You Say LCD, I Say LED, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

The latest debate in the flat panel TV market relates to the simple idea of naming conventions. Right now, there are two market-leading flat-panel TV types: plasma and LCD. But the latest iteration is LCD TVs with LED backlights as opposed to traditional CCFL. This results in a much slimmer form factor, significant energy savings, and better reproduction of blacks, whites, and colours. But for some reason, the industry and consumers are in a tizzy on whether these TVs should be called LED TVs, or simply LCDs (with LED backlighting)?

Some would argue a firm "no" to referring to LED backlit models as simply "LED TVs". Regardless of the lighting technology behind it, and whatever technical modifications are made to facilitate the advantages found in LED backlit TVs, they're still ultimately LCDs. We don't use the lighting source to determine the moniker attached to a TV; we use the type of panel.

But others fight back about the extent of the change in the manufacturing process and materials used. If all of these features are achieved (slim form factor, energy savings, and better picture quality) all of which could never be achieved using traditional TFT LCD technologies, than how can we possibly call it the same thing? What's more, if light source has nothing to do with naming a flat panel, then why do we call plasma a plasma?

Let's use an analogy to examine the issue. What if I have a Windows-based computer in front of me to the left, and a Mac computer on my right. We can all agree that these are both computers. Now what if I install Windows on the Mac computer, a common occurrence these days, allowing me to boot up in both operating systems. Is the Mac now a Windows computer? Heck no. It's still a Mac, but just a Mac that can now boot up in Windows as well. It's a mouthful to say, but it's an accurate description of the situation.

But wait. What if I strip that Mac of the Apple Mac OS altogether, than install Windows as the exclusive operating system. Is it still a Mac? Technically, the hardware, that box that I've added Windows functions to, is still a Mac. It has the signature silver/gray finish and bitten fruit logo adorned on the front; the same keyboard and one-button touchpad. But all of the guts inside have now changed. When I boot up, I see the Windows interface. I check my e-mails in Outlook, not Entourage or Mail. I surf the Web via Internet Explorer not Safari. In other words, the core technologies behind the computer have been completely altered. In this case, I could very well consider calling this computer a Windows one.

Still, to understand the intricate differences between the two would be too much for any layman to fathom. All consumers want to know is that the TV is slimmer, that it consumes less energy, and that it will afford a better picture. How? Using LED backlighting, whether it's edge-lit, full array, or whatever method the manufacturer in question has adopted. When it comes down to it, it's all about semantics. But does the name really matter? It does in some respect. If you tell a consumer he's buying an LED TV, then he takes it home and presents it to his propeller-head friend as such, said friend will probably laugh in his face. "If you want an LED TV, go pick up Sony's 11" organic model, which is really the only commercially available "LED" TV on the market!" he might muse. Imagine that customer furiously rushing back into the store to yell at the sales guy who "misinformed" him about what he was buying. Then again, the difference between TFT-LCDs with CCFL backlights and LCDs with LED backlights is significant enough that consumers need to know what they're getting and understand the benefits. In this respect, some might argue that you're selling yourself short by selling these flat panels simply as LCDs.

What's your take on the debate?

Robert Gumiela, Senior Marketing Manager, CE at Samsung Canada poses proudly in front of a series of complex diagrams and calculations that he feels justify why LCD TVs with LED backlighting should renamed LED TVs.