#fald

Magnus Plejdrup/Niels Bach Storgaard/Alexander Long Krogh — 'FALD' (2019)

As known, the picture quality depends significantly on contrast, which is the ratio of the panel's peak brightness to the minimum black. Contrast provides image clarity and sharpness, colors saturation, etc. As a consequence, companies focus their efforts in this direction. Self-emitting LEDs in OLED and micro LED panels operate without backlit, formally delivering infinite contrast due to perfect blacks.

OLED vs LED LCD TV image quality Indeed, the LED does not emit without a control signal, providing a completely black pixel. But OLED TVs are more expensive and less bright vs LCD. Even modern premium OLED models deliver up to 800 nits peak brightness. However, the brightness of some even mid-budget LCD panels reaches 1000 nits. On the other hand, LG this year unveiled LG G1 OLED series with the innovative Evo OLED panel, which peak brightness can exceed 1,000 nits. Micro LED panels offer impeccable quality, but they are insanely expensive, and their size starts at 100 inches on the diagonal. For example, the price of presented at CES 2021 110-inch Samsung Micro LED panel reaches $ 156,000.

Samsung Micro LED panel CES 2021

LCD TVs

Until recently, models based on OLED and Micro LED technologies belonged to the premium segment, with little overlap with the segment of significantly cheaper LCD TVs. But manufacturers of LCD TVs also did not waste time, actively improving the image quality through innovative technologies. As a result, the situation is changing today. Already this year new LG OLED TVs and Samsung Neo QLED TVs with mini LED backlit was in the same price segment. Modern LCD TVs use Quantum Dot (QD) technology to increase peak brightness and expand color gamut, and Local Dimming to enhance contrast by increasing black depth. Local Dimming enhances contrast by reducing backlit intensity in different frame areas depending on the content. Until this year, FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) was the most effective technology. But at CES 2021, TCL, LG and Samsung unveiled a new generation of mini LED backlit that uses tens of thousands of miniature LEDs grouped into thousands of Local Dimming zones. In fact, the TV market has formed a new segment of LCD TVs with QD display and mini LED backlit, which today includes Samsung Neo QLED, LG QNED and TCL OD-Zero TVs.

mini LED backlit Hisense and Panasonic have gone the other way, enhancing the contrast of LCD TVs with an optional monochromatic LC layer. These technologies are named Hisense Dual Cell (ULED XD) and Panasonic MegaCon.

Hisense Dul Cell technology

Hisense Ultra LED (ULED)

Virtually all industry leaders use proprietary names for their QD models. This technology provides Wide Color Gamut, which directly affects picture quality and HDR performance. Simplistically, this a very elegant solution dramatically improved the white quality of the LED backlit and overall picture quality in LCD TVs.

Quantum Dots image quality As known, only the sun provides ideal white. In fact, the developers of QD technology have created an analogue of a small sun by generating artificial white in TV. For this purpose, an additional film is placed between the blue diodes on the backlight panel and the subpixel color filter. It has randomly deposited two types of nanoparticles, the sizes of which correspond to the wavelengths of green and red. Nanoparticles absorb blue and emit red and green. At the output, they are blended with unabsorbed blue to produce a higher quality white that is sent to a subpixel color filter.

Quantum Dots technology Today the market offers Samsung QLED, Sony Triluminos, LG NanoCell TVs with this technology. Other companies often just indicate "QD display". Most of them use QDEF (Quantum Dot Enhancement Film) from California-based Nanosys, which has confidently dominated this segment, developing quantum dot materials for displays since 2001. Hisense is no exception and also uses the ULED (Ultra LED) name for its TVs with QD. In fact, ULED models include innovative solutions based on 20 different patents and can be divided into four main subgroups: - Ultra Wide Color Gamut (QD display with Nanosys QDEF, 99.98% DCI-P3); - Ultra Local Dimming; - Ultra 4K Resolution (3840 x 2160 or 2160p); - Ultra Smooth Motion Rate (frame interpolation algorithm).

Local dimming

As known, the LCD panel uses the dependence of the light transmission on crystal polarization. In turn, the polarization depends on the electric current, the supply of which is regulated through the transistor. But initially, the luminous flux is formed by the backlit. In fact, LEDs create light, which is partially absorbed by liquid crystal layer controlled by transistors, creating a color image. Unfortunately, crystals only partially block the luminous flux from the backlit even for black LCD pixels. Some light always leaks through. As a result, LCDs have always had worse black levels and, accordingly, contrast compared to OLED. In fact, Local Dimming is the main and only way to solve this problem. It's based on reducing the radiation intensity of individual groups of LEDs (Local Dimming zones). Of course, competition is forcing industry leaders to actively improve this technology. As a result, direct backlit has been improved to FALD (full-array local dimming), which in turn has been improved to mini LED backlit.

FALD (full-array local dimming)

Mini LED local dimming The innovative mini LED backlit uses a huge number of miniature LEDs combined into thousands of individually controlled local dimming zones. Moreover, over several years, the Chinese giant TCL has developed and presented three generations of this technology. The triumphant dominance of this technology in LCD TVs has become one of the trends of CES 2021. LG QNED, Samsung Neo QNED TVs and presented in March TCL X12 8K OD-Zero Starlight Smart Screen have actually formed a new segment of LCD QD TVs with Mini LED backlit. Moreover, LG OLED & Samsung Neo QLED TVs with roughly the same picture quality, compete in the same price segment, despite different display technologies (OLED vs LCD QLED).

