Tuesday, August 2, 2011

What Difference Does LED Backlight Technology Make?

ByMika Staplesson

There is no debate LED backlit monitors are better than the old school variation, but some people seem to be uncertain about what the benefits are and just how much it really means in real-world terms. This article makes a solid attempt at walking you through durability, power consumption, and color representation as the key features in LED based displays.

Durability of LED backlight

LEDs, Light-Emitting Diodes are electronic circuit components designed to give off light when electric current flows through them. To help with light refraction between air and the light emitting component itself, the whole unit is encased in an acrylic case, which makes LEDs very hard to destroy.

LEDs are also very well protected against shocks, knocks, vibration, dust, moisture and just about anything you could easily destroy a CCFL light source with. They're durable and hard to kill, which is one of the key aspects where LED monitors excel over non-LED ones.

Power Consumption

It's often cited as the single biggest improvement over CCFL (Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, light tube in older monitors). The savings can go as high as 30 to 40 percent less than the old technology. A monitor uses about $50 worth of electricity in a year, of which 40 percent is saved via LEDs. May not sound much, but you also need to remember, that these screens operate for up to 100,000 hours without a major failure, which puts their useful life cycle to over a decade.

On the long haul, the reduced consumption can add up. Also, in an office environment, where dozens of monitors are used for eight hours a day, wasted electricity can make a dent in the bottom line.

Color Accuracy

Often cited as a key element in picture quality. While it's not the only aspect of how nice the picture looks, it's definitely an important factor. More interestingly, LEDs help with color representation quite a lot.

To understand how LEDs help produce more accurate colors, here is how TFT monitors work in a nutshell. TFT transistors ram electricity through the LCD layer where a black pixel needs to be show. When LCD is under current, it turns opaque, or blocks light in other words.

The backlight is blocked where black or dark pixels are to be shown. LEDs typically have more predictable, more "flat" white spectrum than a CCFL light tube. It allows engineers to tune the way pixels work more precisely, which in turn means better looking colors. Color accuracy is important in graphic design jobs, and makes the display nicer to look at for a long period of time.

To wrap up, let's quickly recap why LED monitors are better than non-LED ones, even though they're more expensive. LEDs are more durable and harder to destroy than CCFL. LEDs use less power and thus save money, and finally, LED monitors usually have a better, more accurate color palette to show.

With all that said, you don't always have to go LED, especially if the cost is of significant importance. The backlight technology alone can add up to $50 to the final price, which in some cases pushes certain models out your comfort zone. CCFL monitors are still good and can be a good buy if you choose them well.

For a little more information on the LED-backlit Acer S211HL, or LCD Monitors in general, please do visit my blog!

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