Choosing a perfect display is always challenging since there are many options. Fret not! Read on and decide what’s best for you.
Whenever we think about buying a TV, the first question we ask ourselves is which type of display we should go with.
At that moment, we always find ourselves in tough situations because the market is flooded with options, with new technologies making their way in as we speak of them.
Normally, it’s essential to know about any display’s primary features, pros & cons, current and future relevance, impact on the eyes, etc., as this makes the buying easier.
So, here we are with the current technologies to help you with that confusion.
Types of TV Display Technologies
There are several types of TV display technologies available in the market. In this section, we’ve talked about all mainstream TV display types, such as LED, LCD, OLED, and more.
LED
The first TV display technology we’re going to talk about is LED, also known as Light Emitting Diodes.
This uses semiconductors and electroluminescence to produce light. It’s made up of RGB light-emitting diodes or RGB LEDs. These RGB LEDs are placed in a fixed pattern which directly converts the energy into lights. It’s also known as an updated version of Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs).
One thing that’s worth mentioning is that this TV display type consumes very less energy and produces less heat. Due to this, it’s known as Cold Light Technology. LED displays are used in calculators, telephones, radios, watches, remote controls, traffic lights, etc.
In other terms, more than 15 years. But the lifespan of LED displays also depends on other factors such as weather, design, power, content, and others.
The reality is, your (LED) screen can often last significantly longer than 100,000 hours.
Kevin Izatt, Senior Product Manager at Samsung Display division
Additionally, the LED display tech provides great picture quality compared to other TV displays, especially LCDs. Moreover, they can be viewed perfectly from all angles without any distortion.
LED displays have been in the market for several decades now, and it’s still in demand because of their characteristics, such as HD perfect quality, high refresh rate, less power consumption, and more. This shows that it’s going to be in demand for years. According to The Market Insights, the LED display market is expected to touch $1979 billion by 2028.
| Pros | Cons |
| Slim & Lightweight | Contrast Ratio is inconsistent |
| Improved Viewing Angles | |
| Energy Efficient | |
| Longer Life Span | |
| No Heat Is Generated | |
| Thin and Lightweight | |
| Option To Dim Backlights | |
| Easily Repairable |
LCD
LCD, also known as Liquid Crystal Display, is a flat panel display that uses liquid crystals to create images. LCDs are an alternative to popular TV display types, like LED and Gas Plasma Displays (GPDs). The working of LCDs is different from other displays, as LCDs work on the principle of blocking lights instead of emitting lights.
LCDs are either made up of a passive matrix or an active matrix display grid. In particular, smartphone displays are mostly made up of the active matrix display grid. This is because the current in this grid type turns on and off more quickly and frequently, which improves the screen refresh rate.
LCDs are also used in televisions. But they’re also used in monitors, phones, instrument panels, airplane cockpits, signages, billboards, watches, digital cameras, electronic clocks, etc.
According to a report by DBRM, the LCD market was valued at $14860 billion in 2021 and is now expected to reach $142283 billion by 2029. After viewing the statistics, use cases, and pros, we can say that LCDs have a huge market, and they are going to be there for a long time.
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) come in different viewing qualities or resolutions, such as QXGA, WQXGA, 2K, 4K, 8K, and more. Also, according to a Harvard University Health section, blue lights emitting from LCD displays don’t harm the eyes. But one of the drawbacks of this display type is that it doesn’t offer good viewing angles.
Lastly, LCDs last up to 50,000 hours or 5 years, which is half of the lifespan of LED displays.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good Response Rate | Limited Viewing Angles |
| Produce Bright Images | Uneven Backlighting |
| Perfect Sharpness at the Default Resolution | High Color Saturation |
| Low Refresh Rate | |
| Loses Some of the contrast in High Temperature |
OLED
The next popular TV display technology is OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diode. OLEDs are also called emissive displays, as each pixel works individually and produces its light.
OLED displays are thinner and more flexible. Because of this, they’re used in foldable and flip phones. Not only this, this display type offers better-viewing angles. All the colors look balanced and offer an outstanding viewing experience from all angles because of their unique working. This also makes OLED displays’ response times faster.
One of the best parts about OLEDs is that they’re comforting to the eyes, as they better manage contrast, black areas, and shadows. But one of the drawbacks of OLED displays is that they aren’t as cheap as LED and LCD displays. Also, they get easily damaged by water because it’s made up of organic materials, which are too sensitive to water.