Hisense Dual Cell or ULED XD technology

Instead of improving the Local Dimming with LED backlit, Hisense and Panasonic have come up with an ingenious alternative solution by adding an additional monochromatic LCD layer or light-modulating cell.

Hisense ULED XD Its black areas block out excess light, dramatically increasing the black depth on the screen. In fact, Dual-layer LCD with Dual Cell technology uses a second monochromatic LC layer ("luminance" module) to predimming the light from backlit in the corresponding frame areas. Then, the modulated luminous flux is directed to RGB layer ("color" module).

Hisense Dual Cell The figure illustrates a dual-layer LCD operation principle, where local dimming backlit is displayed right, luminance-controlling LCD layer - in middle, and color-controlling LCD layer - left. Technically, this technology only requires the addition of film, and should not drastically increase their price.

Panasonic Megacon In fact, ULED XD precision-bonds two LCD modules together, one of which handles the luminance information (black and white only), second - colors. In May company presented a prototype with a monochromatic luminance module of HD resolution in combination with a 4K color module (over 2 million pixels). But Hisense promises to increase the resolution of the luminance module to 4K (3,840 x 2,160). In fact, this technology can be positioned as local dimming on the pixel level with 8.3 million zones! According to the company, ULED XD TVs will also use standard local dimming with 132 zones, which will provide an overall native contrast ratio of 1,000,000: 1! Hisense also lists the black level of ULED XD up to 0.00003 nits and a peak light output over 1,000 nits. Additionally, QD technology provides 100% DCI P3 & 84% Rec 2020, and native refresh rate for both panels is 120Hz. As known, Hisense uses Android TV OS.

Conclusion

The high-tech TVs segment is characterized by the rapid development of innovative technologies. Some of them improve, others lose competition and disappear. For example, such a fate befell the plasma TVs and 3D format. The high dynamics of these processes sometimes complicates the general understanding, causing confusion in terms and concepts. CES 2020 also showed huge diversity in the market. Assortments from market leaders included LED LCD TVs, “quantum dot” LED LCD TVs (QLED, NanoCell, Triluminos), OLED and MicroLED TVs, and TCL TVs with innovative mini-LED backlight technology. In addition, almost all companies offered models with 4K and 8K resolution. Of course, such an abundance can complicate the perception of information. But even a simplified classification can simplify this task.

TV imaging technology

Only ten years ago, LED LCD technology mainly competed with plasma TVs. As known, LCD TVs form an image by controlling the light flow that passes from LEDs backlight through polarizing filters.

Ultimately, LED LCD won the competition, including due to the high cost of plasma TVs. But monopolistic dominance did not last long. Already at CES 2012, Samsung and LG introduced the first 55-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs. As known, this technology uses its own radiation of organic diodes, without requiring additional LED-backlight.

Its absence provides several important pros, including perfect black and, consequently, infinite contrast, and wide viewing angles. Indeed, LED LCD forms non-ideal black due to the non-ideal filtering the light output of the LED backlight. In this case, OLED simply does not apply the control voltage to the corresponding diodes, providing absolutely black. Unfortunately, the cost of producing OLED panels was quite high. Moreover, it directly depends on the screen size. And finally, the brightness of OLED panels, which also affects contrast, is significantly inferior to LED LCD. As a result, this technology has become dominant only in the top segment of expensive TVs.

MicroLED

Of course, companies continued to actively develop new directions. As a result, after a few years, the English mLED company introduced a new MicroLED (micro-LED, mLED or µLED) technology based on self-emitting gallium nitride LEDs. The miniature size of these LEDs (5 microns) is the main difference between MicroLED and OLED. Today, Samsung dominates this segment. In particular, at CES 2020, the company introduced the new MicroLED TVs.

Moreover, at CES 2019, the company demonstrated MicroLED modules and their assembly using brackets that are attached to the screen with sufficiently powerful magnets. The diagonal of one module does not exceed 13 inches.

If this technology survives, in the future you will be able to periodically buy separate modules, increasing the MicroLED panel size with the growth of your budget. The technology will also allow the user to disassemble the MicroLED panel into separate modules, turning one large TV into several small ones. Unfortunately, this is not relevant today. Moreover, according to rumors, Samsung plans to enter the OLED segment with a hybrid technology called quantum-dot OLED, or QD-OLED, which combines the idea of using organic light-emitting diodes with Samsung's quantum-dot technology.

Quantum dots

Meanwhile, having beaten off the OLED attack, companies began to actively improve LED LCD technology. As a result, in 2013 Sony already introduced the first Ultra HD 55W900 display using quantum dots technology.

This technology forms an image using an additional matrix coated with a layer of quantum dots. In fact, their production is the deposition of an additional layer using lithography on a matrix of thin-film transistors. Low cost and high efficiency have become its main advantages. Initially, the emission layer used toxic cadmium. In 2015, Samsung improved the technology by replacing cadmium with indium. The monochromatic light of quantum dots significantly improved color reproduction and expanded the color gamut of LED LCD Tvs. In the first few years, Samsung dominated this segment, introducing in 2016 the first SUHD displays based on new technology. In 2017, the company introduced its first QLED-TV.

Of course, other companies also did not ignore the promising direction. Today, LG uses a similar technology called NanoCell, Sony-Triluminos, Hisense - ULED. Thus, today companies use OLED, MicroLED and LED LCD technology. In turn, LED LCD models are subdivided into traditional LED LCD TVs and more expensive “quantum dot” TVs, including Samsung QLED, LG NanoCell, Sony Triluminos and Hisense ULED. At the same time, LG claims to be a leader in the OLED segment, focusing its efforts on reducing production costs. It must be admitted that the company has made significant progress in this direction, presenting in 2018 LG OLED B8 PLA at a price of just over $ 2,000. However, today Sony is not inferior to its competitor by presenting the excellent 4K Sony OLED A8H series at CES 2020.

