backlight

The iPad 5 might jettison grams and millimeters via a redesigned LED backlight apparatus, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

"It's likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs," said Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, in an e-mail to CNET.

He said he also expects other modifications to reduce thickness. "The other significant change that we feel is likely is a shift to a film-based touch sensor," Semenza said.

It's still … Read more

Asia-based sources won't quit with speculation about a "revised" model that will fix some of the shortcomings of the third-generation iPad.

Here's the problem: the third-generation iPad's 2,048x1,536 Retina display requires twice as many backlights as the iPad 2, which potentially makes it run hotter and necessitates a bigger battery to achieve roughly the same battery life as the iPad 2.

That bulked up backlight assembly also contributes to a slightly thicker, heavier design than the iPad 2.

Raymond Soneira, the founder, president, and CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, explained the challenges that Apple … Read more

A number of Apple's portable systems come with a backlight that illuminates the keyboard for easy viewing in dark environments. To adjust the illumination you can either press the function keys on the keyboard (usually the F5 and F6 keys) or enable automatic adjustments; however, there may be times when these adjustments do not work properly.

When you press the F5 or F6 buttons on the keyboard, the system should show a semitransparent backlight level indicator at the bottom of the screen, but if you have auto backlight adjustments enabled, then the system will not show any level indicator … Read more

Update March 2, 2012: Company reps have told me only that the status, and indeed the model name and prospective features (eg local dimming) of this model, are now uncertain. For that reason I have removed it from the company lineup chart until I hear more.

LAS VEGAS--We love the picture quality improvements wrought by full-array local-dimming backlights, so color us excited that Sharp is migrating the technology down from its awesome Elite TVs to these new models.

The 945 series will offer that sweet backlight configuration in two screen sizes that will be familiar to fans of the Elite: … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Last year LG released only one TV with our favorite kind of LED backlight, but for 2012 it has announced three sizes, from 47 through 60 inches.

All three of the LG LM9600 series offer that rare full-array local dimming LED backlight, but only two--the 47- and 55-inchers--utilize the "Nano" structure found on the 2011 55LW9800, which allows for a thinner cabinet design. The non-Nano 60-incher will have a thicker cabinet, although all three will boast the company's new thin Cinema Screen bezel, measuring "less than 5mm" according to a company rep we spoke … Read more

Apple could be making some changes to the way it lights up the panel on its next iPad, according to a new report.

Citing sources, component news site DigiTimes reported today that Apple is contemplating the move to to a more complex backlighting system to better serve a higher-resolution display.

The outlet suggests once again that Apple is going with a high-resolution 2,048x1,536-pixel display in its next iPad, and will need a new lighting system to "maintain or strengthen the brightness of the panels." By comparison, Apple's first- and second-generation iPads shipped with a 1,… Read more

Christmas is about a week away, but I'm sure there are quite a few of you who've yet to even begin your shopping duties yet. I can safely (and smugly) say that I am completely done with mine.

If you've been putting off deciding which monitor to buy your chosen certain someone, today's your lucky day. If you've been wracking your brain over the difference between LCD and LED technologies, you're in even more luck.

Today I updated the Monitor Buying Guide to include exhaustive information on LED backlighting and how it relates to … Read more

Editors' note, November 24, 2010: The color accuracy and gamut section of this story was updated with more detail and the explanation of how LED lighting affects color was corrected.

As the computer monitor editor here at CNET, I get a lot of questions about different monitor technologies and what effect, if any, they have on the monitor's actual performance. The most frequently asked question of late would be, "What's the difference between LCD and LED?"

It's no surprise this question is so widespread given the fact that monitor vendors are continually inundating us with news of the "latest and greatest" monitor technology with acronyms being bandied about like so many iPads on talk shows.

While prevailing consensus states there is no "wrong" question, the question at hand is actually wrong. Yes, it is. LED and LCD technologies are not mutually exclusive, so to ask what their difference is, is like asking what the difference is between Vibram Five Finger shoes and rubber soles.

So let's break down what LCDs and LED backlights are, as they relate to monitors, and delve into the real advantages of LED backlighting technology.… Read more

Boosted by growing consumer demand for advanced TVs, Samsung carved out a leading share of the U.S. LCD TV market in the first quarter, according to data released Monday by iSuppli.

For the quarter, the South Korean company shipped 1.1 million LCD TVs. Though that number was down 33 percent from the fourth quarter, Samsung still beat out the overall industry, which saw its shipments drop by 35.8 percent. This difference helped Samsung inch its market share up to 18 percent from 17.3 percent in the previous quarter.

The overall decline in LCD TV shipments is … Read more