LED revolution
The light-emitting diode, or LED as it is more commonly referred to, is a vacuum tube or a semiconductor that, when attached to a power source, is capable of generating high intensities of light. Because they are energy efficient and quite versatile, LEDs currently figure in a myriad of modern devices, from the backlights of many cellular phones to various light sources found in automobiles.
Televisions, as well, are now a part of that long list of LED dependent gizmos. Long gone are the days of black and white sets with picture tubes; LEDs have infiltrated yet another powerful medium of information and entertainment.
At the forefront of this technological breakthrough is South Korean electronics maker Samsung with their Series 6 and 7 LED TVs, now locally available. This is an innovation for true television lovers who nonetheless care about non-renewable resources and the environment. In other words, this set saves on energy costs while you wonder if that aquarium in the living room isn’t just your LED TV tuned to the aquarium channel.
Okay, let’s get something straight, though: Just for clarification, the Samsung Series 6 and 7 LED televisions are still technically LCD (liquid crystal display) sets. The difference lies in the method by which they are lit. Standard LCD televisions employ the use of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) while LED TVs are illuminated by light emitting diodes which shine through the LCD. Still utilizing liquid crystal displays and pixels, it is safe to say that the new Samsung Series 6 and 7 are hybrids of the conventional LCD television.
Simply changing the backlight, however, does result in some dramatic changes for the better. LED-backlit TVs produce brighter images with greater contrast, producing blacker blacks and whiter whites as compared to normal LCD sets. The color gamut (or the range of colors that are available) is also much wider on an LED TV, resulting in richer, deeper shades and tones. Black, white, and the entire color palette are usually the Achilles’ heel of normal LCD TVs, with colors oftentimes looking washed out and monochromes looking more like shades of grey rather than black or white. Samsung’s Series 6 and 7 LED TV line improves on these shortcomings, resulting in stunning and accurate picture quality. Accompanied by Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation technology and Mega Contrast technology, viewers will enjoy true vivid video in high definition with reduced motion blur and image judder.
Upping the ante, Samsung’s LED TV shows how it can be an all-around device with the Medi@2.0 solution pack, combining Content Library, USB 2.0 Movie, and DLNA Wireless technologies. These allow users to enjoy stored content from external sources (such as USBs and external hard drives,) enjoy PC-based music, video, and pictures using DLNA Wireless, or even content directly streaming from the Internet. The LED TV can even be programmed to double as an intelligent picture frame, scrolling through photos uploaded into the machine from outside sources.
Perhaps the most endearing selling factor of Samsung’s Series 6 and 7 sets is that they are environment friendly. Since they no longer have CCFLs for backlighting, these TVs are completely mercury free. The use of LEDs also means for exceptionally low power consumption levels, about a 40-percent reduction compared to traditional LCD TVs. In comparison, the average lifespan of a CCFL LCD TV is 60,000 viewing hours while that of an LED TV is 40,000 hours. The difference of time is made up for with more or less five-years of savings in power consumption. Furthermore, these TVs also do not use lead to attach any of the components, making the recycling process much safer and easier to manage.
As a new technology, however, these things are not exactly cheap. It will take a few years for them to become “affordable” and some more years after that for them to become “cheap.” By that time, there’ll probably be some kind of cosmic TV that is backlit by energies derived from the Sun and other stars in the Milky Way.
Right now, though, Samsung’s Series 6 and 7 LED TVs are pretty neat. These do not disappoint in the area of entertainment and the full TV experience and at the same time, take steps towards promoting greener technology.
It’s both technological and environmental, packed into a frame that’s just over an inch in width.
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For more information on Samsung’s Series 6 and 7 LED TVs, visit Abenson Avant in Trinoma, Greenbelt 4, and Alabang Town Center. You may also call telephone numbers +632-758-2315 to 20 or +632-901-3550 to 52.
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