Moving ahead, according to the US Department of Energy’s report, OLED displays can last 40,000 hours at 25% brightness, 25,000 hours at 50% brightness, and 10,000 hours at 100% brightness. Also, they’re used in phones, TVs, and smartwatches. So, there’s no doubt the future of OLED displays is bright as they a high market demand and many use cases.
Also, OLED display market is expected to touch $286560 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 23.2%. Earlier, it was valued at $81950 million in 2022. This shows that this display technology is here to say with plenty of support in the coming future.
Earlier OLEDs used to be prone to burn-in issues where a static image, like a channel logo, menu, etc., used to stick at a particular part of the screen no matter what you’re playing. But now, most manufacturers take preventive measures in their OLEDs to stop burn-in. Still, some users report this issue with their displays after years of use.
| Pros | Cons |
| Better Viewing Angles | Short Lifespan |
| Energy-Efficient | Very Sensitive to Water |
| Fast Response Time | Expensive |
| Thin & Flexible | Luminance Degradation over time |
| Perfect Blacks and Infinite Contrast Ratio | |
| Bright and Sharper |
QNED
QNED, also known as Quantum-Dot Nano-Emitting Diode. It’s basically filter-based technology displays. Samsung has already developed a similar display type, called QLED, also known as Quantum-Dot Light Emitting Diode. Due to this, the working of both displays is also similar. QNED displays are made up of Quantum dots, Mini LED backlights, and LG’s own NanoCell technology to provide rich and more vibrant colors.
But one thing that makes QNEDs different from QLEDs is an additional NanoCElls filter ahead of the Quantum Dot layer. It absorbs the unwanted light emitted from the Quantum Dot layer to reduce color distortion and provide a great viewing experience from all angles.
Besides, QNED displays come with Mini LED backlight technology, which improves the brightness and contrast ratios.
Other than this, we can’t say much about QNED displays’ life expectancy, as it’s a new display technology.
Also, it’s pretty difficult to predict QNED displays’ future, as Samsung has already developed a similar display type with similar features. No doubt, QNEDs are going to be around for several years. But it has to have some unique characteristics to dominate QLED displays.
| Pros | Cons |
| Deeper blacks | Not much different than OLED TVs |
| Uses NanoCell Panel Tech | |
| Build of Mini Led Technology |
NanoCell
NanoCell is a display technology by LG. LG introduced this display technology in its LG NanoCell TV to compete with OLED displays.
This working of NanoCell displays is similar to LCD and LED displays’ working, as all three TV display technologies work with the help of backlights.
But one thing that makes it different from other TV display technologies is its additional layer of nanoparticles, which works on improving the richness and accuracy of colors on the display. In this case, NanoCell display technology is quite similar to QLED displays.
The additional color filter works and eliminates the unwanted light wavelengths to enhance the RGB colors displayed on the screen. Due to this reason, NanoCell displays are also known for offering a more vivid image from all viewing angles.
Some NanoCell displays also come with Full-Array Local Dimming (Fald) technology which automatically dims the backlighting on the TV in dark surroundings to make black scenes properly visible. This also improves the dynamic range of the display, like OLEDs.
NanoCell displays are currently used in televisions only by LG, as it’s patented by them only. Also, as it’s quite new, it’s difficult to quote its current market share. But we can surely say that this display type will be around for a long time, and we’ll see a lot of improvements in it in the coming years.
It also has some cons, such as its comparatively thick, suffers from high power consumption, etc. One thing that’s worth mentioning is that NanoCell displays can last up to 100,000 hours, which is more than 11 years.
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers Better Image Quality | Thick in Size |
| Shows Accurate Colors | Consumes High Power |
| Dynamic Range | Blacks Are Not As Dark |
| Doesn’t Fade Like Traditional LCD Screens | |
| Wide-Angle Viewing | |
| No Burn-In Effect | |
| Better Response Time | |
| Less Motion Blur |
Conclusion
There are different kinds of TV display technologies available in the market. All display technologies work differently, due to making a choice among them becomes quite complicated.
In this guide, we covered some mainstream display technologies and discussed their functioning, features, pros & cons, life expectancy, impact on the eyes, current market size, and much more.
So, we hope this guide helped you learn about popular TV display technologies with ease.
