What is all the new hype about these new TV's? It seems as if we all just got use to LCD's and we all are happy with what they can do for our entertainment. Everyone is talking about how great LED TVs are and all the amazing things they can do. What is the difference between a LED TV and a traditional plasma or LCD? I didn’t think that it could get any better. Why should you buy one over the others? I had all of these questions when I went to the national electronics show and hopefully I can answer some of your questions about LED technology. I am always interested in new technology and how companies are creating new ways and developing new technologies to better existing products on the market. I also find it very responsible of some large companies that are taking the initiative to helping the environment and considering the life cycle of the product they produce.

With the television industry we are seeing a huge connection to the computer. The two industries are branching closer and closer together. The original idea of the web TV is soon going to become a major media entertainment center in millions of homes across America. Especially with this new type of TV, the LED TV's are able to do the first basic computer capabilities. These first capabilities are like: viewing pictures on a memory card or thumb drive, or going online with built in wireless connectivity. The use of your TV is not only going to be to just watch shows or movies anymore. It will soon become the major home entertainment center.

The first things that the new LED TV's have (that they are basically forced to have) is to have the standard perks that the competition LCD'S and plasma's have. Things like: high definition, Full HD 1080p, wireless capabilities, and all the numerous inputs that support the new high definition capabilities like HDMI. With the branch from TVs to having computer capabilities we are seeing that TVs are virtually using the exact same technologies found in computer monitors. This sharing of technologies between the two industries is the final driving force to merge the TV with the computer. If you want more basic specifics on the technologies used in either industry you should check out Computer Monitors.     

These new LED TV's use LED backlight technology to provide you with a crisp clear picture. Well what does this mean? Basically the LED TV utilizes LEDs (or Light Emitting Diodes) to light up the screen. Right now they are laid out in two ways. The first is having the LEDs spaced out along the entire back of the TV. This provides the best color delivery as well as the more continuous light projection for the viewer. This is a more expensive way to make these LED TV's though. The cost seems to sky rockets due to the fact that more LEDS are required in the manufacturing process. The mass production of this layout would not make the LED TV's achievable for the average consumer. The more common way to make these LED TVs is to line the LEDs along the edge of the screen and project the light toward the center of the screen. This is an amazing way to provide the same amount of clarity and vibrant colors and still keeping the LED TV's costs comparable to the older rivals LCD and Plasma TVs.

              The use of LEDs has another huge benefit. Other than containing no mercury unlike Plasma and LCD TV's, the LED technology also does not use fluorescent tubes to light the screen. This means that that entire part off the TV is non-existent meaning that LED TV's can save space. The smaller each actual LED is, the smaller that the TV can be. We see this as a direct effect in LED TVs being paper thin. This is an amazing jump in the technology industry not only for more capabilities for the screens but also more options in hanging and viewing the screens. Since LEDs are smaller than a traditional fluorescent tube they also save on power which will be covered next.   

Energy saving has become very important in our society. We are becoming more and more aware of how important it is for use to be energy conscience and how if directly affects our environment. Large corporations are also becoming more environmentally friendly and starting to consider the exact impact of the products that they are producing. From the plastic production that their product is made of to the effect that transporting that product to the consumer has on the environment. Saving energy is climbing he list of importance to many large corporations due to the pressure that the government is putting on them to cut down on energy usage. Incentives are out there for these companies along with new laws. Corporations are being forced to research and develop further into energy saving otherwise they can't even bring their product to the consumer unless it meets a particular energy standard.   

              With the use of LED technology, the energy requirements are unbelievable when compared to past TV technology energy usages. One of the most amazing features that Samsung is proud of is their new LED TV uses 40% less energy than an LCD at the same screen size. That is amazing when you start to think about the amount of hours our TV's are on every day. A savings like that in every household is going to make a huge difference not only in our wallets but in our environment as well.  

Well like anything else the newest and the greatest technologies that are out in the market will be the most expensive in comparable to competitors like the LCD or Plasma. Rule of thumb is that Plasmas and LCDs will run about $600 - $900 cheaper than the new LED TVs. Most people don’t mind that difference when you look at the whole picture. When you are spending a couple thousand on a TV that will last you at least 5- 10 years what is a $600 difference. You also need to look at the energy that you will be saving for all those long hours of watching movies and football games. That extra $600 - $900 will be saved easily in time. Let's look at the average price ranges for the different sizes for LED TVs:

                                                 32" - 40" $1,399-$1,899

                                                 46" - 55" $1,999-$3,600

As time goes on the connection between our personal computers and our TVs are going to grow stronger and stronger until they literally merge. The industry is heading for our TV sets to become major multimedia powerhouses. With new technologies like this new LED technology we have more possibilities available to us and the merger between computers and TVs become more apparent. This is truly a great technology that not only betters the industry as a whole for the user but also saves power and helps with less impact on the environment.