LED Television
2010 UPDATE
Samsung has come out with a thin PLASMA television now that is very competitive in price. It is the Samsung PN50B850 Ultra-thin 50" 1080p plasma HDTV and it is just as thin as the LED TV's.
I bought this television because the picture is great and I love the fact that is is so thin and light for a 50 inch flat screen.
A word of warning for anyone buying a thin LED or plasma: THE SOUND WILL SUCK! This is because there is not enough room to put good speakers in a thin TV. I opted to buy one of the BOSE sound systems and hook it up and I am glad I did. The Bose sounds great but the speakers on the thin television really put put an inferior sound.
One more warning: I have read reviews of the PN50B850 where people have complained about a "buzzing" noise that comes from the TV. In fact, if you do a search on Google about it, you will find a lot of people that love the TV and the picture but they all have the same buzzing sound complaint. I guess I am lucky that there is no buzzing with my TV but maybe that is because I have the Bose sound system hooked to it and don't have the sound from the TV's speakers turned on.
The Evolution of the Flat Screen
Ever since flat screens have come out, the choice has always been between plasma and LCD. Plasma was the first TV's came out first and that was your only choice if you were one of the first to buy a flat screen. Then LCD was offered and it soon became more popular than plasma although it is hard to tell the difference. Plasma sets have the capability of giving a better picture than LCD but they dont last as long. Now days if you go in a store, you will have a hard time finding any plasma sets at all as LCD has clearly won the battle. But now comes the new LEC television.
Plasma to LCD to LED
If you go into a Best Buy right now, you will see on display for the firsst time is a beautiful flat screen that is LED powered. This LED TV is made by Samsung and they are just out in the marketplace. These are the thinnest sets you have ever seen and your jaw may drop when you take a look at it from the side. These sets are typically about 1.2 inches thick and if you were ever worried about the weight of your set and hesitated to install one on the wall, this LED version is for you.
The thinness of the flat screen isn't the only great advantage of these LED TV's. The brightness, crispness, and clarity of the picture and colors is by far the best I have ever seen. The picture jumps out at you and is truly amazing. I mean, seriously, it rocks!
LED Television Technology
LED televisions are really LCD TV's with LED backlighting. LEDs are really amall light bulbs that are lit by electrons moving around in semiconductor material. This new technology is brand new and right now it is more expensive than the alternatives. Unfortunately, the 46 inch set I saw at Best Buy cost around $2,500 which is substantially more than a regular LCD model.
LED backlighting allows the flat screens to be substantially thinner and this new backlighting technique makes for a way better picture. LED televisions are here to stay though an as more and more of them are produced, the prices will come down just like they always do.
This new LED backlighting is great for laptops because it uses less energy than the LCD screens and it will use much less battery life. LED televisions use about 40% less energy than plasma or LCD.
If you are in your local Best Buy or similar type store, make sure to take a look at the new LED televisions. You won't be dissappointed.