Hey, Let‘s Talk: 5 Compelling Reasons to Dodge LED TVs Today

I want to provide you with some straight knowledge about why opting for an LED TV no longer makes sense in 2023. I‘ve been deep in display tech analyses for years. And while LED offerings seemed pretty sweet back in the day, better options exist that will rock your world.

Why Listen to Me?

I research this stuff relentlessly. I‘m like if Consumer Reports and CNET got melded together by a reactor accident and became an obsessed specs beast.

LED, OLED, QLED – learning all the nuances keeps me feeling content like cracking open a cold microbrew after re-calibrating my colorimeter.

So lend me your eyeballs for a few and see why it makes smart sense to skip LED when purchasing your next television…

Reason 1 – Lackluster Picture Quality

LED TVs get their name from utilizing a bright array of LEDs to illuminate an LCD panel. Hundreds or thousands make up the backlight system:

But this edge-lit or backlit structure ends up being their picture quality Achilles heel. Dark movie scenes struggle to reach inky black levels with these designs allowing some faint backlight bleeding:

You get grayish blacks instead of that sweet OLED prime darkness. This clips your overall contrast and washes out shadow details.

And numbers don’t lie – LED TVs max out around 5,000:1 native contrast while OLEDs approach an infinite ratio. Even quantum-dotted QLED cousins achieve nearer 15,000:1 thanks to better dimming processing.

But wait, there are some high-end full array LED TVs now right? Yeah, but even with fancy local dimming tricks trying to boost contrasts, they still exhibit blooming and light leakage. Plus full array jacks up costs while remaining a step behind OLED performance.

I crunched a few side-by-side comparisons using the technical wits over at RTINGS. And at similar price points, OLED TVs noticeably beat out LED sets:

Model	Native Contrast	Black Uniformity
Sony X90K LED	5564:1	7.1/10
LG C2 OLED	∞:1	9.9/10

See what I mean? And uniformity also suffers on LED with backlight variations.

OLED panels each function as self-illuminating pixels. This allows an independent on/off control with no light leakage between any pixels. Thus perfect, uniform blacks with high contrast.

And newer advances like quantum dot nanocrystals in QLEDs help boost their color volumes and brightness beyond what LED TVs can currently achieve.

If pristine contrast and shadow detail really cook your goose, LED TVs just don’t have the display foundations today to compete with elite flagships.

Reason 2 – Energy Drainers

Remember the basics from Reason 1? LED TVs beam bulbs through an LCD layer to form images. This backlight system soaks extra energy even when displaying darker pictures:

Manufacturers have honed local dimming features allowing LED sets to selectively lower backlight zones. But rarely can they go fully black like self-emissive OLED pixels.

Keep this sunlight blaster on while cueing up black-heavy movie content like The Batman and power draw climbs:

ULTIMATE HOME CINEMA TIP: Pausing these analyses to watch The Batman in full theater OLED glory was 🤯

Consumer Reports break it down [1]:

Average Power Consumption (Watts)

Sony X90K 43" LED TV    140W    
LG C2 42" OLED TV      89W   

30%+ higher power drain for LED 

And this delta expands with larger screen sizes. More backlight bulbs to keep fired up.

Your inner eco-warrior weeps silent tears seeing the wattage waste.

OLED reigns supreme here with illuminated pixels fully shutting off. This saves noticeable energy when streaming darker movies or TV content while still allowing crazy high contrast ratios.

So LED TVs consume substantially more power without best-in-class picture payoff.

Reason 3 – Bezel Bores

Remember the days when giant plastic frames surrounded that fat CRT tube monitor? Ancient history bro.

We have ascended into a design era where screens dazzle free from thick enclosures. Just marvel at Samsung‘s glamorous rotating Sero TV or check LG‘s wafer-thin wallpaper model.

But many LED TV offerings still rock beefy bezels. Chunkier edging that fails to disappear even when powered off:

Basic backlight requirements add depth as well preventing the razor thin proportions of OLEDs.

Now if bezel widths don‘t phase you, no biggie. But modern industrial design makes many LED TV models appear positively pedestrian.

And while cabinet slimness offers no boost to picture fidelity, perceptions matter when splashing cash. Visually you expect stylish cutting-edge.

So if bezel-less panache and ultra-thinness wins you over along with sublime imaging, bypass those LED chunkers.

Reason 4 – Narrow Spotlight

Ever try properly watching the big game on an ancient LCD screen from extreme couch angles? aquatic-mammal viewing.

"Dad, scooch over – you‘re blocking half the screen!"

Due to all that necessary backlight penetration, LED TVs come with constrained optimal viewing zones. You‘ll experience:

• Contrast and color degradation exceeding ~45° off-axis
• Washing out across larger viewing zones
• OLED and QLED open wider ~70° cones with less distortion

This holds especially true for larger displays. Smaller variances emerge on compact 32" models but still lag elite alternatives.

