array LED backlighting may make sense for you. If you want the thinnest TV on the block, edge-lit LED is the way to go.

If you"re a bargain shopper, you will probably satisfy yourself and your wallet with a florescent-lit LCD TV. That said, they are getting harder to find since demand is shrinking.

In the context of televisions, the term LED refers to the TV backlighting system, not the display technology that produces the image content. LED TVs use LCD displays; however, they use LED backlights rather than the fluorescent backlights found in traditional LCD TVs. Just as LED TVs are a type of LCD TV, OLED and S-AMOLED are different types of LED TVs.

The liquid crystals in LCD TVs do not produce light, so backlighting is needed to illuminate the image for the viewer. LCD sets originally used a series of fluorescent tubes (termed CCFL-backlit technology) for this purpose. In LED TVs, the illumination source is a series of light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs. In most modern LCD sets, those fluorescent tubes have been replaced with full-array LEDs, but both types of TVs still use LCD technology.

Each backlighting system has advantages and disadvantages. Edge-lit sets are typically thinner and lighter than those that use a full array because the lighting source takes up less space. Full array sets are thicker and heavier, but they make up for that with local dimming, which means one section of the LED panel can be dimmed while other sections remain bright. This feature slightly improves image contrast.

LED sets that use full-array backlighting tend to produce the best picture of all LCD TVs. Those that use edge lighting sacrifice picture quality, but they are the lightest and thinnest TVs on the market.

Because LCD screens rely on fluorescent panels behind the entire screen to make the picture visible, they use more energy than LED sets. TVs and monitors that use edge-lighting are more efficient than full-array ones because they contain fewer lights in general. However, full-array screens don"t necessarily use all of the LED backlights at once.

When it comes to picture quality, LED TVs look better than older LCD TVs. Manufacturers also make a big deal out of LED backlighting because sets that use the technology are usually more energy-efficient than CCFL LCD TVs. Therefore, the money you save on your power bill could eventually offset the extra cost of an LED TV.

You"ll be happy with the picture regardless of what kind of display you buy. Still, LEDs have a few practical advantages that make them a better purchase than the older LCDs.

Did you know that, according to a recent study by Global, 85% of brands and agencies plan to increase their advertising investment? This figure illustrates the importance of this aspect in any marketing strategy. And although the Internet is usually the star medium, indoor and outdoor advertising is also gaining ground in shopping malls and big cities. Are you thinking of boosting your sales with this option? If so, and although we have already explained how LED technology works, it is important to also know what the advantages of LED are over LCD displays, two technologies that, at first sight, can be quite similar.

Before explaining the advantages of LED over LCD displays, we should highlight that the demand for this type of product for shop windows is booming for several reasons. One of them is that LED screens fulfil their function much better than their predecessors, LCD screens, because of the excellent image quality they provide and their ability to attract the attention of passers-by on the public highway.

But what is the difference between the two technologies? First of all, the technology of any LED TV is similar to that of the LCD screen, since, technically, they are also an LCD (these are the acronyms of the concept ‘liquid crystal screen’). However, there is a fundamental difference between the two: the generation of light. In the case of LCDs, the light is provided by neon tubes, whereas it is LED bulbs (light-emitting diodes) perform this function in LED displays.

On the other hand, the number of diodes on LEDs are than the number of neon tubes on LCD screens, which means that the lighting is higher quality. In addition, this makes LED displays thinner. The color contrast is also higher, providing a sharper and higher quality image.

Another advantage of LED displays over LCDs is that they will save electricity for your company. For example, the power consumption of the LED display can reduce the power consumption by up to 50% in comparison to similar LCD TV with the same operating hours and.

Another benefit of LED has to do with the conservation of the planet. The reason is that LED, being a mercury-free technology – unlike other monitors – is more environmentally friendly and sustainable. It is also better for people’s health, as exposure to mercury, even in very small quantities, can cause serious problems and harm fetuses when it comes to pregnant women. Mercury is equally toxic to the digestive system, the nervous and immune systems, the skin, the eyes, the lungs, and the kidneys.

