You’ve obviously seen and heard of the LED TV technology that everyone is so excited about. So, what is it exactly, and what does it have to do with all the DTV, HDTV, LCD, DLP, plasma and all of the other other samsung-hl61a750-61inch-led-dlp-tv-hdtv-imageacronyms and terms that are being used when talking about the state of modern television ?

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.

Filed under: LED TV News