Light emitting diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) are terms used to describe types of display technology.
LED monitors have longer lifespans and provide sharper and higher-quality images than LCD monitors.
This article will explain the meaning of LCD and LED in computing. It also discusses the 12 key differences between LED and LCD technology.
LCD, or “liquid crystal display,” refers to a flat display technology that is often used in computer monitors, instrument panels, cellular phones, video cameras, televisions, laptops, tablets, and calculators. These display devices support high-resolution image quality. LCDs supplanted the earlier cathode-ray tube (CRT) display technology; however, other display technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), have begun replacing LCDs in recent years.
LCDs are often seen on laptop computers and are available as active-matrix and passive-matrix displays. The RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, invented the LCD in 1964. 1970 saw the discovery of the twisted-nematic (TN) method of operation, which brought LCD to mainstream applications. Initially, LCD manufacturers offered small screens for portable items like watches and calculators.
Using a thin-film-transistor (TFT) array, Sharp Corporation presented a 14-inch active-matrix full-color, full-motion screen in 1988. Consequently, Japanese manufacturers like Hitachi established a bonafide — and eventually, burgeoning — LCD business. Personal computers were the first to adopt large LCD screens, followed by television receivers.
LCDs utilize an active or passive matrix for their display grid. Active-matrix LCDs are frequently referred to as thin-film transistor (TFT) displays. A passive matrix LCD comprises a matrix of conductors containing pixels at each junction. A current is delivered through two conductors in the matrix to regulate the light for each pixel.
A transistor is situated at every pixel intersection in an active matrix, using a lower current to adjust the brightness of a pixel. Therefore, the power in an active-matrix screen may be turned on and off more often, enhancing the panel’s refresh rate.
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A LED display is a flat-panel video display that employs an arrangement of light-releasing diodes as pixels. Due to their brilliance, these devices can even be utilized outside, where any visual output is apparent even in sunlight — for store signage and billboards. Modern computer displays use a mix of LCDs and LEDs to illuminate the display regardless of ambient lighting conditions.
LED stands for light-emitting diode; when current travels through such diodes, it produces light. In the semiconductor material within an LED, electrons reunite with electron holes, emitting energy as photons. This is the foundational principle of LEDs and LED screens.
LEDs have several benefits compared to incandescent light systems, such as reduced power consumption, longer lifespan, enhanced physical durability, smaller size, and quicker switching.
The LEDs on an LED display are tightly spaced. By adjusting the luminosity of every LED, the diodes collectively produce a picture on display.
To generate a vibrant color image, the concepts of additive color mixing are used, in which new colors are made by combining various colors of light. A LED display comprises red, green, and blue LEDs arranged in a predetermined pattern. These three hues come together to create a pixel. A LED device can create billions of colors by altering the diode’s intensity. When seen from a fixed distance, the arrangement of colored pixels on an LED display appears as an image.
In 1927, the first LED was invented by the Russian inventor Oleg Losev. Only infrared, red, and yellow LEDs were implementable for many years. These diodes were used in various gadgets — from remotes to alarm clocks.
In 1994, the Japanese physicist Shuji Nakamura developed a functional blue LED. Soon after, green and white LEDs emerged, setting the groundwork for the boom of LED applications in illumination and screen technologies.
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To sum up, light emitting diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) are terms used to describe types of display technology. Technically speaking, LED uses a backlight technology instead of a fluorescent tube. LED monitors have longer lifespans and provide sharper and higher-quality images than LCD monitors.
The twelve key differences between LED and LCD are explained in detail:
1. Working
LCD LEDAs its name suggests, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels employ liquid crystals to toggle pixels on and off to expose a certain color.
Liquid crystals are analogous to a combination of a liquid and a solid in which an electric current may be used to alter its form to trigger a certain response. These liquid crystals may be compared to window blinds.
When the window blinds are open, light may readily enter the room. In LCDs, whenever the crystals are positioned in a particular manner, they no longer let that light pass through. The LCD panel’s back is responsible for transmitting light through the screen.
Positioned in front of the light is a display of red, green, or blue-colored (RGB) pixels. Liquid crystals are essential for electrically activating or deactivating a filter to disclose or conceal a specific color in a pixel.
This implies that LCD panels function by blocking light originating from the rear of the screen, as opposed to CRT screens, which generate their own light. This enables LCD monitors and televisions to use far less energy when compared to cathode ray tube (CRT) models. In 2007, LCD televisions eclipsed CRT televisions in worldwide revenues for the first time.
