WHAT IS QLED TV? WHY IS IT BETTER THAN OLED?

PHOTO CREDITS: SAMSUNG

What is QLED?

QUANTUM DOT LED (QLED), is a display technology that uses phosphorescent crystals to improve the LED backlight on an LCD TV. In 2017, Samsung introduced its QLED line of 4K TVs, which are LCD-based TVs augmented with quantum dot nanocrystals. QLED TVs, which come in sizes up to 98 inches, are highly praised for their viewing quality and are the only LCD technology that gives OLED a run for its money. However, OLEDs have the best viewing angle and are lighter, thinner and use less power than QLED.

Quantum Dots offer a different way for screens to produce color instead of the usual inefficient and limited combination of white LEDs and color filters. The dots in question range between two and 10 nanometers in diameter, and produce different colors depending on their size. For instance, the smallest dots focus on blue, the larger ones focus on red.

The key point about Quantum Dots is that they’re able to produce more heavily saturated and precisely defined primary colors from blue LEDs then you can get from the relatively broad and thus imprecise light spectrum associated with white LEDs.

This ability to deliver less ‘watered down’ brightness and color intensity is why Quantum Dots are increasingly being adopted as the ‘go to’ color solution for high quality high dynamic range LED/LCD TVs.

Given the potential advantages of Quantum Dot technology, though, it’s important that consumers know when they’re buying a Quantum Dot screen rather than a TV that uses some other type of screen technology. This is where the QLED name comes in.

So far as I know, the need to establish a name that distinguishes Quantum Dot screens from other types of LED/LCD display was first raised in November 2016 by industry analyst and consultant group Insight Media. The concluding line of an Insight Media White Paper called ‘Quantum Dots will power display products to the next level’ stated that ‘We suggest the term “QLED” refers to any LED/LCD TV that uses Quantum Dot technology”.

I mention this because it’s important to realize that the QLED term as it is now used seemingly wasn’t defined by Samsung and is not owned in any way by Samsung. In fact, there’s now a QLED Alliance that includes Hisense and TCL, as well as Samsung, that’s devoted to furthering the Quantum Dot cause.

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What is QLED TV?

• The Q in QLED stands for a quantum dot. These minuscule dots form a layer in front of the backlight and create the colors you see on screen. 

• Most TVs are LCD and use liquid crystals (the LC in LCD). Quantum dots take the place of these crystals.

• Samsung pioneered the technology and debuted it in 2016. Now you can find quantum dot displays in all its high-end sets. You can spot a Samsung QLED set by its model name; it will always start with a 'Q'.

• A few other small brands make QLEDs, too, but Samsung is the only one of the big four manufacturers (LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony) to make them.

• Quantum dot is said to produce more vibrant colors and brighter images. 

QLED VS OLED

Samsung stands alone in supporting its QLED technology: LG, Panasonic, and Sony all choose OLED displays for their high-end sets. The key distinction is that OLED displays don't use backlights; every bulb in the display is self-emitting. This improves contrast control and motion fluidity, but Samsung believes QLEDs displays are brighter and show more vivid colors.

• Price - whether you're buying an OLED or a QLED, you're going to need to fork out a fair bit of money. Go for the top-end of either and you can expect to pay around £3,000, but where the cheapest OLED will tend to be around £1,500, some QLEDs start at around £800.

• Size - you won't find an OLED with a screen smaller than 55 inches, but QLEDs can be much smaller. Most of the ranges have a 49-inch model and there's even one 43-inches.

• Spec - the technology in the TVs differs slightly from brand to brand and each will have its own unique selling point, but some things are consistent. They will always be 4K, support HDR, and be smart. No matter if you choose OLED or QLED you will typically get the very best TV technology available from that brand.

Why should I buy a QLED TV?

There are no guarantees in the TV world. Price, brand, screen type: none of these necessarily make a Best Buy TV. Some of the best TVs we've ever tested have been QLEDs, but we've also found ones that didn't make the grade. You shouldn't necessarily rule out LCD displays either. They are generally cheaper, but some are just as good as or better than many QLED sets. If you want the best of the best then you must consider OLEDs as well as QLEDs. To dismiss any one screen would be limiting yourself unnecessarily.

How does QLED TV work?

It’s complicated but hang in there with us. So, to start, all QLED TVs have a quantum dot filter. This year, there’s a new refined aluminum compound that helps make the dots more efficient (and therefore brighter) and more effective at passing pass light through, which creates wider and more accurate color. 

So what is a quantum dot filter exactly? It’s a film of tiny crystal semiconductor particles that can be precisely controlled for their color output, which replace the red, green, and blue color filters that old TVs used.

Samsung says that its QLED TVs use the new filters to display 100% coverage of the DCI/P3 color space (read: much deeper black levels and sparkling HDR), and maintain that performance whatever the brightness. 

