LED, LCD and plasma TV: LED vs LCD vs plasma TVs LED TV

LED TV are available in many different sizes - this is the 19-inch Samsung UE19ES4000

What is LED technology in TVs?

LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have been around for decades, but their introduction into TV design and availability on the high street is a fairly recent development.

LED televisions are basically LCD TVs with one crucial difference – the handful of traditional back light lamps that illuminate the screen have been replaced by a larger number of smaller LEDs.

LED TVs still employ standard LCD TV technology; light from behind the screen is shone through the television screen's matrix of tiny coloured liquid crystal cells. Signals control each cell, letting varying amounts of colour through, and a picture is built up.

LED TV reviews - we test more LEDs than other types, see what we make of them.

Who makes LED TVs?

All the major television manufacturers have launched LED TV models. 

The technology has superceded LCD and plasma as the most common technology seen on today's TVs, and you can find small, portable LEDs right up to 55-inch screens and beyond.

What makes LED TVs so slim? 

There are basically two types of LED TVs - Edge-lit LED TVs and back-lit LED TVs. Edge models are simply those with the LED lighting placed around the the edge of the screen. Without the traditional bulky lamps at the back of the TV, edge LED models can be designed to be incredibly slim.