If you’ve found this site by searching for Best LED TV or something similar, you’ve no doubt done your homework on the latest and greatest in television technology, the popular LED HDTV models currently being offered.

Although plasma screens dominated the television market for many years, that’s just not the current trend. There are some plasma televisions still being sold obviously, but their popularity is waning greatly. The individuals doing proper research before buying a new HDTV, are overwhelmingly opting to purchase an LED TV. Some prefer an LED LCD TV, others prefer an LED DLP HDTV model.

After Vizio (the second largest plasma supplier in the US) recently announced that they would no longer be manufacturing plasma screens, the handwriting seemed to be on the wall. LCD and DLP TV are the technologies of the future, and the LED versions of these technologies are the best HDTVs to be had.

Which LED TV is the the best LED TV though ? Well, there is really no single model that is the absolute best LED TV for every individual and installation requirement. There is however an extreme bias to those models being offered by Samsung. The Samsung LED HDTV models, whether it be a rear projection LED DLP HDTV or an LED LCD HDTV, offer incredible images. The lower power consumption realized when using LED (light emitting diode) technology, much better contrast ratios, better refresh rates, brighter images, and other improvements over the past generations of DLP and LCD television technology seem to be enough to make any decision a real no-brainer.

Well, nothing has changed…much. Digital TV (DTV) is here to stay. That’s what all the recent hype was about in making sure that you either had a television with a digital tuner, was hooked-up to either a satellite or cable service, or had/have a converter box. It seems as though we all got through that milestone fairly easily. All of the broadcasters in the USA now transmit their television signals digitally, and we’re all either receiving the signal fine, or setting in front of a 20 year old television wondering what the heck is wrong with all of the TV stations.

Also, the HDTV (high definition television) just means the television can display images in high definition, up to 1080 lines of information for TrueHD. All of this really has nothing much to do with the new LED TV models that are so popular right now. The LED TV technology is different in the way that it lights the screen, only. Whether it is an LED LCD TV, or a LED DLP TV (projection), it uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light source.

What does all of this mean for the consumer though ? Well, consider the Texas Instruments DLP system. It has been around for quite a while now, and has always been a good technology. Well, if you look at, say one of the new Samsung LED TV models, using the LED DLP system, it’s goes beyond what was considered awesome just a year or so ago. Not only has the color wheel been removed (no whirring sound), the rainbow effect around fast moving objects is also gone. Add to that the fact that the TV can be operated on much less power because of the LED lighting, and the fact that the image is substantially brighter and uses a color gamut that most video sources can’t even fully support yet, and the LED TV in the DLP versions is showing it’s stuff in a big way.

Also, one problem with the DLP system before was, the lamps would need to be replaced periodically. This was a very substantial financial hurdle that owners of the new LED TV sets won’t be faced with.

The new LED LCD TV technology uses LED (light emitting diodes) instead of the standard Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps used in the majority of most older LCD televisions. This again, allows for a brighter display and the LED system is much longer lasting that the CFL technology. Also, as in the LED DLP TV, the LED LCD TV can be operated much more inexpensively because of the lower current draw of the LED light source. So, once again, we have the LED TV, this time in the LCD variety, that is cheaper to operate, has a brighter, more color-rich, longer-lasting display that also has much better refresh rates, doing away (mostly) with the previous problem of fast moving scenes being blurred.

Is LED TV technology just a bunch of hype or an excuse for the manufacturers to charge more for the televisions ? Nope, it’s for real. If there’s any doubt, go to Amazon and look at some of the reviews of many (most) of the different Samsung Led TV models (and other manufacturers). I mention Samsung because they are dominating the market and are looking to stay at the front of the pack.

The Samsung HL61A750 is a very popular LED DLP model with hundreds of reviews in and a perfect 5-star rating.

Oh, so what about the plasma TVs ? Well, Vizio, the second largest plasma supplier in the United States (as of late 2008), announced early in 2nd. Qtr. 2009, that they will discontinue plasma screen production. Do you think that maybe the LED technology  is here to stay ?

With the wider viewing angles, faster response times, unbelieveable contrast ratios, lower power consumption, increased color gamut and better longevity, one of the LED TV models will be in the majority of US homes in the very near future.

Sure the manufacturers are going to have demonstrations and the numbers to suggest the real-world difference in 120Hz and 240Hz is extremely great. Sure the test patterns specifically designed to highlight these differences suggest that 240Hz is a “must have”, but in regular viewing

it’s probably not noticeable.