They’re so bright, in fact, that Samsung's QLED TVs can manage anywhere between 1500 nits to 2000 nits brightness. Considering 1000 nits is needed to produce HDR, that's proper bright, though exactly how anyone could stand the glare of 2000 nits, we're not sure. Sunglasses, anyone? While the advances in brightness are intriguing, Samsung claims that the new QLED TVs have a newly designed pixel panel structure to allow better off-axis viewing. For a living room environment, that could be QLED's big selling point.

Samsung's take on QLED

While Samsung has used Quantum Dots in its TVs before, the brand has developed new technologies for its 2017 QD models that take potential picture performance to a new level - a fact Samsung decided to mark by adopting the QLED name for its highest level 2017 TVs in place of its previous SUHD sub-brand.

The main innovation is the cladding of the QDs in a new metallic sheath. This matters for a number of reasons.

First, it makes the QDs much less susceptible to oxidation, meaning that their performance will erode much less rapidly over time than normal QDs. Second, the metal sheath means that the QDs can be positioned differently in the TV’s structure, enabling them to deliver their color and light more efficiently.

Finally, the metal sheath means the QDs can be driven harder without fear of damage or rapid performance reduction.

What does Samsung’s QLED approach mean for viewers?

Samsung’s metal-clad QDs deliver three main advantages to the viewing experience. First, they enable Samsung to push for extreme levels of brightness. The flagship Q9F models can hit 2000 nits of peak brightness - an unprecedentedly high figure for a consumer TV. Even the 1500 nits claimed for the step-down Q8C and Q7F QLED models put them in ground-breaking territory.

This matters because brightness is critical to the high dynamic range experience. HDR is designed to deliver more of the light levels our eyes see in the real world, with research by key HDR innovator Dolby showing that viewers are most satisfied by video systems that cover a 0 to the 10,000-nit range. Even though 10,000-nit content and screens for the home are currently years away, some studios already master their HDR movie release to 4,000 nits - and the further below that mastering figure a TV’s brightness lies, the less lifelike its images will look. Plus you will lose more detail in the brightest areas.

The second big HDR-friendly benefit opened up by Samsung’s QLED approach in color volume. This is a relatively new consideration for domestic TVs and introduces the concept of how different amounts of light can impact the range of color tones a TV can achieve. Being able to replicate more effectively the far greater range of tones you get when you introduce brightness variances to color is a critical element again in how well any HDR TV recreates our interpretation of light and color in the real world.

While the need to use external backlights may limit the potential of Samsung’s QLED TVs to hit the same black level depths and uniformity you get with rival OLED technology, those new metal-clad QDs clearly - in both measurement and ‘real-world viewing’ scenarios - deliver more of HDR’s brightness and color volume strengths than OLED screens can.

                                               The key focus for QLED technology is expanding the color volume (a function of brightness) 

Samsung QLED’s third key benefit as a TV technology is that despite its intense brightness and color saturation, it is immune to screen burn. Unlike rival OLED technology, you can leave intense graphical elements such as channel logos and gaming ‘HUD’ readouts in the same place on the screen for extended periods of time without having to worry about them leaving ghostly echoes of themselves behind.

It’s worth adding, too, that the way Samsung’s QLED screens work means that they can deliver their brightness and color intensity remarkably efficiently in power consumption terms.

One another exciting potential advantage of Samsung’s new QD design is support for increased viewing angles. While this year’s QLED models don’t fully realize this benefit yet, I’ve seen a Samsung QLED prototype delivering viewing angles essentially as wide as those you get with rival OLED technology. So if Samsung can develop this QLED advantage in its future screens, it will instantly remove one reason why some people feel attracted to OLED instead of LCD screens.

How long do QLED TVs last?

Samsung itself has given a likely time frame for its QLED televisions, saying that you can expect a QLED TV to last you roughly 7-10 years before you start to see some sort of visual degradation – while stressing that that includes the heavier use expected from smart TVs these days. In this post, Samsung says that "On average, based on typical use, consumers should expect their TV’s picture quality to remain roughly the same for anywhere from seven to ten years. "What’s interesting to note is that the definition of that term – ‘typical use’ – has expanded in recent years with the rise of binge-watching video and the development of exciting ‘smart TV’ functionalities. Now, on a typical day, we may switch on the TV to watch the latest episode of a favorite show, start a gaming session with friends, or manage our home’s IoT appliances."

Best QLED TV available on market now

• ·       Samsung Q90/Q90R  QLED
• ·       Samsung Q80/Q80R  QLED
• ·       Samsung Q900/Q900 R 8K  QLED
• ·       VIZIO P SERIES QUANTUM X2019
• ·       Hisense H9F
• ·       TCL 8 Series 2019/Q825 QLED