Have your say & ask the experts

hmtb:

I don't really understand why you're blaming currys. All the retailers I've seen that stock this samsung tv advertise them as LED tvs. It even says that on the box. Currys don't unilaterally make the decision on how to advertise a product, and neither does any other retailer. They are given the marketing materials (I presume, I don't know for sure, since I don't work in the industry) by the manufacturer. After all, it's not curry's job to find innovative ways to market televisions, that's the manufacturer's responsibility. I would assume, samsung DO force them to market them in this way.

By the way, samsung have a section for lcd tvs and one for led tvs on their website.

I also don't think it is particularly confusing. I think initially when you go to a shop and look around, it may be, but if you're spending the sort of money one of these tvs cost, you're more than likely going to do some research into it, to see how it compares to other products on the market, aren't you? In doing so, you will find out what the technology is. 

 

Conventional LCD TVs use backlights which are effectively thin fluorescent tubes behind the LCD panel. These can be dimmed, but are essentially always on, as the LCD panel produces no light itself - unlike a plasma panel - but merely modifies the light passing through it.

LED-illuminated TVs use LED lighting for the LCD panel. This can be a matrix of LED light sources behind the panel, LED sources at the edges of the panel, combined with reflective material to spread the light behind the TV, or what are called 'local dimming' LED arrays, in which many more LEDs are used.

In the first two kinds of LED-illuminated LCD TVs, the lighting functions much as the tubes do in conventional TVs.

In the local dimming models, the LEDs can be controlled in tandem with the LCD panel, so that for example dark areas of an image get much less - or even no - illumination, at the same time as bright areas are getting much higher levels. This can give better contrast and colour definition, but the effect depends on how small the clusters of LEDs are, and thus how localised the dimming can be.

Some companies are using the term LED TV to set LED-illuminated LCDs apart from the kind using the longer-established tube lighting. It's called marketing. 

Andrew Everard:

Conventional LCD TVs use backlights which are effectively thin fluorescent tubes behind the LCD panel. These can be dimmed, but are essentially always on, as the LCD panel produces no light itself - unlike a plasma panel - but merely modifies the light passing through it.

LED-illuminated TVs use LED lighting for the LCD panel. This can be a matrix of LED light sources behind the panel, LED sources at the edges of the panel, combined with reflective material to spread the light behind the TV, or what are called 'local dimming' LED arrays, in which many more LEDs are used.

In the first two kinds of LED-illuminated LCD TVs, the lighting functions much as the tubes do in conventional TVs.

In the local dimming models, the LEDs can be controlled in tandem with the LCD panel, so that for example dark areas of an image get much less - or even no - illumination, at the same time as bright areas are getting much higher levels. This can give better contrast and colour definition, but the effect depends on how small the clusters of LEDs are, and thus how localised the dimming can be.

Some companies are using the term LED TV to set LED-illuminated LCDs apart from the kind using the longer-established tube lighting. It's called marketing. 

and perfectly answering the question I was about to ask! Thanks!

Is therefore, the "auto dimming"  feature on my TV related to this contrast control?

Andrew Everard:

Depends which TV it is...

A samsung LE32B530P which since was purchased from Comet must be therefore be Comet spec (and not Currys, Argos, Dixons, etc etc etc ) . I know the Japanese/Koreans are obsessed with alpha-numeric codes for product naming, but their TV's are so unmemorable in so many variants it's a pain in the neck trying to buy one.

bullitt:

I think your mis understanding my point, currys is just an example, if there are other retailers doing the same then my opinion is of the same,i refered to currys because someone i know made me aware of this, i havn't bothered to look at other retailers im not interested, its the principle of it.

Plus i don't see how samsung are to blame, noone forced currys to advertise these LCD tvs as LED and just for your information the tv advertised as LED is the UE40B7000 which according to WHF in this months mag is the same tv as the UE40B7020 the 7000 is exclusive to currys.

Why so defensive about currys anyway, there rubbish, the only time i go in there is to use them to see the tvs in the flesh, then order online, go back and tell them i got my tv £400 pound cheaper, good fun try it.

I'm not misunderstanding anything. Samsung are the culprits behind this marketing farce, not the retailers.

I do know about the model situation.

There are a lot of good things happening at Currys, the new stores are such a change from what everyone is used to.

What
you do happens a lot which is very unfortunate because it's costing
jobs. Hopefully there will something around the corner to help prevent
such a dramatic difference in prices from the retailers in store to
online.

I agree with both statements above: it is up to manufacturers to market their product, and research before you buy.

Bullitt,

I don't agree with a lot of what you've said on this thread, as I pointed out above, regarding retailers to blame etc. I think my point about samsung having an lcd and led section on their site clearly shows that marketing strategy comes from them (which is obvious really), and as stated above there are many benefits to these led backlit lcd tvs (calling them led backlit/ sidelit? lcds is quite long winded) so I have no problem with them calling them led, and since i'm not one to impulse buy a tv without research, there's no problem.

Where I do agree with you, to some extent is in buying wherever is cheaper. I appreciate Purify's arguments of keeping people in jobs and it's always better to have a store with whom you can deal and develop a customer relationship, which is good for customer care.I  bought my tv, blu ray player and cables at sevenoaks and felt more comfortable doing that and testing before buying.

BUT,

where there are significant differences in price, I think it's fair to buy where it's cheaper. We're a consumer based economy, and the market dictates. Retail stores have to compete with online shops, at a considerable disadvantage, so in order to survive they have to be able to offer value, which can come in the form of customer care. Ultimately your wallett and piece of mind will decide.

 Which takes me onto another post on the home cinema section about this very issue! I went for the cheaper option (online) for blu ray discs - it came down to £9.99 v £25, I'm afraid there was no added value in paying that much extra.

I take it you're satisfied with Andrew and maxflinn's explanations, and now understand the difference?