Want more advantages of LED over LCD? Here’s another one that will help improve your business numbers: while the life of an LCD is usually no more than 60,000 hours, until its light source burns out, LED displays can run for between 60,000 and 100,000 hours. However, it’s not just about quantity, but also quality: while LED TVs are equipped with technology that always provides an optimal color palette, even when the color starts to fade, the LCD starts to show more and more black dots in the picture, due to continuous use (and corresponding to neon tubes that have stopped working).

And since we are talking about image quality, we should also refer to the behavior of the liquid crystal displays – both LEDs and LCDs – when they are directly affected by sunlight. For example, when we are in front of LED screens in shop windows or giant LED displays that emit during daylight hours (video scoreboards in stadiums would be a case in point). In this context, only LED technology can guarantee optimal viewing conditions at any time of day.

In relation to outdoor displays, we should also bear in mind that they require special protection, both against rain and vandalism. When this happens, only professional LED displays can offer this advantage.

Now that you are clear about the advantages of LED displays over LCD, you are probably considering purchasing an LED monitor for your business. This is where we get to the million-dollar question: how much does an LED display cost? The question is not simple, since the final bill will depend on several factors, such as its equipment or its dimensions. In Visual Led, in addition, we design LED screens to fit your needs and investment capacity.

Do you want to know how much an LED display would cost you? If so, we encourage you to calculate the price of an LED display online. You only have to introduce the requested variables, and you will instantly receive an estimated budget without any commitment of purchase on your part.

Of course, we must not lose sight of the fact that the marketing of outdoor LED displays is relatively recent and is part of a marking regulated by the laws of each country. Therefore, in some territories, certain formats must be adapted to the current legislation.

Differences between LCD and LEDare important to understand as they are both very co-related and it is possible to get confused between one and the other. LCD is the abbreviation for liquid crystal display while LED is the abbreviation for light-emitting diodes. They differ from one another in the fact that LCDs usually use fluorescent lights while lights use light-emitting diodes.

The structure of both LCD and LED is quite the same as the technology behind these screens is the same. The differing television types have two different layers of polarized glass and through this glass, the liquid crystals get blocked as well as pass the light. Thus, this is one of the key differences and similarities between LCD and LED.

For all the new technologies that have come our way in recent times, it’s worth taking a minute to consider an old battle going on between two display types. Two display types that can be found across monitors, TVs, mobile phones, cameras and pretty much any other device that has a screen.

In one corner is LED (light-emitting diode). It’s the most common type of display on the market, however, it might be unfamiliar because there’s slight labelling confusion with LCD (liquid crystal display).

For display purposes the two are the same, and if you see a TV or smartphone that states it has an ‘LED’ screen, it’s an LCD. The LED part just refers to the lighting source, not the display itself.

In a nutshell, LED LCD screens use a backlight to illuminate their pixels, while OLED’s pixels produce their own light. You might hear OLED’s pixels called ‘self-emissive’, while LCD tech is ‘transmissive’.

The light of an OLED display can be controlled on a pixel-by-pixel basis. This sort of dexterity isn’t possible with an LED LCD – but there are drawbacks to this approach, which we’ll come to later.

In cheaper TVs and LCD-screen phones, LED LCD displays tend to use ‘edge lighting’, where LEDs sit to the side of the display, not behind it. The light from these LEDs is fired through a matrix that feeds it through the red, green and blue pixels and into our eyes.

LED LCD screens can go brighter than OLED. That’s a big deal in the TV world, but even more so for smartphones, which are often used outdoors and in bright sunlight.

Brightness is generally measured as ‘nits’ – roughly the light of a candle per square metre. Brightness is important when viewing content in ambient light or sunlight, but also for high dynamic range video. This applies more to TVs, but phones boast credible video performance, and so it matters in that market too. The higher the level of brightness, the greater the visual impact.