LEDs are semiconductor devices that utilize the laws of quantum physics to convert electricity into light energy. As electrons migrate from upper to lower states, they generate photons containing energy. The term for this phenomenon is electroluminescence.
LED screens are composed of a thin layer of semiconductor material that has been highly distorted (i.e., with impurities inserted to regulate processes). Gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, gallium arsenide phosphide, and gallium indium nitride may be used as an LED’s semiconductor.
In an LED, the diodes are forward-oriented, allowing current flow in the forward direction. This permits the electrons in the semiconductor’s conduction band to recombine with the hole in the valence band (or the most distant electron orbit within an atom).
Consequently, whenever the recombining of holes and electrons releases a significant quantity of energy in the form of heat and light, this energy is used to create photons. The photons then produce monochromatic or single-color light.
As a result of the LED screen’s thin semiconductor layer, photons may readily escape the junction and radiate outward, resulting in a vivid, multicolored display.
2. Backlighting
LCD LEDLCDs use fluorescent lighting to display images on the screen by illuminating the crystal solution, which blocks or allows light to pass through to create the images.
They require a source of light as they do not produce light themselves. Traditionally, cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) provided a light source in LCDs but have been replaced by other sources such as LEDs or electroluminescent panels (ELPs).
Backlighting is a form of illumination used in LED and LCDs to illuminate the display on the screen. Display devices such as monitors or televisions would offer low-quality or dim images without a backlight.
Unlike LCDs, LED displays produce light of their own. They use light-emitting diodes as a source of light to illuminate the crystal solution from behind to create images on the screen.
3. The type and positioning of lighting
LCD LEDLCDs require a light source to illuminate the crystals to create images on the screen as they do not produce light like other displays, such as plasma or cathode ray tube displays. This light source can either be behind the screen or at the edge, depending on the type of screen.
Importantly, LCDs usually have a light source placed behind the screen.
Unlike LCDs, a device may emit light from behind or the edges of LED monitors.
Direct-lit LED displays emit light from the back. This type of lighting eliminates the need for a separate backlight, resulting in a more energy-efficient display. When the light source is located on the edge of the screen, it is known as an edge-lit LED display.
In this type, the light can be directed toward the center of the display by using a light guide plate to ensure that light is spread evenly.
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4. Image quality at different viewing angles
LCD LEDA viewing angle refers to the maximum angle at which consumers can view a display monitor with an acceptable visual performance. Outside this angle, the monitor displays images with poor contrast, brightness, or blurs.
Manufacturers of LEDs and LCDs face the challenge of reducing the rate of change of hue and saturation while retaining the RGB percentage of a particular image irrespective of angular position with respect to the center of the screen.
In general, LED displays have a wider viewing angle than LCDs of up to 178 degrees, enabling consumers to see images clearly from different angles.
The viewing angles supported by LEDs are less than LCDs, influencing the image quality in certain conditions. LEDs have a viewing angle of 120-160 degrees.
It is important to note that the image quality of LED displays may not be as good as that of LCDs when viewed from a regular, vertical angle.
5. Application in video walls
LCD LEDVideo walls are also known as display walls. Modern video walls use tiled LCD panels, direct LED tiles, or rear-projection tubes to minimize the dead pixel space between different displays.
Video walls of several tiled LCD panels have a narrow viewing angle and offer high resolution with vibrant colors. However, they are not as bright as those made of LED displays and are thus suitable for control rooms.
Video walls made of several direct LED tiles have a wide viewing angle and offer high-resolution images with accurate colors. These bright video walls suit outdoor spaces such as stadiums, concert halls, and shopping centers.
While LCD tiles have bezels that cause gaps and visual barriers, LED tiles have excellent uniformity with no bezel appearance, making LEDs a popular choice for video walls.
6. Gaming applications
LCD LEDConsider a monitor with low response time, high refresh rates, in-plane switching (IPS) panel technology, and a high dynamic video (HDR) feature – it would be the ideal display for gaming. LCDs cannot perform lag behind LEDs in this regard but are also cheaper.
Although LED and LCD monitors can provide gamers with an immersive gaming experience, they exhibit differences in performance.
Gamers should strive to get value for money by striking the right balance between performance and price.
LED monitors have higher refresh rates, resulting in better performance with minimal lag and ghosting issues in graphic-intensive games. They have IPS panels that display colors with greater accuracy, a wider color gamut, and dimming capabilities.
An LED monitor with high-display resolution (HDR) technology is a plus as it produces astounding-quality game images. They also have lower average response times, which allows for more distinct motion.
