Battle of the LCD-LED TVs

Apr 03, 2011 - Naresh Sadhwani & Deepak Jhangiani

I have a Samsung 26-inch LCD (HD) TV. I wish to upgrade my TV. Please advise what I should choose between a Full HD LCD TV and an LED (42-inch) TV.

K. Suresh, Trichy

A Full HD LCD TV features 1080p resolution wherein the picture is definitely more defined than your present LCD (HD ready). This, provided it has the following minimum features — refresh rate of 120Hz/240Hz, a contrast ratio of minimum 100000:1. However, when you ask for a LED TV, you have to be more specific, since all LED TVs are not equal. When you see the words “LED TV” in an ad, it definitely refers to an LCD TV with an LED backlight, but what type of LED backlight and how it’s configured makes all the difference. Ads could be misleading. It is therefore important to specify the LED configuration when you buy an LED TV.
There are basically three types of LED TVs. One is Edge-lit LED without local dimming: technology where groups of LEDs are placed all along the edge of the LCD panel behind the screen. LED TVs are definitely thinner than regular LCD TVs. However, the additional price that you pay is not worth it. There is no major picture quality impact, hence no real advantage over standard Full HD LCD TV. And these Edge-lit TVs may have uniformity problems, such as brighter edges compared with the middle. So why pay more?
The second variety is the full array LED without local dimming: This means that the LEDs are arranged behind the entire LCD panel, not just along the edge. Compared to standard Full HD LCD with above mentioned specifications, there is no notable improvement in picture quality.
The third kind is the full array with local dimming, where arrays of LED behind the entire screen can be dimmed or even turned off automatically depending on the brightness of the content on the screen, thus producing exceptional black levels and picture quality out beating any normal LCD TV or the LED TVs 1 and 2 mentioned above, presently exorbitantly priced. Now that we have detailed the differences, you can make your decision. Brands like LG, Samsung and Sony have an excellent track record.
Readers are invited to email their queries/suggestions/ comments to sadhwanis@vsnl.com

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