LED TV Buying Guide

LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlighting is all the rage in the manufacture of LCD televisions these days. Though technically they are still LCD TVs, the term LED TV is being used to describe these new models. There are different LED backlighting models available. Some LED Tvs are using what is termed "local dimming" which is a panel of LED lights behind the screen that can be controlled individually or in banks to improve the contrast capabilities of the TV. Others are using LED edge lighting which is banks of LEDs around the edge of the screen, this allows for some amazingly thin LED TVs. Check back here for more of our LED TV content as we publish it.

Samsung UN55B8000 Review

There is nothing subdued about this LED TV, from its super thin good looks to its super saturated colors. Blacks are rich and deep and colors vibrant if not over powering at times. Some dark shadow detail is lost and and subtle color notes forgotten. But it's a colorful picture many will relish. See the full review for Picture, Value and Overall ratings as well a calibration settings.

Sony KDL-55XBR8 Review

The picture is certainly excellent especially the black levels, and viewing angles which are so important to viewing pleasure. Color information while not the best we've seen was also good. Drawbacks include the cabinet depth at 6 inches, the surprising poor audio quality from the built in speakers, and the occasional scaling mistake from lower resolutions. See the full review for Picture, Value and Overall ratings as well a calibration settings.

LED TV vs. LCD TV

Traditional LCDs have used some form of flourescent lighting from tubes to much more advanced flat arrays of lights. LED TVs use Light Emitting Diodes to light the LCD panel. Just as there are different styles of flourescent lights in traditional LCDs there are also different styles of LED backlighting. There are LED TVs like the Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 that have a panel of LED lights behind the LCD panel. In the Sony the LEDs are tri-colored and can be controlled in banks for an effect called "local dimming". This allows darker areas of the picture to have the backlighting dimmed behind them resulting in better contrast and black levels. In the Luxia line of Samsung LED TVs, the LED lights are surrounding the edge of the panel. Read more on LED vs LCD TV

LED TV vs. Plasma

New LED TV are changing the nature of how we view LCD TV in such a way that we must re-assess the advantages of LCD and Plasma over one another. All LED TVs contain an LCD display element (front panel). The difference of LED TVs lies in the backlight. Rather than the standard florescent backlighting systems of the past, LED TVs have LED bulbs (light emitting diode) as the backlight for the LCD panel. This has been a godsend for LCD TV manufacturers as it has allowed them to better compete in picture quality against plasma TV technology. Read more on LED vs Plasma

LED TV Technology Pros and Cons

The viewing angle on LCD Televisions with LED back lighting has improved dramatically to plasma-like levels of 75 degrees with no contrast level degradation on some of the best ones.
The black levels on the best new LED TVs has improved to plasma like black levels while contrast levels still lag the best plasmas buy hundreds of post calibration points
Brightness on LED based LCDs is better than the traditional flourescent bulbs

Read the rest of our LED TV pros and cons.

Samsung LED TV

The UNB8000 is the top of the line from Samsung, these LED TVs feature 240Hz refresh rates, LED backlighting, internet connectivity and anti-glare screens in a nearly 1" deep frame. Stepping down from the UNB8000 series is the UNB7000 series, these models offer many of the same features as the 8000's but feature a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung claims the "Eco-Friendly" UNB6000 series are more than 40% more energy efficient than other LCDs in their category.

Sony Bravia LED TV

Top of the line, local dimming LED TVs from Sony, the XBR8 series has great contrast and color from using the Triluminous RGB LED panel which contains banks of red, blue and green LEDs that can be individually controlled to enhance the picture rather than just providing backlighting.

Sharp LED TV

With the introduction of the LE700UN series, Sharp combines its AQUOS LCD panel technology with a newly developed, proprietary Full Array LED backlight system to create picture quality that is second to none. The LE700UN seires illustrates Sharp's LCD technology leadership while also demonstrating its LED engineering advantages. Sharp's Ultra Brilliant LED system illuminates the TV to extremely high brightness and contrast levels and enables significant environmental benefits such as longer life expectancy.

LG LED TV

The LH90 series is a line of high end LED TVs from LG for 2009. These TVs are 1080p panels that boast 240Hz TruMotion processing and are boasting 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The LH90 are another series of local dimming LED TVs where the indiviually adjustable backlighting enhances contrast and color over a normal backlight.

Toshiba LED TV

The ZV650 series Regza LCDs from Toshiba festue the new Deep Lagoon design. This series is available in 3 sizes at 42, 47 and 52 inch. All three sizes are LED backlit, 1080p, 120Hz panels and boast some of the new features Toshiba is pushing ths year. Clear Scan Advance Frame Technology is touted to use the LED backlighting to create a 240Hz refresh rate effect from a 120Hz panel.

Vizio LED TV

New for 2010 Vizio introduces the XVTPRO series of LED TVs. This model is equipped with local dimming LED backlights and 480Hz picture processing. Vizio's proprietary Smart Dimming technology controls hundreds of individual LED zones to provide greater contrast and color management than regular LCD or edge-lit LED panels. Also added to these new Vizio TVs is wireless HDMI.