The change in LCD display cabinet finishes along with the new LED lighting system was the game changing highlight of the show for me!

Regardless of manufacturer or backlighting technology, it appeared all LCDs displays received a facelift in the form of a new shiny glass-like screen throwing out the anti-glare screens of the past. It’s some form of Plexiglas along with an added optical coating to improve contrast and naturally it works quite well. Gone are the days of SSE (Silk Screen Effect) that we have been seeing on micro-display rear projection and LCD flat panels. My first newbie question upon my first arrival at a manufacturer’s booth was a confirmation of whether the display I was looking at was LCD or plasma! Getting rid of the anti-glare screens provides perfect pixel visibility of the LCD screen, just like a plasma screen, and that means crystal clear detailed imaging. The difference was formidable mimicking the perceptual traits of plasma and CRT due to the glass screens they use. I have every reason to predict this will further impact the plasma market.

This was not just on upper-tier lines and was present throughout the show. If you are looking for an anti-glare screen LCD display you might be stuck or find your choices very limited. A recent trip to a local store confirmed my suspicions. The main visual difference between the plasma and LCD displays were the label and price tags next to each one! What really hit me though on this visit was the Mitsubishi DLP line on display from 60-83 inches. They were the only displays left in the store with an anti-glare screen inducing SSE into the image, yet that was not nearly as noticeable as the overhead lights reflecting off of these screens creating a dull washed out look. Topping it off, they showed up at the end of a long walk of well-presented and light controlled flat panel HDTV hype and buzz, as if they were the black sheep of the store. Even with the benefit of price per screen inch there was little to inspire ownership. Not much can be done about the SSE, yet putting these displays under such unfavorable viewing conditions and floor placement not only hurts sales for the store but tarnishes Mitsubishis reputation and the capability of DLP rear projection. My point here is that even under favorable viewing conditions, the SSE artifact of the screen used for this technology is going to be noticed by some and I suspect the LCD face lift will have a market impact on this technology as well since they no longer look similar.

Several months back I wrote an FAQ for HD library and Forum here on HDTV Magazine about the new LED lighting technology being used to replace fluorescent lighting for LCD. Check it out for the details but the synopsis is LED HDTV is not a new display technology, just a new way of back lighting the LCD panel. The physical characteristics of LED lighting allows a completely new method of illuminating the LCD panel called LED edge lighting and with that the manufacturer can significantly reduce the thickness of the LCD panel itself. These are the less than 1 inch thick display panels you have been seeing in the stores called LED HDTV by some manufacturers. LED is also used in the conventional arrangement called back lighting where they are directly behind the panel just like the fluorescent version. The LED version is thinner than its fluorescent cousin when using the same illumination design and many of these also offer a dynamic backlighting feature to artificially improve dynamic range and potentially reduce power consumption.

One humorous and ironic faux pas for some of these new thin LED driven LCD panels was that the HDMI inputs were horizontally back-mounted rather than vertically- or side-mounted making it impossible to flush mount the product; unless you want to make a hole in the wall for the HDMI connector to go through. It was quite a sight looking at the edge of one of these ¾ inch thick displays and seeing the HDMI cable sticking out another 1.5 inches (including the curve of the wire). If this is your application then check the orientation of the HDMI connectors on the back of your potential future purchase.

Greener HDTVs is the other main feature of this report! LED illumination reduces power consumption by about 40% over its fluorescent cousin and about the same for plasma for the same screen size. Sharp was demonstrating this fact with an LED driven display and fluorescent driven display with each hooked up to a watt-hour meter showing this difference.

While this won’t amount to much savings for each individual user, maybe $30 per year per display, governments across the planet are concerned about the total increase of power requirements due to HDTV displays. There is a very real concern for areas already tight on energy supplies or power grids already at near capacity. This problem erupted years past over the extremely power hungry plasmas of the time with some countries threatening a ban of plasma sales. At the time, manufacturers stepped in with far more efficient phosphors and power limiting expressed as gamma manipulation via video processing to reduce power consumption during bright scenes (along with light output) culminating in the recent plasma designs of the last 2-3 years which cut power consumption by about half over the older generation. HDTV displays and their take over in the citizens home has made them the current target on the government green hit list with California currently the spotlight of the debate in the USA. While California considers legislation to set required standards for power consumption the new LED driven LCD displays and plasma designs already meet the targets being discussed! The CEA and manufacturers are hopeful this salient fact will get California to avoid passage. That didn’t happen and during publishing of this column The Calfornia Energy Commission voted on November 18, 2009, to place restrictions.

Consumer Electronics Association Reacts to California Energy Commission TV Energy Use Mandates

Bottom line is that while plasma may be able to meet current targets, the ones set for 2013 require an even further and significant reduction and could be far more difficult for plasma to achieve.

Posted by Richard Fisher, December 1, 2009 9:56 AM