LED backlight

Improving the backlight has become another direction of development for LED LCD TVs. At one time, companies actively experimented in this direction. For example, the popularity of ultrathin screens provoked the development of edge LED backlight with the placement of LEDs around the screen perimeter. As a result, companies have developed the Edge LED version with LEDs on the sides of the screen and LED Plus with the possibility of local dimming in small areas. Unfortunately, this elegant engineering solution is accompanied by uneven screen lighting. In addition, this technology does not support the local dimming function, which has become one of the main tools for increasing the contrast and color accuracy. As a result, companies focused on developing Direct LED backlight with LEDs behind the screen. Finally, in 2018 LG introduced FALD (full-array local dimming), improving the previous Direct LED backlight technology.

Soon, the company introduced the Nano Full LED version with an increased number of LEDs.

Of course, the accuracy of image formation control directly depends on the number of LEDs, which, in turn, depends on their size. Advances in the production of LEDs have ensured their miniaturization, increased service life, reduced energy consumption and heat output. Usually their sizes vary in the range of about 1000 microns (0.04 inches), but today companies produce mini-LEDs measuring about 200 microns (0.02 inches).

Mini-LED backlight

Unfortunately, Mini-LEDs have less brightness compared to conventional LEDs due to the reduction of material to create the light. Of course, an increase in voltage and current increases their brightness, but this dramatically reduces their longevity. But the improvement of mini LED production technology has allowed engineers to expand these boundaries by increasing their efficiency. As a result, TCL’s engineers developed “Quantum Contrast” mini-LED backlight technology based on them.

Of course, mini LEDs are more expensive, but their pros compensate for this aspect. Last year, the company announced TCL 8-Series Roku TV with this technology. Due to the reduced size of the LEDs, the company was able to place over 25,000 mini-LEDs the back of the TV, which are grouped into around 1,000 dimming zones.

In comparison, the 75-inch Vizio Quantum X uses only 485 local dimming zones, and the Sony XBR-85Z9G 8K TV costing about $ 10,000 has 720 zones. Today, the Chinese company continues to actively develop this promising technology. Its advanced version is called the Vidrian Mini-LED. TVs with this technology will use a control semiconductor chip and tens of thousands of microscopic LEDs directly soldered into a glass substrate. Such a panel has a longer service life, providing higher contrast and brightness. Moreover, TCL has invested $ 6 billion in a modern factory for the production of LCD panels using innovative glass cutting equipment.

Conclusion

The digital revolution has opened up enormous opportunities for engineers to dramatically improve the consumer electronics segment. Projector Mobile Phones with a projector function, pico projectors, 8K TVs and mini-led backlight technology perfectly illustrate this trend. For example, a laser projector of Blackview MAX 1 Projector Mobile Phone provides a vivid and rich image with 2160 x 1080 resolution.

Its 4680 mAh battery provides up to 12 hours of viewing. According to the company, it provides projection sizes up to 200 inches. Of course, this statement causes a great skepticism among specialists. Its real brightness does not exceed 30 Lm. Accordingly, the illumination even for a 19-inch screen diagonally does not exceed 200 lux. Therefore, in reality, a smartphone can provide a fairly high quality only in a completely dark room. And, of course, the size of a sufficiently contrast projection is unlikely to exceed even 100 inches diagonally. Nevertheless, the model rightfully pretends to the status of the first pocket TV. Of course, the high-tech TVs segment is leading in the number of innovative solutions. As known, HDR technology has become one of the main directions for improving image quality. But it requires very precise control of all the pixels on the screen. But, LCD matrices used backlight for this purpose. Therefore, its improvement has become one of the trends of recent years.

Direct-LED backlight

As a result, the development of Direct-LED backlight has dominated. Initially, Direct-LED improved to FALD (full-array local dimming), which ensured perfect uniformity across the entire screen.

Improving the GPU performance in TVs allowed engineers to separately control each array of LEDs (local dimming zone), forming the backlight level in each individual area of the screen surface depending on the content.

Of course, this technology has significantly improved image quality due to color accuracy and HDR. In particular, these models already support HDR10, HDR10 +, and even Dolby Vision. Moreover, Sony has developed an innovative Discrete LED Control algorithm that controls each LED, providing the accuracy required for 4K HDR.

Just a few years ago, TCL TVs 6-series were considered the best from this point of view, using more than 100 local dimming zones. But modern flagships already use from several hundred zones and above. But technology does not stand still. The advent of mini-LEDs has expanded the engineering possibilities. As a result, TCL has developed and already announced for 2020 the 8th series of Roku TV with innovative Mini-LED backlight technology based on the use of Mini-LEDs. Reducing the size of LEDs allowed the company to increase the number of dimming zones to 1000! But its declared price reaches $ 2,000. Thus, fierce competition forces companies to intensively improve image quality using innovative technologies. But many have a little philosophical question about the perfection limits and reasonable sufficiency.

Content

Many people remember the rise and sunset of the 3D format in TVs. Even with a large number of fans, today almost all companies have abandoned this option in their models due to the huge shortage of video content. For various reasons, it was not profitable for manufacturers of 3D content to produce it. The situation with 4K and especially 8K content, and HDR content is very similar to the story with 3D. Today, 4K HDR video content is very limited. All such content can be viewed in a few days. Moreover, the prospects for further development of the 4K HDR video content production are rather vague today. But watching traditional television video content on modern 4K or 8K TV with, for example, Mini-LED backlight, HDMI 2.1 (support for the transfer of dynamic metadata for HDR content), with an OLED or QLED or NanoCell screen, etc resembles a ride on a sports jaguar for $ 50,000 at a speed of 30 km /hour. When watching modern television content, you need to have very sharp eyesight to notice the visual difference between the mid-budget TV and the innovative flagship.

