Every TV type explained

Gone are the days when the difference between TVs boiled down to the brand. There are so many different types of TVs now that it will make your head spin. When it comes to choosing the right TV, all this variety only makes it harder to choose the right one.

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Further complicating the matter is that some of them have sub-types and there is not a huge difference between them. However, to understand different types of TVs, we need to start where it all began, and then go all the way to the modern iterations. Here are all the types of TVs that you need to know about.

All the different types of TVs you need to know about:

1. CRT

2. Plasma

3. LCD

4. LED

5. OLED

6. QLED

7. Mini-LED

8. Micro-LED

1. CRT

A CRT is also known as a Tube TV since it uses a cathode ray tube to beam photos at a screen coated with phosphors to make a picture. They debuted way back in 1934 and were in use for around 75 years before starting to get phased out in the 2000s. During their existence, a CRT TV evolved from being black-and-white to colour and also grew in size. However, they were heavy and not good for the environment.

2. Plasma

Plasma brought the term “flat-screen TV” to common parlance and they were responsible for pushing the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9. They used a tiny little pixel pocket in the screen that turned to plasma with electrical connection and lit up phosphors. They made flat-screen TVs mainstream and also paved the way for an emissive display.

3. LCD

The flat-screen concept gained real momentum with the introduction of LCD TVs.

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They were far lighter and easier to move around than plasma TVs. At first, LCD TVs relied on a compact fluorescent light bulb in the back that was responsible for shining light through all the different layers to produce an image. They were able to produce brighter images than a plasma TV but failed to produce deep black colour.

4. LED

TV makers soon realised the idea of using light bulbs in TVs didn’t make sense. Hence, the lighting was replaced by LEDs or light-emitting diodes, and soon the TV world opened to endless possibilities of making thinner TVs. The LED TVs still use an LCD panel but the backlighting changed from CFL to LED.

5. OLED

OLED TVs are the true representation of modern-day television where they borrowed the concept from Plasma TVs by replacing the gas used in them with organic compounds that would light up individual pixels when connected to electrical signals. The OLED TVs are way lighter and thinner but not as bright as LED TVs. 

However, they won users over with their ability to produce deep blacks since the pixels were being completely turned off. Even when it comes to OLED TVs, there are two new technologies gaining prominence: MLA OLED and QD-OLED. They are essentially brighter OLED TVs and thus sell for a premium.

6. QLED

In its quest to claim the throne for best TV in the market and beat rival LG, Samsung introduced the QLED TV. The Q in QLED stands for quantum dots, which are tiny nanoparticles that glow with great efficiency. They became Samsung’s choice for making its LED backlights more powerful than its rivals.

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When compared to OLED TVs, Samsung’s QLEDs were brighter but they also suffered from backlight blooming and lack of deeper black levels.

7. Mini-LED

For TV makers, it became clear that an emissive display is always better than a transmissive display, yet backlight matters. This quest to make backlight brighter and more effective led to Mini-LED TVs, which use the backlight array seen on QLED TVs but is smaller and uses many of them at once. 

This not only eliminated the blooming and halo effects but also led to better black levels. They are still LCD TVs that rely on backlighting, but manufacturers have refined the technology to such an extent that you get excellent brightness and impeccable HDR performance.

8. Micro-LED

A micro-LED is slowly making inroads in the TV world and making a mark among different television types. They are emissive displays like OLEDs and are incredibly light with perfect blacks and amazing contrast. However, they are also very expensive to make and manufacturers are finding it difficult to get 4K resolution at a normal screen size. Since micro-LED panels are smaller squares and can be put together to make a display of different sizes and shapes, there is a possibility that they will soon be available in normal screen sizes.

We have come a long way from the days of CRT TVs and finding a thinner but brighter television is no longer a difficult task. However, when it comes to finding the brightest television, micro-LED seems to be the way ahead. While they are at least a couple of years away from becoming mainstream, OLED or QLED is the way to go now if you are looking for the next best in terms of television for your home.