LED TVs are in the same category with LCD TVs since both displays use liquid crystal but the main difference is the backlighting which provides a better picture. The LED TV uses light emitting diodes and the LCD TV uses some form of fluorescent lighting being either florescent tubes or highly developed flat arrays of lights.
LED TV backlighting is different just as there are different ways of lighting the LCD TVs using fluorescent lamps. LED TVs may be lit in two different ways which include placing the LEDs around the panel or behind the panel. LED TVs are slimmer than the traditional LCD TVs due to the small size of the LEDs.
- Black levels/ Contrast ratio
LED TVs are able to show dark areas in great detail producing a high contrast ratio unlike the LCD TVs that must, to create dark areas, block the light by closing the crystals by twisting them giving a lower contrast ratio.
- Viewing angles
LED TVs can be viewed at angles greater than 30 degrees off centre without suffering contrast degradation. This is not the case with LCD which cannot be viewed at an angle wider than 30degrees without getting blurred or suffering the contrast degradation. The cost of correcting the viewing angles with the LED has come at a price.
- Longevity
LED TVs are known to have about 100,000 hours guarantee service but this is based on the lifespan of LED lights. It is important to consider, however, that LED TVs are new in the market and as such they do not have a track history. LED technology is known to be long lasting since they do not degrade over time.
- Power consumption
LED TVs that are edge lit use less power than an LCD TV of the same size. However due to the local dimming LEDs use more power than the LCD TV of its size.