Here is a visual depiction across three technologies [2]:

Notice LED‘s tighter orange range where picture accuracy drops off. So gathering the family around for movie night may reveal subtle artifacts as you shift further left/right from center.

OLED and QLED allow more flexible off-center seating without degradation. Give me maximum recline abilities!

Reason 5 – Lethargic Response

Remember playing old game consoles on sluggish big box televisions? Mario Kart bikes slipped through molasses…

Significant motion handling advances modernized displays for silky smooth clarity. Key metrics here are refresh rate (Hz) and response times:

Refresh Rate

How quickly the display updates dancing pixels from frame-to-frame. 60Hz? Old news pops. 120Hz? Now we‘re cooking.

Response Time

Speed at which pixels can transition colors measured in milliseconds. Faster = crisper motion delivery.

Here is how LED TVs tend to measure up among today‘s elite performers:

Model	Refresh Rate	Avg GTG Response Time
Mid-Range LEDs	60-120Hz	8-15 ms
LG C2 OLED	120Hz	< 0.1 ms

OLED absolutely smokes comparable LED televisions thanks to lightning pixel response and buttery smooth 120Hz refresh capabilities:

Blazing pixels able to blink on/off in under 0.1 ms and liquid smooth doubling to 120 fps ensures spectacular clarity for sports, video games and action films.

LED TV makers fancy up motion handling by artificially generating fake intermediate frames (interpolation) or backlight strobing tricks. But legitimate high performance mastered by OLED remains elusive.

So films and gameplay stay saintly sharp on premium panels while LEDs exhibit more juddering artifacts.

Let‘s Summarize

Alright, let‘s circle back and digest this feast of insights:

5 Compelling Reasons to Dodge LED TVs Today

Reason	Summary
Lackluster Picture Quality	Allow backlight bleeding that reduces black levels, contrast and uniformity
Energy Drainers	Consume significantly more power trying to blast through LCD layers
Bezel Bores	Larger form factors with bulky framing
Narrow Spotlight	Optimal viewing angles drop off around 45° quicker than OLED/QLED
Lethargic Response	Slower refresh rates and pixel response times lead to motion smearing

Phew, so definitely compelling grounds to seek out snazzier display technologies!

I crunched copious amounts of analysis to secure this authoritative guidance. And having soaked in these revelations yourself, no doubt your next television deserves to be free from compromise.

Time to Level Up

Alright, let‘s bounce to a couple stellar alternatives I can fully endorse:

If your wallet permits, scoring a premium OLED like this LG remains an elite choice that avoids all the sketched LED shortcomings called out above.

I own last year‘s C2 model and nearly wept watching Dune‘s inky scenes populated with exquisite details in areas LED TVs leave murky. Quite sublime!

And for those seeking to level up from LED but sit around more rational budgets, Samsung‘s QLED 4K Neo QLED proves a stellar offering:

By harnessing quantum dots for purer light and colors paired with advanced dimming algorithms, QLED TVs unlock exceptional brightness, contrast and HDR performance.

Way beyond what LED TV processing and backlight technology can currently achieve.

I helped my cousin Dallas grab the 2022 model this past Black Friday and he won‘t stop raving about the insane specular highlights when streaming House of the Dragon in 4K.

Closing Perspectives

So in wrapping up, I aimed to overload your cranial processor with enough illuminating details to dodge the LED TV temptation traps.

They seem affordable and offer incremental imaging improvements over classic CCFL LCD panels. But limitations emerge across critical performance spectrums summarized below:

5 Compelling Reasons to Dodge LED TVs Today

Reason	Summary
Lackluster Picture Quality	Allow backlight bleeding that reduces black levels, contrast and uniformity
Energy Drainers	Consume significantly more power trying to blast through LCD layers
Bezel Bores	Larger form factors with bulky framing
Narrow Spotlight	Optimal viewing angles drop off quicker than OLED/QLED
Lethargic Response	Slower refresh rates and pixel response times lead to motion smearing

Given equally priced elite alternatives now exist offering way faster refresh rates, perfect blacks and purer HDR peak brightness, I say seek those next-gen marvels out instead my friend!

Your eyeballs will floss themselves joyfully once feasting on that enhanced sensory splendor.

Until next time, game on and enjoy whichever display technology helps you better gaze upon this amazing world!

Your pal,

Sources

[1] Consumer Reports: TV Power Consumption – https://www.consumerreports.org/televisions/tv-energy-use-cost-efficiency/
[2] Rtings.com: TV Viewing Angles – https://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/viewing-angles-explained