Take an LCD screen into a darkened room and you may notice that parts of a purely black image aren’t black, because you can still see the backlighting (or edge lighting) showing through.

You’ll often see a contrast ratio quoted in a product’s specification, particularly when it comes to TVs and monitors. This tells you how much brighter a display’s whites are compared to its blacks. A decent LCD screen might have a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which means the whites are a thousand times brighter than the blacks.

Contrast on an OLED display is far higher. When an OLED screen goes black, its pixels produce no light whatsoever. That means an infinite contrast ratio, although how great it looks will depend on how bright the screen can go. In general, OLED screens are best suited for use in darker rooms, and this is certainly the case where TVs are concerned.

OLED panels enjoy excellent viewing angles, primarily because the technology is so thin, and the pixels are so close to the surface. You can walk around an OLED TV or spread out in different spots in your living room, and you won’t lose out on contrast. For phones, viewing angles are extra important because you don’t tend to hold your hand perfectly parallel to your face.

Viewing angles are generally worse in LCDs, but this varies hugely depending on the display technology used. And there are lots of different kinds of LCD panel.

Perhaps the most basic is twisted nematic (TN). This is the type used in budget computer monitors, cheaper laptops, and very low-cost phones, and it offers poor angled viewing. If you’ve ever noticed that your computer screen looks all shadowy from a certain angle, it’s more than likely it uses a twisted nematic panel.

Thankfully, a lot of LCD devices use IPS panels these days. This stands for ‘in-plane switching’ and it generally provides better colour performance and dramatically improved viewing angles.

IPS is used in most smartphones and tablets, plenty of computer monitors and lots of TVs. It’s important to note that IPS and LED LCD aren’t mutually exclusive; it’s just another bit of jargon to tack on. Beware of the marketing blurb and head straight to the spec sheet.

The latest LCD screens can produce fantastic natural-looking colours. However, as is the case with viewing angles, it depends on the specific technology used.

OLED’s colours have fewer issues with pop and vibrancy, but early OLED TVs and phones had problems reining in colours and keeping them realistic. These days, the situation is better, Panasonic’s flagship OLEDs are used in the grading of Hollywood films.

Where OLED struggles is in colour volume. That is, bright scenes may challenge an OLED panel’s ability to maintain levels of colour saturation. It’s a weakness that LCD-favouring manufacturers enjoy pointing out.

Both have been the subject of further advancements in recent years. For LCD there’s Quantum Dot and Mini LED. The former uses a quantum-dot screen with blue LEDs rather than white LEDs and ‘nanocrystals’ of various sizes to convert light into different colours by altering its wavelength. Several TV manufacturers have jumped onboard Quantum Dot technology, but the most popular has been Samsung’s QLED branded TVs.

Mini LED is another derivation of LED LCD panels, employing smaller-sized LEDs that can emit more light than standard versions, increasing brightness output of the TV. And as they are smaller, more can be fitted into a screen, leading to greater control over brightness and contrast. This type of TV is becoming more popular, though in the UK and Europe it’s still relatively expensive. You can read more about Mini LED and its advantages in our explainer.

OLED, meanwhile, hasn’t stood still either. LG is the biggest manufacturer of large-sized OLED panels and has produced panels branded as evo OLED that are brighter than older versions. It uses a different material for its blue OLED material layer within the panel (deuterium), which can last for longer and can have more electrical current passed through it, increasing the brightness of the screen, and elevating the colour volume (range of colours it can display).

Another development is the eagerly anticipated QD-OLED. This display technology merges Quantum Dot backlights with an OLED panel, increasing the brightness, colour accuracy and volume, while retaining OLED’s perfect blacks, infinite contrast and potentially even wider viewing angles, so viewers can spread out anywhere in a room and see pretty much the same image. Samsung and Sonyare the two companies launching QD-OLED TVs in 2022.

