What is LED TV backlight and why it matters for picture quality?

LED TV backlight is a system of light-emitting diodes placed behind or around the edges of an LCD panel to illuminate the screen and create visible images. Since LCD panels cannot produce light themselves, LED backlights shine through liquid crystal layers and colour filters to display pictures. It matters because LED backlights determine picture brightness, contrast ratio, colour accuracy, and overall viewing experience.

Backlight LED

There are three different types of LED backlight systems:

– Edge-lit LED: LEDs are positioned around the screen’s perimeter, allowing for a thinner TV design. However, they are known to have uneven brightness and limited local dimming

– Full Array LED: LEDs are distributed across the entire back panel for an even light distribution and better local dimming

– Mini LED: With thousands of tiny LEDs placed across the back panel, they offer precise brightness control and excellent contrast. They are expensive and compete with OLED

LED backlight

LED backlights offer many advantages, with a higher LED count leading to brighter displays, while quality LEDs improve colour accuracy. They consume less power and can last for over 50,000 hours with minimal degradation. With features like full-array local dimming, HDR improvement, deeper blacks, and reduced blooming, they enhance picture quality and the overall viewing experience.

It matters because the LED backlight makes even illumination, improved viewing angles, faster response, and HDR compatibility possible. They offer higher peak brightness than OLED and better colour than older fluorescent tubes. Modern TVs like QLED TVs use LED backlights with quantum dot enhancement.

FAQs

Q1: Can LED TV backlights be repaired or replaced?

A: Yes, failed LED strips can be professionally replaced, though repair costs can be as much as half the price of a new TV.

Q2: How to know if LED backlights are failing?

A: Look for signs like dark spots, uneven brightness, flickering, or a complete screen failure while audio continues to play normally.

ALSO READ: LCD TVs vs LED TVs: Are they truly different?

LED TV backlights are illumination systems that determine brightness, contrast, and colour quality. While there are three types, full array and mini LED technologies offer superior performance.