Backlight LED displays: Types, Pros, Cons and How To Choose

Our commonly used smart display devices such as cell phones, computers, TVs, etc. cannot be separated from backlight LED display. Its main role is to act as a light-emitting backdrop to help the LCD, which cannot emit light, to emit bright light. This article will give you a detailed introduction to the types of backlight LED display, connection and selection methods.

What are the types of backlight LED displays?

There are three main types of backlight LED displays: edge-lit LEDs, direct-lit LEDs, and full-array LEDs, so let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

Edge-Lit LEDs

As the name suggests, LEDs are placed at the edges of the screen, illuminating the screen through the surrounding edges.

Pros

• Thin and light design: Because it places the backlight at the edge, it makes the entire screen panel thinner and lighter, and we’ve seen a lot of thin and light computers and TVs with edge-lit LEDs.
• Energy saving: In-line LEDs only need to illuminate in a circle around the screen, which will definitely consume less power than full-array LEDs, and therefore will be relatively more energy efficient.
• Low cost: Edge-Lit LEDs are the least expensive of all backlight LED displays.

Cons

• Uniformity problem: Since in-line LEDs are illuminated from the edges to the inside of the screen, this will result in each area not receiving the same intensity of light, which will lead to uniformity problems.
• Lower contrast: When expressing brightness and blacks, the edge-lit LEDs are limited in their ability to illuminate the screen, so they are unable to express good blacks and have a lower contrast ratio.
• Glare problem: This is caused by an imbalance in uniformity. It is common to see glare, shadows, or grayish haze.

Direct-Lit LED

Direct-Lit LEDs are positioned directly behind the LCD panel, so it makes the center of the screen brighter. It performs better on larger screens.

The LED is located directly behind the light’s LCD panel. This setup allows the entire screen to be brighter compared to the edge lit LEDs. A straight-down backlight works better on large screens, where brightness and color accuracy need to be consistent. It also gives you better control over localized lowering areas, which increases brightness and improves overall picture quality.

Pros

• Better color performance: Because direct-Lit LEDs are able to illuminate more area, they are superior to edge-lit LEDs in terms of color performance.
• Better uniformity: Direct-Lit LEDs are able to illuminate a larger area and therefore have better uniformity.
• Effective localized dimming: Direct-Lit LEDs are able to better control localized brightness, thus exhibiting the best image quality.

Cons

• Thick and heavy design: The working principle of direct-lit LEDs makes them require more space behind them, their thickness and space cannot be saved.
• Higher energy consumption: Direct-lit LEDs require more LEDs to be placed than edge-lit LEDs, so they consume more energy.
• More heat: A larger number of LEDs means more heat will be generated, so direct-lit LEDs also need to be made with heat dissipation in mind.
• Heavier: Since it is larger, the final product produced will also be heavier.

Full Array LEDs

Full Array LEDs combine the advantages of edge-lit LEDs and Direct-lit LEDs by evenly spreading the LEDs behind the screen, thus solving the problem of thickness as well as realizing a good dimming effect, so it is usually used in high-end TVs or monitors.

Pros

• More precise dimming: Compared to the other two types of backlighting, full array LEDs provide more precise dimming, whether for a certain area or all areas.
• Superior color performance: It not only can perfectly reproduce colors, but also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), so the picture still performs perfectly even in large sizes.
• Long service life: Compared to traditional CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) backlighting, the service life of full array backlighting with LED beads is significantly increased. As long as the screen is not bumped or exposed to water, it will last longer than other types of screens.

Cons

• Higher cost: Full array LEDs overcome the problems of several other types of backlighting, so they are much more expensive to manufacture, ultimately resulting in a finished product that is much more expensive than other types.
• Higher energy consumption: Full-array LEDs require the use of more LED beads, so the energy consumed is naturally higher than others. In addition, because full-array LEDs are used in high-end display products, its driving circuit is also more complex, which will also lead to increased energy consumption.
• More difficult to repair: Since the circuit of full-array LED display is more complex, it will be more difficult to repair it once it fails.

How to choose the best backlight LED display screen?

We have made a detailed comparison of the three types of backlight LED displays, so how do we choose a backlight type of screen if we want to? Here we have given a few points to evaluate.

Viewing Environment

When we are in a well-lit indoor environment, then choosing an edge-lit LED display screen will be more cost-effective. If you need to pursue higher quality, then you can also choose full array LED display screen.

In addition, since backlight LED display screens are not waterproof, we can only use them indoors. If you want to enjoy the same high-definition viewing effect outdoors, then outdoor rental LED displays are a better choice.

Screen Size and Usage

For daily movie watching and surfing, we can choose edge-lit LED screen. If it is for high-end players or special effects editors and other professions that require higher picture quality, then you can prioritize the 32:9 aspect ratio screen. This type of screen is designed for professional gamers and has the best display effect.

Cost

Prices from high to low: Full-array LED display＞Direct-down LED＞Edge-lit LED

There is no doubt that the full-array LED display screen is the most expensive, but at the same time it has the most features. While the straight down type and side light type have a higher cost performance.

Conclusion

What we need to evaluate is whether it is for personal use, or commercial use. In case of personal use, value for money will always be preferred over high quality because we can spend the least amount of money and enjoy similar services. Meaning edge-lit LEDs and direct-lit LEDs will be more popular. If it is for commercial use, then high quality will always be prioritized, so full array LEDs will be more popular.