Experiment 2 Lab Manual

American International University- Bangladesh

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
EEE3110: Engineering Shop Laboratory

Title: Study of LED TV

Abstract:

Commercially called LED (Light Emitting Diode) TVs are basically LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display) TVs that use a LED backlight system to illuminate the LCD screen. Technically, they're
LED-backlit LCD TVs. Instead of fluorescent tubes, LEDs shine light from behind the screen,
illuminating the pixels to create an image. Due to the small size and low power consumption of
LEDs, LED-backlit TVs are far thinner than regular LCD sets and are also more energy efficient.
They can also provide a wider color gamut, producing more vivid pictures. In this experiment
LED-backlit TV technology, the pros and cons of this technology and comparisons with other
high definition technologies are briefly discussed.

Introduction:

Have you ever seen a gigantic flat screen TV barely an inch thick? If you have, you've seen an
LED television. LEDs have come a long way since the early days of lighting up digital clock
faces. In the 2000s, LCD TVs took over the high definition market and represented a huge step
over old standard definition CRT televisions. LCD displays were even a major step above HD
rear-projection sets that weighed well over 100 pounds (45.4 kilos). Now LEDs are poised to
make a similar jump. While LCDs are far thinner and lighter than massive rear-projection sets,
they still use cold cathode fluorescent tubes to project a white light onto the pixels that make up
the screen. Those add weight and thickness to the television set. LEDs solve both problems.

Theory:

As mentioned in the introduction, LED TV is basically an extension of LCD TV. Therefore it is

worth to investigate the technology behind the LCD TV beforehand.

Liquid Crystal Display Television (LCD TV)

Liquid-crystal-display televisions (LCD TV) use LCD display technology to construct images.
LCD televisions are thinner and lighter than cathode ray tube (CRTs) of similar display size, and
are available in much larger sizes. When manufacturing costs fell, this combination of features
made LCDs practical for television receivers.

LCD televisions produce a black and colored image by selectively filtering a white light. The
light is typically provided by a series of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) at the back of

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

the screen. Millions of individual LCD shutters arranged in a grid, open and close to allow a
metered amount of the white light through. Each shutter is paired with a colored filter to remove
all but the red, green or blue (RGB) portion of the light from the original white source. Each
shutter–filter pair forms a single sub-pixel. The sub-pixels are so small that when the display is
viewed from even a short distance, the individual colors blend together to produce a single spot
of color, a pixel. Changing the relative intensity of the light passing through the sub-pixels
controls the shade of color.

Liquid crystals comprise a broad array of rod-shaped polymers that naturally form into thin,
ordered layers, as opposed to the more random orientation of a normal liquid. Some of these, the
nematic liquid crystals, also show an alignment effect between the layers. The particular
direction of the alignment of a nematic liquid crystal can be set by placing it in contact with an
alignment layer or director, which is essentially a material with microscopic grooves in it, on the
supporting substrates. When placed on a director, the layer in contact will align itself with the
grooves, and the layers above will subsequently align themselves with the layers below, the bulk
material taking on the director's alignment. In the case of a Twisted Nematic (TN) LCD, this
effect is utilized by using two directors arranged at right angles and placed close together with
the liquid crystal between them. This forces the layers to align themselves in two directions,
creating a twisted structure with each layer aligned at a slightly different angle to the ones on
either side.

Fig. 1: Layers of LCD display

LCD shutters consist of a stack of three primary elements. On the bottom and top of the shutter
are polarizer plates set at right angles. Normally light cannot travel through a pair of polarizers

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

arranged in this fashion, and the display would be black. The polarizers also carry the directors to
create the twisted structure aligned with the polarizers on either side. As the light flows out of the
rear polarizer, it will naturally follow the liquid crystal's twist, exiting the front of the liquid
crystal having been rotated through the correct angle that allows it to pass through the front
polarizer. LCDs are normally transparent in this mode of operation.

