What is Nano Full Array LED vs. Edge Lit Local Dimming LED?
by Phil Conner
This technology describes a local dimming backlighting technology that incorporates sectors of backlighting in order to control the LED backlighting for more powerful blacks, brightness, contrast, colors. It also applies to the faster synthetic Hz rate that manufacturers often tout as 480Hz or higher. It is also partially responsible for allowing local dimming LEDs to be thinner (the first ones by Sony were over 5.5 inches in depth even though they had great picture quality.) True local dimming LED backlighting uses banks of LEDs that are directly behind the LCD front panel. The manufacturing process for true LED local dimming is much more costly and complex than edge lit LED backlighting but it provides more "localized" flexibility for improved contrast, color, and black levels than edge lit LED does. It also helps side angle viewing on LED TVs if done well.
Edge Lit local dimming LED applies to a manipulated edge LED backlight which uses only the LED edge lighting to create a more localized effect. This is more of a feature and less of a true capability as edge-led LED local dimming can be effective or ineffective depending on the TV. It can also often be turned off. The TVs lighting is separated into zones using this technique and the number of zones may vary greatly depending upon the number and quality of LEDs employed.
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