The deciding factor in paying extra for the latest-and-greatest option, in this case 240Hz operation is, does it improve the television viewing. Unfortunately, 240Hz operation alone probably isn’t something to get overly excited about, and definitely not anything to pay a lot extra for. Sure a high refresh rate is desirable, but even 120hz should be sufficient to create a motion-blur free image.

With standard television refresh rates of 60Hz, or 60 times per second, that should theoretically be enough to produce a blur-free image, especially when you consider film is 24 frames per second, but LCD technology is just  different.

Motion blur like this isn’t an issue with plasma or other display types, whether 60Hz or otherwise, because they use different methods to create the illusion of motion.

When you add in dejudder processing in the LCD televisions, which smooths out motion and makes film-based material shot at 24fps look more video-like, you do see a very noticeable improvement in the 120Hz, and especially the 240Hz devices.

To reduce blurring, most 120Hz LCD displays use a system called MEMC (motion estimation and motion compensation) to slip in a new frame between each of the original frames. The end result is one extra frame for every true frame.

You’d think, then, that a 240Hz TV would just double up to achieve an even more blur-free picture. Alas, it’s a little more complicated than that. The problem is there are actually two different types of 240Hz, including one that doesn’t bill itself as true 240Hz but rather as a “240 effect.” Here’s a breakdown of the two versions and which companies employ them.

• MEMC (motion estimation-motion compensation): Both Sony and Samsung 240Hz sets use MEMC to basically double the 120Hz process described above. However, instead of getting one extra frame for each “true” frame, you actually get three extra frames. (See reviews of the Sony KDL-52XBR7, the Sony KDL-XBR9 series and the Samsung LNB750 series).
• Scanning backlight (240 effect): LG, Toshiba, and Vizio use what’s called “scanning backlight” technology. Such TVs use MEMC once to get to 120Hz, but instead of doubling the interpolation, a backlight flashes on and off very quickly to achieve what Toshiba calls a “240Hz effect.” LG, for its part, fails to make that distinction and uses the 240Hz term without qualification to describe its scanning-backlight models.

Although there might be a very small difference in the two versions of  MEMC, the bottom line is, the real-world difference in the 120Hz and 240Hz LCD TVs isn’t very noticeable, and most would be better off putting the extra money into their new Blu-Ray device.

Although motion-blur is something you want to avoid, the latest LED LCD TVs, and the LED DLP TVs are at a state that most people will be totally satisified with which ever slection they make. The extremely descriminating (picky) viewer will probably always be able to find a slight flaw in any television image.

The rainbow effect is what you might expect, a displayed rainbow color pattern. This is best described as brief flashes of perceived red, blue, and green “shadows” observed most often when the projected content features high contrast areas of moving bright/white objects on a mostly dark/black background. The scrolling end credits of many movies are a common example, and also in animations where moving objects are surrounded by a thick black outline. Some people perceive these rainbow artifacts frequently, while others may never see them at all.. This was caused by the color wheel used in the DLP configuration. The color wheel was needed to color the light that was reflected off of the microscopic mirrors that produced the images in DLP.

The DLP system used in Samsung’s (our favorite)  new LED DLP TV sets no longer uses a color wheel, since the LED light sources are colored. There is a much longer lasting, cheaper to operate brighter, vibrant color system that has eliminated the rainbow effect.

Whether you choose a Samsung LED LCD TV, or an LED DLP TV, you’ll be getting the best in television technology.

Obviously HDTV is nothing new. Probably most people are familiar with plasma, LCD and DLP also when discussing the state of the art of television in the 21st. century. What is new however, and not just a catchy gimmick or passing fad, is LED technology in the latest HDTVs.

Anyone that’s ever looked at most any electronic device in the last few decades probably knows that LED is an acronym for Light Emitting Diode. It’s simply a semiconductor that puts out illumination when an electrical current is applied to it. In the past however, they were often used mainly as status indicators. The technology has grown by leaps and bounds however.

In a Samsung LED HDTV, the LED technology is not used as merely status indicators, it is actually used as the light source, whether it be in LCD or DLP (projection) televisions. HDTV has just gotten much better…much!

Why does this article only mention only the Samsung LED HDTV ? Simple, because Samsung is totally dominating the market, and this means leaving even Sony in it’s wake. Do a quick search on Amazon or any top electronics dealer’s website, and you’ll see the results for yourself.

With contrasts ratios on Samsung LED LCD HDTVs coming in at an astonishing 500,000:1 for example, and you can see that the specifications speak for themselves. Compare that contrast ratio to any other LCD HDTV you can find. You won’t find another that comes even close. What does that mean ? Well, for starters, you’ll get true blacks, not dark grays. However, with the LED backlighting you’ll also have much more vibrant colors overall, plus a brighter image. Also, the days of fast-action video showing a noticeable blur are long gone. With super fast refresh rates, combined with the LED technology, watching a Samsung LED LCD HDTV is a whole new experience.

