There is a lot of myths and speculation regarding the technology behind LCD TVs, so with this in mind Sony UK’s Marketing Manager Christian Brown, has written an opinion piece which aims to set the record straight.
Setting the record straight
There have been so many advancements in TV technology over recent years that it has been hard for everyone to keep up (even for those of us immersed in the industry on a daily basis). And it doesn’t help that manufacturers have a multitude of terms for what is often the same thing, or, more confusingly, the same term for something completely different. As someone who does work in the TV manufacturing industry (and is therefore partly to blame), I thought I would take this opportunity to set the record straight on some of these ‘misused’ terms and hopefully clear up some of the misunderstanding.
Seen those new ‘LED TVs’?
Let’s start with an example, to illustrate just what it is I am talking about. There have been a number of articles and adverts in the media recently about a ‘new’ range of ‘LED (Light Emitting Diode) TVs’. The truth is there is no such thing as an ‘LED TV’. LED is a backlight technology which works together with LCD displays. TVs with LED technology have actually been available for some time. All LCD TVs require a backlight in order to produce a picture, and, traditionally, manufacturers have used a series of tubes to perform this function (known as CCFL, or Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, backlights). These look like the type of fluorescent strip lighting commonly found in offices; for TVs, they are specially designed to have a very long lifetime, and provide a high colour purity and consistency. However, several television ranges now use LEDs to light the picture instead. There are two main approaches to LED backlighting: ‘Backlit’ LED, where LEDs are positioned directly behind the LCD panel, and ‘Edge’ LED, where the LEDs are positioned around the edge of the TV to light the panel. The main advantage of the ‘Edge’ LED system is that it enables your TV to be extremely slim (for example, Sony’s ZX1 is only 9.9mm at its thinnest point).
Fewer Hz but more frames
Similarly, ‘Motion processing technology’ is currently referenced in adverts for both plasma and LCD TVs, so it’s easy to see why we might think that it is one and the same thing. However, the reality is that the technology used is completely different. It’s a bit like comparing a tank to a motorbike. But unless you are working in the television manufacturing industry or have a passion for TV technology, how would you know? Plasma models are advertised with ‘600Hz motion processing’. This seems a lot better than the 100Hz/200Hz motion processing advertised for LCD TVs. But 600Hz on a Plasma TV inserts ten copies of the same image to combat the false colour that sometimes occurs on Plasma models when either the image being displayed or the observer’s eyes are in motion. Sophisticated 100Hz/200Hz LCD motion processing technology, such as Sony’s Motionflow 200Hz, inserts additional, unique transitional frames. This reduces the judder between images (which is not true of the plasma motion processing technology), creating a smoother viewing experience that is ideal for watching sport, like football, as the ball doesn’t ‘jump’ across the screen. Additionally, some motion processing technologies include Image Blur reduction to ‘clean’ each frame before insertion to produce a much sharper picture. The key point to take away is that not all motion processing systems are the same.
It’s organic, but you can’t eat it
Something else I have noticed in discussions with people I meet in my role is a blurring of the lines between ‘LED TVs’ and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs. There is a perception that they are one and the same thing. Again, because of their similar names, it’s easy to see why, but OLED is a radical departure from existing LED technology. In fact, the technology is so new that there is currently only one OLED TV available in the European market, Sony’s XEL-1. Unlike current ‘LED TVs’, OLED TVs require no backlight as each OLED emits its own light. This means an OLED TV can be as thin as 3mm. In addition, OLEDs have an instantaneous response time and over 1 million to one dynamic contrast ratio, all of which means that they can produce an incredibly smooth and colour rich picture. Quite simply, it will change our viewing experience completely!
Add some colour to your life
The final point I would like to address is the misconception that LCD TVs produce an inferior range of colour to plasma screens. This one is slightly different to the others, as it was actually once true, but LCD technology has evolved so swiftly that the colour now produced by an LCD TV is easily a match for any Plasma. Not only does an LCD TV now ‘clean’ and enhance the picture from the incoming signal, but developments in backlighting have also resulted in richer colour reproduction. We’ve discussed some of this already, with the shift from CCFL to LED, but there is another element of the story: certain LED backlit LCD TVs use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) LEDs. TVs utilising this system have clusters of coloured LEDs (Sony use one red, one blue and two green – two green so as to produce a brighter image and a better white balance), as opposed to the single white LEDs used by regular LED backlit TVs. The result on a TV such as the BRAVIA X4500 model* is a much bigger colour space. This means an incredibly realistic palette of colours – the green looks like a real shade of green, not the artificially enhanced luminous shade of green you sometimes see. Another advantage of LED backlighting is the option of dynamic control. What does this mean? It means that sections of the LED backlight can be operated independently, meaning that one section of the screen (even within a single frame) can be ‘switched off’ completely while the other sections of the backlight ensure the screen stays on. This can provide a contrast ratio of over 1m:1. The higher the contrast ratio, the deeper the black produced, and the richer and more true the viewing experience becomes.
Take your time
As I said at the start, the world of TV technology can be a slightly confusing place even for those actively involved in it; the best advice I can offer is that when you’re considering investing in a new TV, spend as much time as possible researching your purchase and reading articles on the subject till you feel comfortable that you are making an informed decision.
*46”/55” models