And for smartphones there’s been a move towards AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens for Android screens, while Apple has moved towards OLED for its smartphones and tried Mini LED with its iPad Pro. Technologies are consistently evolving with Superand Dynamic AMOLED versions available, more performance is being eked out.

While LED LCD has been around for much longer and is cheaper to make, manufacturers are beginning to move away from it, at least in the sense of the ‘standard’ LCD LED displays, opting to explore the likes of Mini LED and Quantum Dot variations.

OLED has gained momentum and become cheaper, with prices dipping well below the £1000 price point. OLED is much better than LED LCD at handling darkness and lighting precision, and offers much wider viewing angles, which is great for when large groups of people are watching TV. Refresh rates and motion processing are also better with OLED though there is the spectre of image retention.

If you’re dealing with a limited budget, whether you’re buying a phone, a monitor, a laptop or a TV, you’ll almost certainly end up with an LCD-based screen. OLED, meanwhile, incurs more of a premium but is getting cheaper, appearing in handheld gaming devices, laptops, some of the best smartphones as well as TVs

Which is better? Even if you eliminate money from the equation, it really comes down to personal taste. Neither OLED nor LCD LED is perfect. Some extol OLED’s skill in handling darkness, and its lighting precision. Others prefer LCD’s ability to go brighter and maintain colours at bright levels.

How do you decide? Stop reading this and go to a shop to check it out for yourself. While a shop floor isn’t the best environment in which to evaluate ultimate picture quality, it will at least provide an opportunity for you to realise your priorities. Whether you choose to side with LCD or OLED, you can take comfort in the fact that both technologies have matured considerably, making this is a safe time to invest.

Wholesalers on Alibaba.com have a wide range of functions and such a curved monitorphone. LEDs are an excellent choice for smart watches as they are wireless and have a built-in Light-emitting Diode (LAG)) for the convenience of large-sized ones, LEDs are equipped with all the functions as a curved monitorphone, and it has a built-in media player and the possibility to see a difference in the second-hand TV of the choice. LED smart watches are wirelessly designed and allow the user to see the image in all, and they"re looking great for them.

With all the advantages and disadvantages, lcdds are essentially a good choice for those who see the TV starting from 4k smartphone. Nowadays, in addition to the wholesale models, lcdds are essentially a good option for those that don ’ t have the capacity of a device.

Every aspect of the light imaging system in Pro Display XDR is crucial to the overall quality of what you see onscreen. Each element builds on top of the last to create a display with unbelievable brightness and contrast.

Typical LCDs are edge-lit by a strip of white LEDs. The 2D backlighting system in Pro Display XDR is unlike any other. It uses a superbright array of 576 blue LEDs that allows for unmatched light control compared with white LEDs. Twelve controllers rapidly modulate each LED so that areas of the screen can be incredibly bright while other areas are incredibly dark. All of this produces an extraordinary contrast that’s the foundation for XDR.

For even greater control of light, each LED is treated with a reflective layer, a highly customized lens, and a geometrically optimized reflector that are all unique to Pro Display XDR. Through a pioneering design, light is reflected, mixed, and shaped between two layers to minimize blooming and provide uniform lighting.

Converting blue light to white is a difficult process that requires extremely precise color conversion. It’s why most display makers use white LEDs. Pro Display XDR accomplishes this conversion with an expertly designed color transformation sheet made of hundreds of layers that control the light spectrum passing through them.

Pro Display XDR extends exceptional image quality to the very edge. To ensure that LEDs along the sides of the display mix well with adjacent ones, a micro-lens array boosts light along the edges. This creates uniform color and brightness across the entire screen.

With a massive amount of processing power, the timing controller (TCON) chip utilizes an algorithm specifically created to analyze and reproduce images. It controls LEDs at over 10 times the refresh rate of the LCD itself, reducing latency and blooming. It’s capable of multiple refresh rates for amazingly smooth playback.