Visualization

All the advantages of innovative technologies are well visualized only when playing certain content. For example, TVs producers often show in the commercials the scenes of a night metropolis with a huge number of small details and contrasting light/shadow transitions.

In this case, the expensive 4K HDR TV really can simultaneously correctly reproduce the color gamut of various scenes. For example, it will correctly reproduce the scene with people in a well-lit cafe (minimum backlight of the corresponding dimming zones), tree branches swaying in the dark (maximum backlight of the corresponding dimming zones) and many illuminated windows in the background (requires high resolution). Medium-budget TV, depending on the settings, will correctly reproduce either the scene in the cafe and the dark background around (due to the small number of gradations of black), or, conversely, a blurry scene in the cafe (too light) and more or less distinguishable details of the surrounding space. But, of course, such complex video content (in terms of video engineer) will constitute an insignificant share in the total volume of television broadcasting.

Conclusion

Of course, the efforts of companies to improve TVs ensures the progress and development of technology. For example, at CES 2018, the 146-inch Samsung modular microLED TV impressed the most imperturbable viewers.

At CES 2019, 260 flexible OLED screens connected together to simulate a waterfall also did not leave anyone indifferent.

A modern smartphone uses a large number of complex components, including main camera and several additional cameras in multi-camera smartphones, chipset, RAM and ROM, operation system, etc. Their specs directly affect the functionality and, as a result, the choice of the optimal model. But of course, the display is one of the main components. Its specs, service life and safety for vision depend on the matrix type. All modern TVs and smartphones use AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) or LCD screens. As known, before the invention of OLED technology, LED LCD displays dominated the market. The first light-emitting p-phenylene vinylene (or PPV, or polyphenylene vinylene) polymer was synthesized in the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge in 1989. Already in 1992, Cambridge Display Technolodgy (CDT) was established to produce polymer light-emitting materials. But the fierce competition between them began only in the 21st century, provoking their rapid development.

LCD

As known, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology uses fluidity and anisotropy of crystals. In fact, they perform the function of a light filter, forming a pixel of the desired color on the screen surface. Of course, this technology requires a backlight that uses LEDs. In February 2011, Samsung introduced the first QLED display with improved LED backlighting on quantum dots. In fact, engineers added an LED panel instead of traditional cold cathode fluorescent tubes. This technology has significantly expanded the color gamut of the matrix. Further, other companies developed their own technologies based on this idea. Today they use their own marketing names, including NanoCell from LG, Triluminos from Sony and ULED from Hisense. In parallel, companies developed backlight technology. As a result, FALD (full-array local dimming) backlighting was developed. Today, experts expect LCD with innovative miniLED-based backlighting. Unlike traditional backlighting, the size of its diode modules does not exceed 100 microns. The reduction in size promises to drastically reduce energy consumption, increase contrast and color accuracy by increasing the number of local dimming zones. TVs already use this technology. For example, TCL announced 8-series MiniLED Roku TV with 1,000 local dimming zones. In comparison, today the best expensive LCD TVs use no more than a few hundred. This technology promises to bring the quality of LCD screens closer to AMOLED. Some experts were expecting these smartphones in 2019. Unfortunately, their hopes did not materialize.

OLED

OLED matrices (Organic light-emitting diode) use multilayer organic polymers that emit light under the influence of electricity and do not require backlighting. In fact, it's the main difference between these technologies. All modern phones use only AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED) matrices with Active Matrix. But in the TV segment, companies continue to use the acronym OLED without adding AM. In the summer of 2009, LG announced the first 15-inch OLED TV. A few years later, at CES 2012, Samsung and LG introduced 55-inch OLED TVs. At IFA 2013, LG has already announced the world's first 77-inch 4K OLED TV. At CES 2013, Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 with 5 "Super AMOLED Full HD panel. In the second half of 2014, Samsung Display began production of AMOLED flexible panels. Modern models already use AMOLED, Super AMOLED, HD Super AMOLED, Dynamic AMOLED and P-OLED matrices.

MicroLED (mLED or μLED or ILED)

MicroLED is the next step in the development of OLED technology. Like OLED, MicroLED uses subpixel LEDs with its own radiation and does not require backlighting. But as a light-emitting material, OLED uses sm-OLED (Small Molecule-Organic LED), POLED, or PHOLED (phosphorescent OLED). MicroLED uses inorganic GaN (gallium nitride) with a size of only 5-10 microns, which is its main advantage. The new technology has great prospects. In particular, high light output can drastically reduce energy consumption to about 10% LCD and 50% OLED displays, and the miniature size will allow companies to achieve pixel densities of up to 1,500 PPI, providing huge resolution even for large matrices. In 2018, Apple announced plans to produce MicroLED panels. But in 2019, serial microLED displays did not appear on the market. However, Sony and Samsung are already selling microLED The Wall.