Not to be outdone, the Samsung LED DLP HDTV, in it’s many different models, is also a device to behold. Although the DLP technology is basically the same, the visual results are very different. The new DLP chip from Texas Instruments still uses millions of microscopic mirrors, but the Samsung LED DLP HDTV has taken the technology to a new level. The previous incarnations of DLP used an arc lamp for the light source. These lamps draw a large amount of power (costing much more to operate), require a much longer startup time, and need to be replaced every so often (at a hefty price).

The older version of DLP also used a spinning color wheel, which emits an audible whine. Plus more moving parts means more things to break or wear out.

The new Samsung LED DLP HDTV uses an LED light source which can produce an image up to 40% brighter, and actually has a color gamut that is so broad, that very few video sources can even take full advantage of it currently. Regardless, your high definition video will come alive like never before.

At the time of this writing, the Samsung LED HDTV television ads are fairly new, but I can guarantee that it won’t belong before LED HDTV technology will be the industry standard. Vizio, has already announced that it will discontinue all plasma HDTV production within the next few weeks!

Although some of the very highest priced plasma devices can still hold their own to the Samsung LED HDTV sets, why would you want to pay several times the price for virtually the same image reproduction on a television that has a plasma tube with a ten year +/- life expectancy ? We’re talking HDTVs approaching the $10,000 price range!

If you’re looking for the best image for the best price, look for a Samsung LED HDTV. They’re number one for a reason. If you’re wanting the best deal, broadest selection, and a company that will guarantee that you’re satisfied, I would deal with no one other than Amazon for your Samsung LED TV. Their reputation speaks for itself. If there is a problem, they fix it…PERIOD! What else could you want ?

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were an accidental discovery at first. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was discovered that when electricity was applied to the semiconductor Silicon Carbide (SiC) it produced a light. This light was too dim to be of any use so the research was never distributed. This could have been the end for the LED, but it wasn’t content to die out.

Nearly 20 years later Russian and German scientists revisited the idea of light produced this way. The light was still of such poor luminance that the idea nearly died again. A report published in 1936, which helped to invent the term electroluminescence, revived the research for light from this source. The science of electroluminescence languished in obscurity for a while. It began to gain favor again in the 1950s when some British scientists started experimenting with it again. This led to the first infrared LED. From this technology came the first visible spectrum LED, in red, from Gallium Phosphide (GaP).

This was the start of the LED revolution. From that point each decade brought advances in the technology of light-emitting diodes. The use of different substrates brought brighter lights of different colors. The colors advanced from red to orange and on to pale green, then yellow and on to a brighter green. By the 1990s the use of Gallium Nitride helped usher in the era of blue LEDs. These blue lights became the basis for white light. The use of fluorescent phosphors helped change that blue light into high intensity white lights. Now LEDs can be found in almost every visible color of light.

This technology has led to additional uses for the LED as well. Due to their low light output they started out in indicator lights and display light applications only. The cost of materials was an issue at first and, therefore, they were used only in expensive laboratory and test equipment. They later began to be used in appliances, calculators and watches. The advent of additional colors increased their use in displays. They could be used in signs and digital display equipment.

The first LED flat panel television prototype was produced in 1977, by James P. Mitchell. This prototype was a red, monochromatic display. Later, in the 1990s, low-cost, efficient blue LEDs emerged moving this use along. Once a full spectrum of colors was realized in the late 1990s the flat panel LED television became a fully functional and popular option.

As the LED technology advanced and the luminescence increased, the uses for LEDs increased. LEDs began popping up in devices used to illuminate areas. Flashlights, landscape lighting, and other lighting sources became popular. Emergency lights began to use this technology. Traffic lights were replaced with LEDs. Interior lighting and headlights in vehicles became a common home for these lights, as well. As the cost of producing the lights decreased, and the availability of colors and brightness increased, the uses exploded.

From an accidental discovery to a common household name, the history of LEDs is a long one. The early discovery and limited uses of the light-emitting diode did not show much promise. Very few early researchers would probably have predicted the many, varied uses for this technology. The LED certainly earned its prominent spot in today’s society.

~Ben Anton, 2007

Ben Anton lives in Portland, OR and writes for DLK.
We invite you to read more about white LED light bulbs and fixtures available
at our quality wholesale LED products website.

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