Comparison test: 23-inch LED monitors

If you believe a study published by the manufacturer LG recently, then a low energy consumption and space savings are the most important criterion when buying a computer screen. Both the current LED monitors are ideal. For notebooks and most TVs, LED display lighting has been standard for quite some time.


Picture gallery


Now, the technology is also on the go with desktop monitors. But where is the advantage of these light-emitting diodes? At the same time, it is a matter of quite normal liquid crystal displays (LCDs). To illuminate the image, backlighting has been used as a backlight for CCFLs, which are technically similar to a fluorescent tube.


Advantages and disadvantages of LED


In the case of LED monitors, light-emitting diodes are used instead. They are more durable and allow the construction of slim and energy-saving devices. Only white LEDs are used in the monitors tested here. LEDs in the basic colors Red, green and blue would offer advantages in the color representation, but are expensive in the production and therefore professional devices only.


The usual TN panels are also installed. They are cheap to manufacture and offer good reaction times, but you have to expect contrast and color contamination if you deviate too much from the optimal sitting position directly in front of the screen.


In the case of a TFT display, a light source - independent of the displayed image - ensures a permanent background lighting. Only the upstream liquid crystals ensure that the desired colors and brightness levels are generated. For CCFL backlights, a series of light tubes are placed directly behind the panel.


Typically, maximum luminances of 300 to 400 candelas / m² are achieved here. Such values, however, are rarely required in practice, on the contrary: too high a brightness controls the eyes very much. A really slim display construction can not be achieved with CCFLs, as they require a certain depth. This can only be achieved with LEDs.


As in the notebook sector, the manufacturers of desktop TFTs usually rely on the edge LED backlight. The LEDs are only mounted on the sides of the monitor and illuminate the entire surface from there. The technical challenge is to distribute the light evenly over the entire image surface in order to avoid a stained image.


A "direct-LED" or "full-LED" design, with light-emitting diodes behind the entire image area, would be simpler. This is technically no problem, but is used for cost reasons only for higher-quality devices. The increased number of light-emitting diodes would also lead to an increase in electricity consumption.