If there is one single thing on which we spend most of our time looking is the screen. Mobiles, computers, smart watches, car displays, and TV. We are surrounded by screens all the time. One of the key selling points of today’s TV and mobile is often the display. From LCD and LED to Oled and Amoled, the choice is endless. Some claim a resolution of up to 8k while others 4k. But what does that even mean? In this article, we shall look at the different kinds of displays which are offered and implemented across various devices.
Liquid crystal display
Popularly known as LCD, uses liquid crystal technology to generate an image. It consists of flat panels along with crystals that can change their property under the influence of electric current. This panel is a sandwich between glass or plastic layers. In the form of a crystal panel, there is another layer of polarizers through which the light passes before reaching the view.
LED
LED is very similar to LCD, they practically work on the same technology. The only difference is in backlit technology. LCD uses fluorescent light while the LED is light emitting diodes as a backlight source. LED displays are cheaper, power efficient as well and provide shaper and better image quality than LCD.
Mini LED
The name speaks for itself. It is also a LED display just with a different size of LED used. This means instead of hundreds of LEDs installed in a display there will be thousands of them present. Smaller LED means the display will have the ability to create higher contrast images. It will also be able to sharply differentiate between bright and dark regions of an image.
OLED
As you might have guessed from the name, they are working on light-emitting diode technology. Here the addition of “O” is for the word organic. When it comes to OLED every lead present works independently. This is made possible by linking all pixels [LED] to an electroluminescent layer. Hence it is also referred to as an emissive tech while LED displays are considered transmissive technology.
Due to the compounds that are used in an OLED display, they are much thinner and also make them flexible enough to cure. As each pixel operates independently OLED screens can attain a perfect black screen. While displaying an image the pixels which make up the image will be lit, and the rest will be blacked out. Hence giving extremely sharp and high-contrast images.
Micro LED
At first, it might seem like it I just a smaller version of a mini LED but that’s not the case. Mini LED displays work on LCD technology. Micro LEDs are made based on OLED technology. These Displays consists of millions of micro LED. Each of them represents a pixel, which means the number of LEDs present is the same as the number of pixels present.
QLED
Quantum light emitting diode or QLED for short. Quantum dots are nanoparticles that can range from 2 nanometers to 10 nanometers. The size of the dot determines the color it will project. The smaller ones can focus on blue while the larger ones focus on red. These quantum dots are capable of producing extremely saturated and precise primary colors. If you are looking for a display with the best colors and sharpness then QLED is the one to go with.
Bottom line
From the traditional cathode ray tube television, popularly known as box T.V. to the QLED last few decades revolutionized our digital entertainment experience. With the introduction to Artificial intelligence and virtual reality, it will be interesting to see the next big change in the way we interact with our digital life.
8K or 4K not sure what the difference is. Does aspect ratio matter when buying a monitor? Read our article here to know the importance of Resolution and aspect ratio of a screen.