AV Blog from 1st Audio Visual: All Things AV

So, What Exactly Is An LED TV Anyway?!

by admin on 26/05/09 at 9:25 am

Welcome back!

With all the buzz surrounding the next generation televisions; LED TV - our writers at 1st Audio Visual decided to knock up a little history and explanation of what exactly an LED TV is and why we will all want one very soon!

LED TV (light emitting diode) is the next generation of television, but in actual fact LED technology was first discovered several generations ago by an observant Russian called Oleg VLadimirovich Losev who, in the 1920’s, while working as a radio technician, noticed diodes used in radio receivers emitted light when current was passed though them. At the time no practical use was found for them, but here we are decades later, marveling at LED technology that has allowed Sony to release the worlds thinnest LED TV the BRAVIA ZX1 that has technology literally packed to the seams of its 9.9mm wide body.

Backing up a couple of years, Samsung first integrated LED backlights into the 40, 48, 52 and 57 inch versions of their LNT81F series in 2007 and once again this year in the 32 to 55 inch versions of the A950 Luxia series. Sony entered the LED market in 2008 with the 46 and 55 inch BRAVIA KDLXBR8 series and Sharp in their 52 and 65 inch Aquos LCXSU1S. Vizio and LG are hot on their heels, and due to release their versions this year.

So how does it work? This slimline alternative to LCD is achieved by illuminating an LCD screen by LED lights that are arranged around the edge of the screen regaining space that would be taken up by fluorescent light rods in a conventional LCD TV. Where early models emitted low intensity red light, today the light is emitted across the visible ultraviolet and infra red wavelengths and can emit light of intended colour without the use of colour filters that traditional methods require.

There are several benefits, other than being ultra slimline, to purchasing a LED lit TV. LED’s have long life span and are low energy consumption, up to 40% less than LCD and Plasma. LED radiates very little heat in the form of IR that can damage fabrics. LED’s can dim and brighten giving you whiter whites and blacker blacks resulting in a far more dynamic on screen experience.

Sony use RGB Dynamic LED which achieves even greater colour accuracy by using 4 separate LED’s, red, blue and two green instead of only white bulbs and produces images with smooth transactions between shades producing extremely true to life images.

Another advantage of LED technology is that LED’s are used in groups, so if one burns out the remaining will still produce light, so one small blow out will not render your TV unwatchable (unless you own a minors lamp), and LED is non Toxic, unlike fluorescent lamps LED’s do not contain mercury, so you can enjoy breathtaking TV while still being kind to the environment.

There seems little reason not to switch to LED, its super slim making it easy to mount, the dynamic mega contrast creates unbelievably true to life pictures, it reduces power consumption, saving you money and its kind to the environment, so what’s the catch? Well, like all new technology, the price!