LG has announced it is adopting new Mini LED televisions in 2021, revealing a line-up of LCD televisions at CES 2021.
But perhaps the biggest and most confusing part of the news is that TV customers will have to learn a new piece of jargon, because the company is referring to the technology powering the televisions as QNED.
LG claims in its press release that the combination of its quantum dot and NanoCell technology, along with Mini LED light sources, will result in superior brightness and contrast in comparison to traditional LCD TVs.
The company’s 2021 lineup includes 10 new 4K and 8K models covering a range of screen sizes up to 86 inches.
“LG’s innovative Mini LED backlighting comprises up to almost 30,000 tiny LEDs that produce incredible peak brightness and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 when paired with up to nearly 2,500 dimming zones and advanced local dimming technology”, the company said.
QNED is distinct from QLED (quantum dot LED TV) or OLED (organic light emitting diode). It is unclear exactly what this abbreviation stands for – most likely “Quantum NanoCell Emitting Diode” – or why LG would choose a name that is so easily confusable with products from other brands like Samsung and Sony.
LG itself also has OLED televisions available, but does not compare its QNED to its OLED products. “It’s not hard to see why LG QNED Mini LED is the new LCD TV to beat”, LG says in its release.
LCD televisions were considered premium products in 2006. LG’s first major mass market OLED television was in 2012.
Mini LED is also distinct from MicroLED. Mini LEDs are used by QLED TVs, providing brightness through backlights that pass through an LCD matrix and colour filters.
MicroLEDs work more similarly to OLED televisions, in that each pixel lights up on its own without a need for a separate backlight. LG is working on MicroLED products, but currently only Samsung and Sony sell them.
LG did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent, questioning whether shoppers will be able to easily understand these distinctions, by time of publication.
“Our new QNED series is a premium home entertainment option that expands and improves the LCD TV space and gives consumers another terrific viewing choice,” said Nam Ho-jun, senior vice president of R&D at LG’s Home Entertainment Company in a statement.
“These TVs deliver an experience that set them apart from other LCD TVs and speak to our commitment to innovation and pushing the standard forward.”
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