OLED advantages

1. As known, contrast characterizes the ratio brightest white to the darkest black pixels on the screen and is measured in the ratio of "maximum brightness" / 1. Thus, a screen with a contrast ratio of 1000: 1 displays white 1000 times brighter than black. But in the OLED display, black color corresponds to a completely off diode with a brightness of "0". Therefore, companies often use the term "Infinite contrast", although, as you know, mathematics prohibits the division by "0". Sometimes companies indicate 2,000,000: 1 and above, which is probably more correct. Unfortunately, LED backlight in the LCD screen fundamentally eliminates the perfect black. 2. Smartphones with OLED screens support Always On-Display mode. In this case, the smartphone’s display can display information by controlling individual pixels. This mode provides a significant reduction in energy consumption when choosing interface in dark colors. But black color of the IPS matrix corresponds to the on backlight, which we do not see due to the light wave damping by the second polarizer. Thus, the IPS matrix cannot provide this useful option because its backlight constantly illuminates the matrix. 3. As known, the image brightness decreases when viewed at an angle. For example, the brightness drop in smartphones with IPS-screen reaches 55% for an angle of 30 degrees. For comparison, brightness reduction of the OLED screen at the same angle does not exceed 25%. 4. The absence of a backlight in OLED screen eliminates problems with its uniformity. Unfortunately, it's relevant for the IPS screen. Typically, companies place backlight diodes along the bottom edge of the IPS screen. During operation, their light passes through a special flexible diffuser made of a thin film. Unfortunately, many LCD screens display a brighter bar at the bottom of the screen near the diodes.

LCD advantages

1. IPS-screen is much cheaper than OLED-analogue, including repair. 2. Almost all OLED screens have problems with Screen burn-in. The service life of green diodes reaches 130,000 hours, red - 50,000 hours, blue - only 15,000 hours. However, today companies successfully solve this problem using PenTile. For example, PenTile technology allowed Samsung to use half as many blue and red subpixels compared to green. Moreover, the most powerful blue diodes operate at half power, saving a resource. It increases their service life, and all subpixels burn out evenly. Typically, companies use RGBG (additional green sub-pixel) or RGBW (additional white sub-pixel). Today AMOLED, Super AMOLED and HD Super AMOLED often use this configuration. On the other hand, 15,000 hours of service life for blue diodes corresponds to more than 5 years of operation, even with heavy use. Most people change models more often. In addition, static displaying for a long time at maximum brightness may form a residual image on the screen. But Pixel Shifting and Parallax Backgrounds successfully solve this problem. Pixel Shifting software algorithm shifts the image by 1 pixel for a prolonged static image. Recently, Google and Apple often use parallax backgrounds, preventing a static image on the screen. 3. Screen flicker due to PWM in OLED screen increases eye strain. As known, the diode brightness depends on the current strength. With its increase, it gradually rises. Unfortunately, the decrease in brightness does not occur smoothly. Instead of smooth dimming, the diodes begin to work with small pauses. For example, diodes burn 0.9 ms for 1 second at 100% brightness. But at 50% brightness, these LEDs only work for 0.45 ms for 1 second. Of course, this flicker significantly increases the load on the eyesight, causing discomfort in the eyes.

Brands

Today, budget and mid-budget Android, and Apple, mainly use LCD displays. This list includes: - iPhone 11; - iPhone XR; - Honor 20/20 Pro; - iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus; - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7; - Huawei P30 Lite. AMOLED screens are used on almost all flagships and even on mid-range smartphones. This list includes: - the entire line of Samsung Galaxy S-series, Note-series, etc; - iPhone 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS / XS Max and iPhone X; - Huawei flagships (P30, Mate 30); - Xiaomi flagships (the entire line of Mi 9, etc.); - Sony Xperia XZ3 and Xperia 1.

Conclusion

For several decades now, fierce competition and digital technologies stimulate innovative boom in the consumer electronics segment. First of all, it manifests itself in the segment of high-tech devices, including projectors, TVs, robotic vacuum cleaners, etc. For example, the list of innovative technologies developed in recent years for TVs includes HDR technology, HDMI 2.1 standard, 10 and 12-bit color depth, HFR (high frame rate) format, Micro LED, etc. Mini-LED Backlight technology has taken a worthy place in this list. As known, it was developed and first introduced by the Chinese TCL company at CES 2019.

Backlight TV

As known, all modern LCD TVs use LEDs for backlighting. But OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs use their own radiation of organic diodes and do not require backlighting. As a consequence, they provide absolutely black and, accordingly, endless contrast, which characterizes the white / black ratio. As known, LEDs emit light when exposed to electricity and are widely used in consumer electronics. Companies usually placed LEDs on the edges (Edge-LED backlight) or behind the screen (Direct-LED backlight). Each LED backlight type has its pros and cons. But modern TVs are increasingly using FALD (full-array local dimming), which is an improved version of Direct-LED backlight.

The rapid spread of this technology was due to the growing popularity of HDR (high dynamic range) technology. In this case, TV dims the LEDs behind dark sections of the image, increasing contrast between the bright and dark areas of the image. Of course, reducing the brightness of each pixel also increases the visualization of contrast. However, this task is technically very difficult for the LCD. As known, LED TV creates an image by blocking the backlight. But the LCD-matrix only partially blocks light, creating a grayer image with fewer black gradations compared to, for example, an OLED matrix. To solve this problem, engineers developed Local dimming technology, which adjusts the backlight in areas of the screen depending on the frame content.

In fact, the further development of this technology has become the basis for FALD. Today, backlight technology is one of the main specs of TV, significantly affecting image quality. Therefore, modern models use several types of backlighting, depending on the class.