To turn a shutter off, a voltage is applied across it from front to back. The rod-shaped molecules
align themselves with the electric field instead of the directors, distorting the twisted structure.
The light no longer changes polarization as it flows through the liquid crystal, and can no longer
pass through the front polarizer. By controlling the voltage applied across the liquid crystal, the
amount of remaining twist can be selected. This allows the transparency of the shutter to be
controlled. To improve switching time, the cells are placed under pressure, which increases the
force to re-align themselves with the directors when the field is turned off.

Several other variations and modifications have been used in order to improve performance in
certain applications. In-Plane Switching displays (IPS and S-IPS) offer wider viewing angles and
better color reproduction, but are more difficult to construct and have slightly slower response
times. IPS displays are used primarily for computer monitors. Vertical Alignment (VA, S-PVA
and MVA) offers higher contrast ratios and good response times, but suffers from color shifting
when viewed from the side. In general, all of these displays work in a similar fashion by
controlling the polarization of the light source.

Fig. 2: Schematic diagram of LCD display Technology

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

A typical shutter assembly consists of a sandwich of several layers deposited on two thin glass
sheets forming the front and back of the display. For smaller display sizes (under 30 inches), the
glass sheets can be replaced with plastic.

The rear sheet starts with a polarizing film, the glass sheet, the active matrix components and
addressing electrodes, and then the director. The front sheet is similar, but lacks the active matrix
components, replacing those with the patterned color filters. Using a multi-step construction
process, both sheets can be produced on the same assembly line. The liquid crystal is placed
between the two sheets in a patterned plastic sheet that divides the liquid into individual shutters
and keeps the sheets at a precise distance from each other.

The critical step in the manufacturing process is the deposition of the active matrix components.
These have a relatively high failure rate, which renders those pixels on the screen "always on". If
there are enough broken pixels, the screen has to be discarded. The number of discarded panels
has a strong effect on the price of the resulting television sets, and the major downward fall in
pricing between 2006 and 2008 was due mostly to improved processes.

To produce a complete television, the shutter assembly is combined with control electronics and
backlight. The backlight for small sets can be provided by a single lamp using a diffuser or
frosted mirror to spread out the light, but for larger displays a single lamp is not bright enough
and the rear surface is instead covered with a number of separate lamps. Achieving even lighting
over the front of an entire display remains a challenge, and bright and dark spots are not
uncommon.

LED TV

Effectively an LED-backlight is a replacement for the uniform CCFL backlight that gives a LCD
TV its brightness.

Instead of being always on - and therefore not able to dim in specific areas of the screen - LED
lights are arranged either along the sides of the screen ('Edge' LED) or arranged behind the entire
screen ('Direct' or 'Full' LED).

These LED lights can switch on and off individually, which means the image can have greater
contrast - bright whites and deep black in the same image. A good example of how this works is
with a dark and dingy movie like Batman Begins. For night scenes a traditional CCFL-backlit
LCD TV isn't able to dim sufficiently enough to make the black areas of the image convincing,
and neither is it able to show night areas, such as headlights or street lamps.

Because LED TVs are still in their infancy, several different types of LED-blacklit sets are on
the market-

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

Edge-lit LEDs - in which the LEDs are formed around the rim of the screen, using a special
diffusion panel to spread the light evenly behind the screen (the most common use). The only
real advantage afforded by these sets is thinness. Most LED-edgelit panels consist of two major
components: A long LED module with a row of tiny white diodes and a thin screen-sized plastic
sheet known as a light guide plate. Two LED modules are deployed along the top and bottom of
the panel. The combined light output is then funneled and spread out across the screen.
Technically, an edgelit LED system lacks finer backlight control compared with the backlit
version. Uneven backlight uniformity is another common shortcoming. To put this into
perspective, a backlit panel can turn on selected LEDs to bring out the sparkle of stars in a
galaxy while switching off the remaining bulbs to produce deep blacks for the background.
Edgelit panels are usually less capable in this aspect.

