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Have you ever been sat at home watching TV and pondered, “what exactly is it that makes my TV work?”
After all, the fantastic selection of TV programmes, films and games that keep the whole family entertained would not be possible without all of the unseen components inside your television.
Well wonder no longer; here we outline what you can expect to find inside your LED TV (but please take our word for it; there’s no need to open your TV set to check!).
What is an LED TV?
Firstly, it’s important to know what an LED TV is before we can delve into what makes it tick. You may be surprised to know that, despite the different acronym, an LED TV is essentially an LCD TV. Yes, that’s right, it’s an LCD TV but with a different form of backlighting. The correct term for an LED TV is ‘LED-backlit LCD TV’, but that’s just too much of a mouthful to say, so instead they’re just called LED TVs.
Both types of TV use a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. However, LED TVs use an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen – and there are a lot of advantages to having an LED TV, such as improved picture quality and colour display.
What’s Inside?
Not all LED TVs are exactly the same. Some will include more features than others depending on variables such as the style and the brand. However, fundamentally there are a few components that all LED TVs need to have in order to function effectively.
The LEDs
The components that give this TV its namesake, LEDs are tiny little lights behind the TV screen. LEDs shine light from behind the screen, illuminating pixels to create an image. They provide a vaster array of colours than TVs like LCDs that use cathode fluorescent tubes, resulting in a more vivid picture on screen.
The LED Screen
An LED screen is a sophisticated piece of technology, made up of polarised sheets of glass, a backlight and a grid layer of a responsive liquid crystal solution. LED screens consist of two parts: the main display body and a set of control systems. Different LED screens can be classified according to the quality of display colours or performance.
The Backlight
The backlight is the layer that includes the LED lights. Backlights improve the contrast ratio of the picture quality and reduces power consumption by adjusting the LED light source’s brightness depending on image input. There are two types of LED backlighting; edge lighting, which involves LEDs being placed along the edge of the panel, allowing the TV to be made incredibly thin, and direct lighting, where LEDs are placed behind the entire surface of the screen.
Tuner
The tuner is the part that picks up the signal that allows you to watch live television. Most tuners also function as video capture cards, enabling you to record television programmes onto a hard disk.
The Reflective Panel
The reflective panel keeps all the light in the right place to give you a great picture.
The Inputs
This part is at the back of the TV and has all the inputs necessary for connecting your console up to the power source as well as any other devices, such as the internet, DVD players or games consoles.
The Circuit Board
The circuit board operates like the brain of the TV. It is an electrical component which sends signals to all the other parts to ensure that they work as they should. Essentially a circuit board is a meeting place for all of the other components, allowing them to work together seamlessly.