Mini-LED backlight technology

Of course, each of the 8 million pixels in a 4K TV cannot have its own LED for backlighting. Actually, each group of LEDs (they are called dimming zones) illuminates tens and even hundreds of thousands of pixels. For example, their average number varies about 100 for ordinary models, and reaches several hundred for top models. Unfortunately, sizes, energy drain, heat generated and cost limits the increase in their quantity. Usually their sizes vary in the range of about 1000 microns (0.04 inches), but today companies produce mini-LEDs measuring about 200 microns (0.02 inches). Unfortunately, they have less brightness compared to conventional LEDs due to the reduction of material to create the light. Of course, an increase in voltage and current increases their brightness, but this drastically reduces their longevity. But the improvement of mini LED production technology has allowed engineers to expand these boundaries by increasing their efficiency. As a result, TCL's engineers developed "Quantum Contrast" mini-LED backlight technology based on them. Of course, mini LEDs are more expensive, but their pros compensate for this aspect.

Due to the reduced size of the LEDs, the company was able to place over 25,000 mini-LEDs the back of the TV, which are grouped into around 1,000 dimming zones. In comparison, the 75-inch Vizio Quantum X uses only 485 local dimming zones, and the Sony XBR-85Z9G 8K TV costing about $ 13,000 has 720 zones. As a result, more accurate dimming of screen areas significantly increases the overall contrast ratio due to the reduction in the diffuse lighting of dark objects. Moreover, the company can increase the brightness of LEDs without fear of artifacts, providing improved contrast in various scenes.

Conclusion

This review is updated regularly with new models Last updated: September 19, 2019 As known, fierce competition is one of the main trends in the consumer electronics segment. As a result, high competitiveness is a necessary requirement for any modern device. Of course, this criterion traditionally depends on price, quality and functionality.

Introduction

But this review does not analyze the modern pricing policy of companies. We can only mention that almost all companies set the maximum price for new products and reduce them in six months or a year, releasing the next model. Of course, practically all consumers know this aspect, often preferring past models. The quality of products from well-known companies has also reached its maximum due to the high cost of popular brands. As known, it has long exceeded hundreds of millions, and deterioration in reputation drastically reduces the brand’s capitalization. This aspect forces companies to ensure high assembling quality and use reliable components even in budget models. Already today, its further increase often significantly increases the model cost, reducing its competitiveness. Thus, the expansion of functionality has become the main tool for ensuring high competitiveness. But it, in turn, mainly depends on the use of innovative technologies. Of course, the high-tech segment of TVs is fully consistent with these trends. Therefore, almost all of its leaders annually offer models with innovative solutions and even new technologies. As a result, the market offers a huge number of different models. Of course, this abundance pleases consumers, but often complicates the choice of the optimal model. Various TOP lists partially simplify this task. Of course, the selection criteria for consumer are always individual. Some people attach great importance to new products, preferring the latest models. Other buyers are guided by the opinion of experts, who usually focus on the objective specs. In addition, many buyers prefer to form their opinions on the basis of consumer reviews, which mainly depend on the price / quality ratio. As a result, the content of these TOPs is usually different. This review offers different TOPs for modern TVs.

TOPs

Of course, this format does not imply a review of all the new 2019 TVs. This list contains only a few of the most promising models from market leaders that characterize common tendencies. It includes: - LG 4K HDR Smart OLED C9PUA TV w/AI ThinQ and LG 4K HDR Smart LED SM9500 NanoCell TV w/AI ThinQ; - Sony X950G 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR and Alexa; - TCL S425 4K UHD Smart Roku TV; - VIZIO P-Series Quantum X 4K HDR Smart TV. As a rule, the content of TOPs from experts depends on their individual opinions. However, many models are included in different TOPs, which confirms their high quality. Such a list of 2019 includes: - LG C9 (2019); - Vizio P-Series Quantum X (2019), Vizio P-Series Quantum (2018), Vizio P-Series (2018); - Sony A9F Master Series (2018); - Samsung Q8FN (2018); - TCL 6 Series (2018) Of course, Best Sellers are significantly dependent on sales volume and price. Therefore, TOPs from consumers often contain the most successful budget models. The 2019 list includes: - Toshiba 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart LED TVs; - TCL 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TVs; - Insignia 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TVs; - Samsung UN RU7100FXZA Flat 4K UHD HDR 7 Series Smart TVs with Alexa Compatibility; - Sony X800G 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility.

LG 4K HDR Smart OLED C9PUA TV w/AI ThinQ and LG 4K HDR Smart LED SM9500 NanoCell TV w/AI ThinQ

In 2019, LG convincingly confirmed its innovative leadership by announcing the first LG Z9 OLED TV with 8K resolution and a wallpaper-style design, and introducing the first Rollable TV. Undoubtedly, the LG Signature Roll Up R9 4K HDR OLED TV at CES 2019 made an indelible impression on the most unperturbed viewers. But the company was no less convincing in the segment of more traditional OLED and LED NanoCell models, introducing the gorgeous LG 4K HDR Smart LED SM9500 NanoCell TV, and LG 9C OLED TV. As known, LG C9 OLED has become an improved version of the most popular LG 8C OLED series 2018. The LG C9 provides an awesome OLED picture quality with unlimited contrast and huge viewing angles at a reasonable price up to $1,500 for 55 inches. Like all new LG models, the C9 uses an α9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor and the excellent WebOS 4.5 with Alexa, supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, and Advanced HDR standards, HDMI 2.1 and Google Assistant. LG 65SM9500PUA LED NanoCell convincingly demonstrated the company's success in further development of NanoCell technology. Powerful α7 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor, realistic color with Nano Accuracy, and the full spectrum with Nano Color provide excellent image quality. In addition, the model uses the improved FALD Pro, which increases contrast by improving the LED dimming control. Today its price does not exceed $ 2,000. Moreover, the company promises to announce its first LG SM99 NanoCell TV with 8K resolution by the end of the year.

