32 LED | The Technology Explained.


LED TV (Light-emitting diode television) has been coined by Samsung, and other electronics manufactureres, to describe their line of LCD TVs that use an LED backlit panel.

Until recently, LED TV's were much too large for home use as they relied solely on using Light Emitting Diodes to create an image. This technology was fine for sports or commercial display boards but, obviously, not for the average household. LED-backlit TVs differ from conventional LCD TVs:


  • They can easily create very bright images with greater degrees of contrast and a deeper range of blacks seen in current LCDs

  • Edge-litLED systems are incredibly slim - many of the newest models are only about 1 inch thick.

  • On average, they consume about 40% less than traditional, and comparably sized, LCD TVs.

  • They can offer a wider colour gamut.

TV manufacturers can use an LED backlight instead of the standard Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (LCD-CCFL) used in most LCD televisions. It is important to distinguish this method of backlighting a conventional LCD panel, from a true LED display, or an OLED display. Televisions described as 'LED TVs' are vastly different from the self-illuminating OLED, OEL or AMOLED display technologies

There are several methods of backlighting an LCD panel using LEDs including the use of either White or RGB (Red, Green and Blue) LED arrays positioned behind the panel; and Edge-LED lighting, which uses white LEDs arranged around the inside frame of the TV along with a special light diffusion panel designed to spread the light evenly behind the LCD panel.

An LED backlight offers several general benefits over regular CCFL backlight TVs, typically including lower power consumption and higher brightness. Compared to regular CCFL backlighting, there may also be benefits to color gamut. However advancements in CCFL technology mean wide color gamuts and low power consumption are also possible. The principal barrier to wide use of LED backlighting on LCD televisions is cost.

The variations of LED backlighting do offer different benefits. The first commercial LED backlit LCD TV was the Sony Qualia 005 (introduced in 2004). This featured RGB LED arrays to offer a color gamut around twice that of a conventional CCFL LCD television (the combined light output from red, green and blue LEDs produces a more pure white light than is possible with a single white light). RGB LED technology continues to be used on selected Sony BRAVIA LCD models, with the addition of 'local dimming' which enables excellent on-screen contrast through selectively turning off the LEDs behind dark parts of a picture frame.

Edge LED lighting was also first introduced by Sony (September 2008) on the 40inch ZX1 BRAVIA. The principal benefit of Edge-LED lighting for LCD televisions is the ability to build thinner housings (the ZX1 BRAVIA is as thin as 9.9mm). Samsung have also introduced a range of Edge-LED lit LCD televisions (described incorrectly as "LED TVs") with thin housings. Edge-lighting however is at risk of a loss of screen uniformity compared to back-lighting.

LED-backlit LCD TVs are considered a more sustainable choice, with a longer life and better energy efficiency than plasmas and conventional LCD TVs,[2]. Unlike CCFL backlights, LEDs also use no mercury in their manufacture. However, other elements such as gallium and arsenic are used in the manufacture of the LED emitters themselves, meaning there is some debate over whether they are a significantly better long term solution to the problem of TV disposal.

Because LEDs are able to be switched on an off more quickly than CCFL displays and can offer a higher light output, it is theoretically possible to offer very high contrast ratios. They can produce deep blacks (LEDs off) and a high brightness (LEDs on), however care should be taken with measurements made from pure black and pure white outputs, as technologies like Edge-LED lighting do not allow these outputs to be reproduced simultaneously on-screen.

At 32 LED we bring you deals and price comparisons on the very latest 32 inch LED models from a range of suppliers; our list includes pricing information from high street names including: 247 Electrical, BE Direct, Comet, Currys, DirectTVs, Electrical Discount,John Lewis, Laskys, PC World, Play.com, Sound & Vision, Amazon UK, Asda, Bennetts Electrical, Digital Direct, Dixons,Miller Brothers, PIXmania, Tesco Direct, Laskys, TribalUK and more...

This website is not associated with any of the electronics companies or manufacturers listed on the site. We acknowledge that any products, company names and logos shown on this site are the trademarks of their respective owners. http://www.32led.co.uk is a simple web based resource showing details and price comparison information for 32 inch LED Televisions.