The benefits of LED TVs

Out of the three options in the high definition television market, LED is the newest on the scene. What benefits do they bring and are they enough to make you part with your hard earned cash?



LED televisions are, for the most part, the same as LCD televisions. The displays used by both are LCD, the area where they differ is the source of backlighting used by each.

Standard LCD televisions use a uniform backlight that is always on whereas LED televisions utilise a more dynamic backlighting system comprising a large amount of light emitting diodes.

These LEDs can switch on and off individually to provide greater contrast in an image. Bright whites can appear in the same image as deep blacks, a feature that would be impossible on a standard LCD TV.

Due to the lack of a large backlight, LED TVs are generally much slimmer than plasma or LCD sets. Apart from the obvious aesthetic advantages this makes LED sets much easier to mount on a wall.



LED backlit sets use up to 40% less energy than conventionally backlit sets. Not only is this better for the environment, your power bills should decrease too.

However, all of these benefits do come at a premium. LED televisions are generally much more expensive than the equivalent size plasma or LCD device, with LED costing up to 50% more than the others.

The way in which you view television and movies will ultimately dictate whether the benefits are enough for you to invest in LED.

If you are the kind of viewer who watches a small amount of TV such as soaps or comedy acts like Reeves and Mortimer, it is hard to recommend splashing out on an LED set.

However, if you are wanting a new HD TV as part of a home cinema or gaming setup it is likely that once you get used to LED, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.