Vizio P-Series Quantum X (2019)

As known, Vizio TVs have long and successfully competed in the budget segment. But over the past few years, the company has introduced a line of TVs that successfully compete in the middle and even top range . For example, today, many experts include Vizio P-Series (2018), Vizio P-Series Quantum (2018), and, of course, Vizio P-Series Quantum X (2019) in their TOP lists. By far, the P-Series Quantum X has become the best Vizio TV. But it contains 65-inch Vizio PX65-G1 and 75-inch and PX75-G1 TVs only. Today, the cost of PX65-G1 does not exceed $ 2,000. Both models claim the status of brightest TVs, providing up to 3,000-nit peak brightness. For comparison, today HDR-capable TVs with 1,000-nit brightness levels are considered very bright. Of course, their very high brightness provides excellent contrast. In addition, quantum dot display covers about 95% of the wide P3 color gamut. As a result, the 65-inch PQX delivers image quality that is comparable to the LG OLED C9. But LG’s popular flagship costs $ 1,000 more. Main specs: - 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution; - Quantum dot display; - HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG support for HDR-content; - FALD (full-array local dimming); - 120 Hz refresh rate; - built-in Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2 support; - DCI-P3/10-bit color space. Of course, their narrow viewing angle cannot compete with the super-wide angles of OLED models. In addition, they have occasional light bloom, and not ideal Smart platform. But their price with a margin compensates for all the shortcomings, providing these models with huge growth potential.

TCL 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TVs

As known, TCL LED TVs with tremendous triumph first appeared in 2017. Chinese TCL Corporation proposed TVs 4K HDR TVs with a built-in Roku smart platform, and a fairly high picture quality for an amazingly low price. As a result, the popularity of these TVs has been growing rapidly. For example, TCL 6 Series became one of the Best Sellers of 2018. It includes a 55-inch TCL 55R617 (Best Buy) / 55R615 (Amazon) for a little over $ 500, and a 65-inch TCL 65R617 / 65R615 up to $ 1,000. Their specs correspond to a very high level even for the middle price segment and are rapidly approaching the TOP level. They include: - 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160); - High Dynamic Range support (HDR10 and Dolby Vision standards); - great built-in Roku streaming platform with Roku remote; - FALD (full-array local dimming) LED backlight. At the same time, the price range for 55 inch models ranges from $ 350, for example, for the TCL 55S425 (2019). Of course, such a pricing policy ensures the enormous popularity of TCL TVs among consumers. This year, the company introduced the TCL S425 4K UHD Smart Roku TV series, priced from $ 280 to $ 1,000. Perhaps too low a price is the deliberate dumping of the company and it will increase it over time. But, today, most buyers are happy to take the opportunity to profitably buy TV.

Conclusion

This review is updated regularly with new models Last updated: September 18, 2019

Introduction

Of course, today it’s hard to imagine an apartment without a TV. Their popularity is accompanied by high demand, to which companies respond quite adequately. As a result, fierce competition encourages companies to constantly improve their products, annually offering new models. Therefore, in recent years, the structure of competition has changed and expanded. The TV segment perfectly illustrates this aspect. In the TVs segvent, today competition is characterized by the following factors: - competition between technologies, for example, OLED vs LED (including QLED and Nano Cell) TVs; - competition between brands and companies. Of course, most companies focus on improving one or two technologies (Samsung - QLED, LG - OLED and Nano Cell). But they usually also offer models based on other technologies. - competition between the most successful models in the last few years. Expanding functionality through the use of innovation does not always compensate for lower prices for previous models. p> As a result, TOPs of many experts simultaneously contain new innovative models and the most popular models of past years. But they often do not coincide with bestsellers, the list of which depends significantly on price, advertising and customer reviews. In particular, today, many users prefer inexpensive 4K HDR Smart LED models. This review contains the following Best Sellers of 2019: - Toshiba 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart LED TVs; - TCL 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TVs; - Insignia 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TVs; - Samsung UN RU7100FXZA Flat 4K UHD HDR 7 Series Smart TVs with Alexa Compatibility; - Sony X800G 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility.

Toshiba 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart LED Tvs

As known, in early 2015, Toshiba sold its television business in the United States, including a factory in Mexico and the right to sell TVs under the Toshiba brand in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The new owner was a Taiwanese Compal Electronics, Inc, which manufactures laptops, PCs, tablets and TVs for a variety of clients around the world, including Apple Inc., Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, etc. In addition, it also licenses brands of its clients. Already in 2018, the new owner introduced more than 10 new models under the Toshiba brand. They have Fire TV Edition, Voice Remote with Alexa, dual-band Wi-Fi, and three HDMI inputs. As known, Fire TV Edition integrates with the help of HD antenna the live over-the-air TV and streaming channels on a unified home screen. In addition, TVs provide 4K Ultra HD picture quality with over 8 million pixels. In addition, they have a modern, stylish design. But, the unprecedented low price has become their main trump card. It did not exceed several hundred dollars, which was impossible to imagine a few years ago for 4K UHD HDR Smart TVs! Of course, buyers enthusiastically responded to the offer. Probably, at first, many buyers were afraid of quality problems, but it turned out to be quite high. As a result, these TVs got a flurry of positive reviews, which, in turn, caused an avalanche-like increase in popularity. As a result, these TVs have been confidently included in Best Sellers for two years now. Perhaps too low a price is the deliberate dumping of the company and it will increase it over time. But, today, most buyers are happy to take the opportunity to profitably buy TV.

