Choosing a TV just seems to get more and more complicated.
Don’t get us wrong - choice is great. But with all those abbreviations flying
around - LCD, LED, OLED, ‘full’ HD and ‘ultra’ HD (or UHD) - it is easy to get
lost in all of the technical detail.
For the purposes of this blog, we thought we’d focus on two
of these terms - LED and UHD. Just so we all know exactly what we’re talking
about, UHD stands for ultra high definition, while LED is short for
light-emitting diode.
LED technology is found in all sorts of types of display,
from computer screens to public digital messaging boards. Along with plasma and
liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED was key to the emergence of flat screen TVs
in the late 1990s, which marked a significant break from the bulky, curved
screen TV sets of old that were built around cathode ray tubes.
20 years on, and TV manufacturers are keen to promote the
idea that we’re seeing another stepchange in the evolution of screen
technology. Nowadays, if we put aside the development of smart TVs for the
moment, much of the talk around the best TVs to buy centres around display
definition, with so-called ‘4K UHD’ the current standard.
As a result, it is not uncommon to hear advice such as
‘don’t bother with LED screens anymore, just go for UHD instead’. But just how
useful is this when looking for a new TV set?
Clearing up confusion
It is actually misleading to try to compare LED and UHD TVs,
because they refer to two completely different things. LED is the technology
which lights up a screen; UHD is a description of the image quality the screen
delivers. In fact, the majority of ultra-high definition TVs available on the
market do, in fact, feature LED screens.
Confused yet? Let’s try to break it down further. UHD is a
measure of screen resolution, which in itself is one factor that influences the
quality of picture your TV delivers. For many years, the industry standard for
‘high definition’ or HD screens was a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels per
screen.
That, however, has now largely been supplanted by the ‘UHD’
resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which means there are roughly four times as
many pixels on the screen - or four times the image definition, four times the
level of detail captured, four times the sharpness.
LED technology is perfectly capable of achieving 4K UHD
resolutions, particularly in so-called ‘full array’ set ups where LEDs are
located across the rear of the entire screen, rather than just at the edges as
is common with lower cost sets. While other types of backlighting technology,
such as OLED and quantum dots, are pushing conventional LED set ups hard on
image quality, full array LED sets can easily deliver 4K UHD.
When you do choose your next all-singing, all-dancing,
razor-sharp display TV, don’t forget to protect your investment with our
outstanding value TV insurance. With prices starting at just £1.49 a month, you
can’t go wrong.
*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.