Today we will find various matrix backlight technologies on the TV market. In LED and QLED TVs, mainly two solutions are used – Direct LED (direct backlight) and Edge LED (edge backlight). Although Edge LED allows you to create slender and energy -saving TVs, its flaws can effectively spoil the pleasure of watching.
What are the disadvantages of the edge backlight?
Imagine the night scene in the film. On the TV with edge backlight instead of deep black we will see lighter stains by the edges of the screen, and the center will be darker. This effect, called “clouding”, It is particularly visible when watching movies in a darkened room. In addition, some models can be seen “blooming” effect, So glows around light objects on a dark background, which further worsens the image quality.
Where does Edge LED disappoint?
- Uneven backlight – This is the biggest problem for this technology. The further from the edge of the screen, the more visible the differences in the clarity of the image. It is worth emphasizing, however, that in the higher class models manufacturers use technologies that improve uniformity, although they do not eliminate the problem completely.
- HDR problems – HDR technology requires precise brightness control in various areas of the screen. Edge LED has a lot of difficulties with a limited number of backlight zones.
- Weaker contrast – The inability to precisely darken specific areas of the screen means that black will never be really deep.
- Shorter life – Due to the specific layout of LEDs, Edge LED TVs can lose faster on the quality of the backlight, which is manifested by the uneven aging of the screen.
What speaks in favor of Edge LED?
It would be unfair to silence the advantages of this technology:
- Slim construction – TVs with edge backlight can be thinner than Direct LED models.
- Lower power consumption – LEDs of LEDs translate into less energy consumption.
- Attractive price – This is the cheapest backlight technology, which translates into the final price of the TV.
Who should avoid Edge LED?
This technology will particularly disappoint:
- Cinema mates watching movies in a darkened room
- Players spending long hours in front of the screen
- People sensitive to image quality
- Film fans with a lot of dark scenes like horror movies or thrillers
Alternatives worth considering
A much better choice will be TV with Direct LED backlightwhere the diodes are located behind the entire surface of the screen. This ensures even backlight and better control over the brightness of individual areas of the image. It should be noted, however, that not every Direct LED is a synonym of great quality – local scale technology (FALD) plays a key role here. If the budget allows, it is worth considering a mini LED TV, which offers much more extinguishing zones and better contrast. OLED is also an alternative, where each pixel shines alone, providing perfect black and perfect contrast.
Source: Gazeta

Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.