CCFL vs LED LCDs

I know LED backlight is more efficient so if given a choice should it always be taken at same price or are there personal-technical arguments to be made for CCFL (like there are for antiglare matte vs glossy)?

I know I've read end users complain of LED headaches not experienced with CCFLs for example (& some people simply do not like any glare & prefer antiglare matte-making their choices much more limited these days)..?

Thanks for your thoughts,

 

One good thing about LED displays is that they are instant on they do not required to warm up like the CCFL's do.

 

LED and CCFL are backlight technologies, they are totally irrelevant to the type of panel (ie. TN, MVA/PVA, IPS - which determine image quality, lag, viewing angles, etc.) and screen finish (matte vs. glossy).

 

99.99% of the CCFL backlight are instant on. They typically reach their maximum birghtness after just a couple seconds.

 

This. My Studio 15 has a WXGA CCFL-backlit display, and there is no warm-up to speak of. As soon as I can see an image on the screen (the BIOS screen), it's as bright as it gets, or at least if it isn't, I can't tell the difference.

My desktop LCD, on the other hand, takes almost a full minute to warm up to its full brightness, which isn't even all that much.

 

I'll take my words back. I meant to say 99.99% of all recent CCFL backlit display is instant on and takes only a couple seconds to reach full brightness.

 

So if offered at same cost, should one always choose LED for energy efficiency?

(assuming 15% restocking fee; only +experience with CCFL so don't know if LED headaches could prove a personal issue)

 

There really isn't much downside to an LED at the moment. They're brighter, better contrast, thinner, and more power efficient. At the same time, color temp is a bit cool.

 

There are bad and good LED displays out there. Just like there are bad and good CCFL displays.

Instead of focusing on getting a LED display, I would focus on getting a good display. Sites like Notebookcheck.com and Notebookjournal measure illumination, brightness and contrast.

 

As I mentioned above, panel type, screen type and backlight technologies are not related but are interdependent in making a screen good. If you have the same panel type and screen type, LED will always be better than CCFL. The panel type is the major factor in determining screen quality. Most laptops use TN panels which have the worst viewing angles, worst color reproduction but lowest lag and cheapest.

 

One thing not mentioned is that LED backlights do not deteriorate over time like CCFL ones do.

 

Another thing worth mentioning is that many CCFL backlights contain rather toxic heavy metals, such as mercury and chromium. LEDs do not contain these elements.

 

I've also read about the environmental advantages of LEDs, do you think the heavy metals leach out for end users or at disposal?

LED is being offered by Lenovo at no extra cost on many notebooks but does say "Selecting this option may delay your shipment 3-4 weeks"

I have CCFL LCDs that are 10 yrs old & still look good but I've read about the advantages of LEDs so it seems worth the delay but then there are a lot of - headache - LED post complaints that leave me with that concern..?

What's the basis of the headache LED issue, brightness, refresh rate or what then?

 

I think the issue is not the LED, but the person. Some people are really sensitive to low frequency flickering and could have nausea from certain LEDs.

 

But they post about it only being an issue with LED displays (which had me wondering about the differing physics)?

 

The heavy metals are contained within the lamp itself, and thus pose no risk of poisoning the user. Once they must be disposed of, however, it is a different matter.

 

LED backlights deteriorates too. Typically.. the light output degrades 10-25% after couple thousand hours. They specify the value in the LED data sheets.

 

If it were an issue with LED displays, wouldn't all people be affected? It's not the physics of the LED displays but how the brain is wired and responds to low frequency light flickering. Some people are unfortunately sensitive to this phenomenon.

 

No not all people would be affected, some susceptible people have seizures with light flickering, most don't fortunuately

It appears something unique about LEDs vs CCFL so unless LEDs have differing low frequency light flickering than CCFLs I'm not sure if it's that or some other unique physics of LEDs vs CCFLs.

I'm not trying to insult anyone thoughts, I appreciate them, I'm just trying to figure out why so many post about LED specific headaches ?

For example I prefer matte LCDs over glossy because I find glare from anything I stare at for long periods of time distracting-annoying (My Samsung HDTV LCD is even matte) yet glossy is the current trend but many new notebook users may never have had experience with matte LCD notebooks. When people watch my matte 1080p HDTV they often say they like it more than their flashy glossy screens & same with the AR coating on eyeglasses or polarized lenses on sunglasses..