Do LED backlit TVs really save on power consumption?

[KeyserSoze]

..compared to LCD. If it does then I may consider paying a bit more for one, and that they are wafer thin ;)

[abdulhakim]

About 30% less as the backlighting is LED rather than Flourescent which require more power.

This is of course for edge lit LED LCD TVs, local dimming LED LCD TVs use more power.

[jester]

Just get a plasma, "LED" TV (as in backlit) is an intermediary technology that will be superceeded when or if proper LED TVs take hold.

Plasma still gives you the best picture quality for your buck.

[rwniel]

Just get a plasma, "LED" TV (as in backlit) is an intermediary technology that will be superceeded when or if proper LED TVs take hold.I guess you mean OLED displays, but we are a long way off for larger models; Sony seem to be scaling back expectations, so I think LCD and Plasma are going to be around for a while yet. LED back-lighting or local dimming tends to be confined to premium models, so the OP might find what he saves in electricity is more than mitigated by the extra cost of the television itself. :) However, if there is better perceived image quality, or it fits your needs in other ways that may not be an issue. That's naturally where budget comes into it i.e. getting the "best" television for the amount your willing to pay regardless of whether it uses LCD or Plasma, LED and/or local dimming as the underlying display technology. Every model is bound to have different pros and cons.

If you have a look on the HDTVTest (http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/) website in their reviews they do give some power consumption figures. But you'll notice that even for the same television, the average power consumption can vary by 25-50% even down to how the sample television is calibrated.

Robert

[jester]

AFAIK a standard backlit LCD drawa the same amount of power whatever is displayed because the backlight is always on (pixels close off) while plasma (self lit) does vary.

[poolking]

Haven't Sony recently pulled out of the OLED market citing poor sales in Japan?

[rwniel]

Haven't Sony recently pulled out of the OLED market citing poor sales in Japan?Well, considering the price that would hardly be surprising. Also, how big is the market for a premium 11" screen model regardless of how good it is. My understanding is that I don't think they've pulled out as such (only actual availability in Japan running down their inventory there), but they certainly seem to be cutting back on the expectations of what they were going to released and also the time-frame. LG seem to be bringing out some new models; they're supposed to be launching a new 15" model this May but like all 'larger' models it's ridiculously expensive - a MSRP of €2,000.

Robert

[KeyserSoze]

Thanks all. I guess you are right about paying the extra for a LED backlit TV vs cost savings. Probably end up paying the same! I'm not a big watcher anyway, just an odd movie here and there through my media centre. Just a sole tenant in a flat, every penny counts :p

Anyways cba, I think I will just find a good deal on an LCD and wait for OLED TVs to come in future.

[rwniel]

As always, it's probably best to set your maximum budget and then draw up your shortlist of models from there. There's likely to be other considerations than those based purely on whether they utilize LED back-lighting or not.

Robert