New Tests: First LED TVs from Philps, Samsung

The end of 2008 has seen the arrival of a new breed of TVs that use LEDs, rather than lamps, for backlighting.

These new screens have been a long time coming but are eagerly-anticipated because they promise to take contrast ratios up to over 1 000 000:1.

Thousands of triplets of red, green and blue diodes light up independently to provide a white light behind different parts of the screen, replacing the ten or so tubes that featured in earlier LCD screens. 

The key advantage isn't brighter backlighting, but that the lighting of particular parts of the scren can be more closely controlled: the whole screen is divided up into dozens of zones which can each have a different level of brightness.

In very dark areas, the LEDs can be turned off, and in the brightest of areas, they are turned up as high as possible--elsewhere, they can be anywhere in between.

First Tests

The first models that we've had a chance to test come from Philips and Samsung respectively:

• The Philips 42PFL9803H sees the return of Philps' Ambilight technology, which back projects a gentle light onto the wall behind the screen.  Designed to complement the image currently on screen, it makes watching TV in the dark a more enticing prospect.

• Samsung's new A796 series has a very similar configuration, but comes without the Ambilight system.  For the time being, it is available in two sizes: 40''--the LE40A796--and 46''--the LE46A796.

> Product Survey: 40'' to 49'' TVs

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products