Ultimately, one should consider buying LED monitors for the best gaming experience as they score higher than LCD monitors in these essential parameters.
7. Picture quality
LCD LEDFactors such as resolution, color accuracy, brightness, contrast, and viewing angle affect the picture quality in LED and LCDs.
It is important to note that LCD monitors produce good-quality images, though not as great as LEDs. However, their image quality reduces when viewed at vertical angles, a parameter where LCDs can outperform LEDs.
LED monitors produce pictures of higher quality as they outperform LCD in most parameters apart from viewing angles.
For instance, in terms of color accuracy, full-color LED monitors have a wider color gamut, ensuring less color distortion and producing realistic images. They also display images with higher brightness and contrast.
LED monitors also have higher refresh and rendering rates, producing sharper and clearer images.
8. Differences in energy efficiency
LCD LEDThe power consumption of LED and LCDs vary depending on the display’s resolution, screen size, build quality, the brightness of the screen, and power-saving settings. Older LCD models that use cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlighting consume more energy than modern LCD models with LED-backlit LCDs.
Monitors with bigger screens and higher resolutions consume more power. Also, monitors displaying animation with a lot of motion consume more energy than static pictures. Similarly, the higher the screen brightness settings, the more power is consumed.
When all factors are held constant, including usage by consumers, LED monitors are more energy efficient than LCD monitors as they use less power to produce the same amount of light.
Additionally, consumers could activate power-saving modes to save more energy.
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9. Environmental friendliness
LCD LEDEnvironmental friendliness refers to the impact of LCD, and LED displays on the environment during production, use, and disposal. LEDs and LCDs affect the environment significantly, especially considering how they are manufactured and disposed of after use by consumers.
Compared to older models that used cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), LCDs are environmentally friendly as they consume less power and last longer, reducing waste.
However, LCDs contain trace amounts of mercury which are harmful to the environment and contribute to pollution after disposal.
Of the two, LED displays can be considered the more environmentally friendly option as they weigh less, thus consuming less fuel during delivery.
They also consume less power and have a longer working lifespan. LCDs contain trace amounts of mercury which are harmful to the environment and contribute to pollution after disposal.
10. Shelf life
LCD LEDWhen considering what type of display to buy, especially a TV monitor or a workstation display, it is critical to consider how long it will last.
LCD and LED monitors generally have relatively long lifespans as they do not have moving parts (like hard-disk drives) that suffer from wear and tear. The average shelf life of an LCD is 50,000 hours.
LEDs have the longest expected working life of up to 100,000 hours. Exposing LED monitors to high temperatures and humidity may shorten their lifespan. This results from diodes degrading much faster when exposed to high temperatures.
The type of content you consume can also affect the lifespans of your display monitor. For example, working on graphics-heavy tasks like computer-aided design (CAD), with lots of color variation for extended periods, will impact the diode’s life, resulting in a shorter lifespan.
11. Price point and affordability
LCD LEDLCD monitors are certainly more affordable than LED monitors. This is because they have been around the markets for longer and have lower production costs.
The prices of both LCD and LED monitors also increase with increased screen size and resolution. Different models and manufacturers also have different prices for their monitors.
LED monitors are expensive as they incorporate cutting-edge technologies, including IPS panels and edge-lit backlights, and consume less energy. Additionally, the intended use of the LED monitor can drive up the price.
For instance, gaming LED monitors are more expensive than a typical workstation display used by a web developer, as they are built and optimized to handle even the most intensive graphics to provide gamers with an immersive experience with hyperrealistic images.
12. Differences in size and shape
LCD LEDManufacturers make LCDs using standard shapes and sizes, which limits consumers to fewer selections. Unlike LEDs, therefore, LCDs do not have applications in areas like digital signage.
Moreover, LCDs with CCFL backlighting have thicker monitors as they take up more space than LED monitors that are equipped with backlighting technology.
Consumers have a wide range of shapes of LED displays to choose from to meet their needs. They can purchase creative LEDs like the ball LED display, the curved LED display, the flexible LED display, or the foldable LED display.
Further, edge-lit LED monitors are even thinner than back-lit LED monitors.
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Takeaway
Despite dramatic advancements in display technology (e.g., the rise of organic LED or OLED), both LCD and LED remain a staple in computing displays. LEDs are used more for televisions and signage, while LCD screens are a staple in regular workstations and desktops. However, even LED monitors are reasonably priced today, making it harder for IT managers to choose. By knowing the differences between LED and LCD technology, you can make the right decision for your needs.
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