LED backlighting (Full array) - behind the screen, whose brightness is not controlled
individually. It provide improved color

Dynamic “local dimming” backlight - LEDs controlled individually (or in clusters) to control
the level of light/color intensity in a given part of the screen to create a more dynamic picture.
And that highlights one more great advantage of LEDs over compact fluorescent lights: Because
the LEDs can actually be instantly toggled on and off, they produce awesome black levels in
dark scenes. Since the white fluorescent lamps have to remain on during TV use, some light
tends to bleed through and lighten the picture in dark scenes.

Fig. 4: Dynamic Backlight LED

Each system has advantages and disadvantages, and the one that’s right for you depends on your
needs and desires. Edge-lit sets are typically much thinner and lighter than those that use a full

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

array because the lighting source takes up less space. Full-array sets are thicker and heavier, but
they make up for that with local dimming, which means one section of the LED panel can be
dimmed while other sections remain bright. That improves blacks and contrast in the resulting
picture.

Comparisons between LED and LCD TV

Compared to CCFL-backlit LCDs, LED-backlit LCDs have several advantages from different
point of views.

Fig. 5: Comparison between LED and LCD

Superior picture quality

LED TVs will produce deeper blacks due to “local dimming” technology. In comparison, LCD
TVs produce a lower picture quality, especially when projecting dark backgrounds. The Cold
Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL), which is located behind the screen, does not actually remain
cool. Instead of using all of its energy to produce light, it wastes energy in the form of heat.
Further, since the CCFL current flow must be kept at a high level to preserve its lifespan, LCD
screens cannot be easily dimmed. This is one of the reasons why LED TVs can operate more
efficiently while providing a more precise image quality.

Slim design

LED TVs have an ultra-thin design because of the LED backlight technology. This design makes
it easy to mount your LED television on the wall to save space.

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

Power Efficiency

LED TVs use less power than plasma and traditional LCD TVs. In fact, Samsung states that their
TVs use 40% less power than a conventional TV. Switching to a LED TV will save you money
on your monthly electrical bill and waste less energy on producing heat.

Eco-friendly

LED TVs are considered to be more environmentally friendly than fluorescent tubes because
LED bulbs are mercury and lead free. LED TVs can also operate for longer hours (15 times
longer than ordinary bulbs). The overall lifespan is much longer than your average TV.

Given that it is still relatively new and that it is a superior technology, LED TVs are a little more
expensive than plasma and LCD TVs. Samsung, a leader in the TV industry, has a wide range of
LED TVs that range from $1,600 – $3,200 depending on the size.

Pre-lab Homework:

Get basic idea about LCD display technology and LCD and LED television, from any book or
Internet.

Apparatus:

1) LCD TV
2) LED TV
3) Oscilloscope
4) Measuring Meters (Multimeter)
5) Tool Box

Precautions:

1) Be careful of handling small equipment/instruments inside the apparatus.

2) Be careful if power is supplied to the apparatus when the casing is kept open.

Experimental (Demonstration) Procedure:

1) Follow the rules and regulation for opening an electronic device.

2) Choose proper tools from the toolbox to open the casing of the device.
3) Follow the way the Course Teacher or the Lab Instructor demonstrates the cathode ray tube
appliance.

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 Experiment 2 Lab Manual

Discussion & Conclusion:

In the future, some of the most incredible uses of LEDs will actually come from organic light
emitting diodes, or OLEDs. The organic materials used to create these semiconductors are
flexible, allowing scientists to create bendable lights and displays. Someday, OLEDs will pave
the way for the next generation of TVs and smart phones -- can you imagine rolling your TV up
like a poster and carrying it with you anywhere?

References:

1) Howstuffworks website, Available: www.electronics.howstuffworks.com

2) CNET Asia Website, Available: www.asia.cnet.com
3) Electronics Repair Website, Available: http://www.jestineyong.com/

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