TCL 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED Tvs

As known, TCL LED TVs with tremendous triumph first appeared in 2017. Chinese TCL Corporation proposed TVs 4K HDR TVs with a built-in Roku smart platform, and a fairly high picture quality for an amazingly low price. Of course, the popularity of these TVs has been growing rapidly. For example, TCL 6 Series became one of the Best Sellers of 2018. It includes a 55-inch TCL 55R617 (Best Buy) / 55R615 (Amazon) for a little over $ 500, and a 65-inch TCL 65R617 / 65R615 up to $ 1,000. 55- and 65-inch models have the same specs. But, of course, they use different amounts of FALD (full-array local dimming) zones due to different screen sizes (96 and 120, respectively). The R617 models cost $ 50 more because of the Roko remote with support voice commands. Key features: - 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160); - High Dynamic Range support (HDR10 and Dolby Vision standards); - built-in Roku streaming platform with Roku remote; - FALD (full-array local dimming) LED backlight; - native 60 Hz refresh rates. Testing in Movie mode showed SDR Contrast of 200 nits / 0.02 nits (brightness/black level) and SDR color gamut coverage of 97% (Rec. 709), and great local dimming. In addition, these TVs provide excellent HDR content playback quality, providing peak brightness around 600 nits and covering around 93% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Input lag in Game mode does not exceed 18 ms, allowing you to use TV as a game console for not very demanding games. This year, the company introduced the TCL S425 4K UHD Smart Roku TV series, priced from $ 280 to $ 1,000.

Insignia Roku 4K HDR Smart LED TVs

As known, Roku pioneered streaming for the TV. It developed a very popular Roku streaming platform based Roku OS. Today, co-branded Roku TV models are manufactured and sold by several large global TV OEM licensees, including Insignia, TCL, Hisense, Hitachi, Sharp, and Element, which use the Roku OS. In 2016, Roku, Inc announced the new 4K UHD Roku TV called Insignia at a great price. The new Insignia Roku TV has become one of the cheapest 4K UHD TVs. In addition, using a ystematic 4K Spotlight Channel catalog, Insignia TV provides simple and easy access to 4K UHD content online. Actually, the Insignia Roku TV works like a symbiosis of a budget HDR 4K Smart TV with a console and can be positioned as the first combo streaming model. Of course, such an offer aroused enthusiasm among consumers, providing a profitable 2-in-1 purchase. Main specs: - stylish design with a case thickness of not more than 15.4 mm. - Dolby Vision HDR support; - brightness up to 1000 nits; - UHD 4K resolution; - TCL 4K Creative Pro upscaling option; - 4000R screen curvature coefficient in curved models; - Premium Harmon Kardon audio system with six speakers, including two subwoofers, mid-range speakers and tweeters; - 4-core main CPU and 6-core image processing processor. Today the company offers the Insignia NS-DF710NA19 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TVs with HDR and Fire TV Edition with a diagonal of 43 to 55 inches at a price of $ 250 to $ 380. In addition, the series includes the 24-inch and 32-inch 720p HD Smart LED TVs for $ 140 / $ 150, and 39-inch 1080p Full HD for $ 200 (all with Fire TV Edition).

Samsung UN RU7100FXZA 4K UHD HDR 7 Series Smart TV with Alexa Compatibility

Of course, traditional leaders did not stand aside and also offered excellent models in this segment. The 2019 range of low-cost Samsung 4K HDR LCD LED TVs includes the RU 7100, 7300 (curved), and 7400 Series. They all use a 8 Bit 4K VA-LCD panel which deep black and a high native contrast ratio of more than 5600:1 and with support of 10 Bit color depth. TV has a native 60/50 Hz frequency, UHD Engine processor, Edge LED backlight, Tizen 5.0 Smart TV, supports the HDR10, HDR10 + and HLG standards for HDR, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, Input lag less than 11 ms allows you to use TV as an excellent budget game console. Today the most affordable and popular RU7100 series includes models with a diagonal from 43 inches to 75 inches at a price of $ 330 to $ 1,200. As known, the Samsung annually improves Tizen OS and 2019 was no exception. Enhanced Tizen 5.0 supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Additionally, Tizen includes an integrated Samsung Smart-Things platform and a new Ambient mode for decorative images when the TV is off. Of course, the model uses Samsung's PurColor technology. As known, it was developed in 2015 to improve color reproduction. PurColor is used in UHD models to improve content with lower resolution. When receiving a signal, the processor compares several points, estimates the number of free pixels between them and paints them in the most suitable color, providing smoother gradations. Unfortunately, the VA panel provides too narrow viewing angles, distorting color reproduction at an angle.

Sony X800G 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility

Sony also offered the relatively inexpensive 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV series with HDR and Alexa Compatibility. The X800G series includes 49, 55, 65, and 75 inch models priced from $ 700 to $ 1,500. Of course, Sony TVs do not require presentation. The series uses almost all of Sony's latest technology, including: - 4K X-Reality PRO upscaling technology; - TRILUMINOS Display; - fine tune TV sound with ClearAudio+; - Android TV; - Motion flow XR technology for highly dynamic content; - Dynamic Contrast Enhancer; - built-in cable management. In addition, TVs HDR10 & HLG standards support. Models provide traditionally excellent image quality with very accurate color reproduction, vivid colors, and high contrast. Unfortunately, reliability and quality are expensive, limiting their competitiveness. Nevertheless, today this series is the cheapest among Sony 4K HDR TV's and may be interesting for fans of this brand.

Conclusions