Television screens continue to evolve at an eye-watering pace, and you’d be forgiven for feeling like we’ve jumped from 320p YouTube videos to 8K viewing practically overnight.
The latest development in the TV world isn’t an influx of new pixels, however. Instead, companies like Hisense have turned their attention to the picture quality by tackling the contrast on LED TV’s to express the best high dynamic range.
LED TVs have been commonplace in modern tech over the past few years, however, the introduction of the Mini-LED is upping the ante.
What is Mini-LED?
A standard LED TV, similar to an onion, has a series of layers. Who would’ve known watching Shrek as a child would eventually be considered an asset?
The two relevant layers in regards to Mini-LED technology is the LCD panel and a thin layer of Quantum dots. The LCD panel is responsible for producing the overall picture and colour tone, while the Quantum dots are a series of man-made semiconductor crystals, which, when used in TV technology, enhances the user’s viewing experience by creating ultra-deep colours that essentially make the TV brighter.
The LCD panel is where the Mini-LEDs come into play, as they provide the light used by the Quantum dots.
As our Gizmodo colleague, David Nield so eloquently explains, “When it comes to mini-LED, this is essentially an upgrade on LCD technology: it makes those backlight zones much smaller, and means that backlighting on LCD panels can be much more precise.”
How is it different?
How Mini-LED technology differs from the standard LED is through the density of the background lighting. Mini-LEDs are around one-fifth the size of a regular LED, meaning Mini-LEDs can light up a far smaller area of the screen.
The ability to light up a smaller area of the screen also counteracts ‘blooming’ — the occurrence where edges of people or text on-screen appear to glow ever so slightly — by improving the overall accuracy of the picture. This results in a clearer and crisper image which is a huge development for those who consume hours’ worth of content every week.
Any technology that reduces previous qualms users have with their viewing experience will undoubtedly be used more often moving forward, so expect to see Mini-LED TVs pop up all over the place in the coming years.