LED versus LCD TV

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jcarpy

jcarpy

Active member
Joined
May 23, 2011
Posts
26
Location
Sahuarita, AZ
I am finally thinking of swapping out the 19" tube TV in my 1999 Fleetwood Discovery.  Prices for 32" flat screens in LCD and LED are pretty close, so from a standpoint of motion shock, electricity draw, ability to handle being stored in hot climate (AZ), etc., should I be looking at LCD or LED? 

Also anyone who has done a tv conversion on a Fleetwood Discovery (mine's a 1999), I'd apppreciate pics of your project.

Thanks
 
I just put a 22" LED in my TT and it sits in the hot sun here in Nevada. (Las Vegas)  And it is working fine.  For $20 I purchased the extended warranty that gives me 3 years on it so I'm not worried. 
I have seen many brands in other Rv's and TT and they all seem to work.  But, you just never know.  Keep all your information when you get one and if it goes out under warranty, great, take it back and get another. 
I don't plan on keeping my TV in the TT over the winter.  It gets very cole up in Rachel Nevada (Area 51). 

Hope it helps.  Let me know what you get.  I have a DVD player hooked up to my TV and I love it. 
 
Both are totally solid state devices basically with no moving parts so in theory both should last a long time in a motorhome. I have been using LCD TVs full timing in my RV for the last 2 years without a problem.
 
The only difference between them is the screen backlight.  Both sets pass light through an LCD panel (liquid crystal display) to form the picture - the set labeled LCD has a fluorescent backlight behind the LCD, like what has been used on computer displays for a decade or more.

The LED TV replaces the flourescent backlight with a Light Emitting Diode array.  Instead of uniformly backlighting all of the picture and letting the LCD determine the brightness of each element, individual pixels on the LED backlight can be turned up or down.  This gives the LED TV a wider dynamic range - brighter whites, darker blacks - than a conventional LCD display.

As to durability - they're both about the same.  LED backlights use a bit less power, so that may be a consideration if you do a lot of boondocking.

The kind of TV you don't want in a RV is a plasma set.  The plasma uses lots of little gas filled, neon-like bulbs to create the picture and they're sensitive to temperature, elevation and vibration.
 
LED LCD TV's are usually a little thinner, lighter weight and use a little less power.  At least this has been so with the 3 Vizios we have in the MH.  The front TV is only LED and a couple years older than the other two.  It is slightly heavier than the galley TV tho 5" smaller (diagonal).  The latest TV in the bedroom is a 32" LED LCD TV and is the lightest and thinnest.  Amazing what they've done with these new TV's and so glad to have the "boat anchors" removed over the past couple years.  I store the coffee maker, toaster and toaster oven behind the galley TV where the CRT used to fill the space!  :)
 
I just bought a 32" LED TV to replace a 32" LCD, the LED is half the weight and uses only 29 watts of power vs 152 watts for the LCD. This makes for quite a bit of difference in power used if you boondock alot.
 
Having spent most of my adult life as an electronics engineer repairing this kind of equipment I have a suggestion for you' Stick with LED driven screens. The alternative weakens over time and the actual coloration of the white spectrum changes as the tiny fluorescent tubes weaken and dim. LED's last a very long time, and retain their brightness.

Another consideration is the switching speed; 60Hz, 120Hz, 240Hz, etc... The higher the switching speed the less blur during any fast motion on screen, and the greater detail. You want to watch TV? Then you want to see a really great picture. A 60Hz switched screen is not very good.

Better yet, choose plasma... These have the greatest detail and these last even longer!

Finally, when choosing your TV pick one that seems a bit larger than you had planned on getting. Almost everyone I know chose one and found it was too small when they finally got it home.

Questions? Ask... I'm happy to answer : )

Best Wishes
Jerry Wills
executive producer
Xpeditions TV
 
Hi Richard,

Many plasmas were mounted in the ceiling and traveled in the horizontal position. That's when many problems cropped up. They do not like to be horizontal. Not sure how long they last when mounted vertically.

Country Coach, a few years ago, used to mount them that way but finally went to a projection system with a pull down screen. Great if all the windows and doors were closed but the screen would move with the slightest breeze.
 
FWIW, I have a Toshiba 42" LED in my upstairs living room and love it.  Great picture and I really like the ultra-thin profile.  It doesn't get very warm, which suggests to me lower energy consumption.  Sound is only so-so, but I will be getting a sound bar.  Another thing I like is it doesn't have the unrealistic "soap opera effect" that a lot of LCDs have.  Plasma in my basement where I can ensure no glare from outside sunlight.  I don't think I would ever put a plasma in an RV for that reason.  I would choose LED over LCD because of the weight and energy savings.
 
jcarpy said:
I am finally thinking of swapping out the 19" tube TV in my 1999 Fleetwood Discovery.  Prices for 32" flat screens in LCD and LED are pretty close, so from a standpoint of motion shock, electricity draw, ability to handle being stored in hot climate (AZ), etc., should I be looking at LCD or LED? 

Also anyone who has done a tv conversion on a Fleetwood Discovery (mine's a 1999), I'd apppreciate pics of your project.
Click to expand...

Am in the same process. It didn't take long to decide between LCD and LED - just looking at the size (thickness), power usage, and weight difference. In my case, the LED's were always a bit more expensive. I bought a Philips 32" LED at Sam's Club for $278 - whereas the top of the line brands such as Samsung were as much as $120 more. Sam's has a 90 day no questions asked test drive and also a $20 insurance thing as well.

BTW, there "is" another ongoing topic on the subject of such a conversion with pictures by a number of folk during and after. I'm currently at the stage of having taken out the 3 ton original TV and have placed the new LED flat screen between the captains chairs for now. Actually just today I did the Move for Free thing with a new HD DVR from DirecTV. It requires a 2 year contract - but as I've been with them since '96 am sure I will be with them for 2 more years.
 
Jim Dick said:
Many plasmas were mounted in the ceiling and traveled in the horizontal position. That's when many problems cropped up. They do not like to be horizontal. Not sure how long they last when mounted vertically.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim. I thought there was some problem with using plasma TVs in RVs. Couldn't remember what the problem was. I also vaguely remember something about problems with large altitude changes or high altitude usage.

We look forward to seeing you and Pat this winter.

Richard
 
Hi Richard,

We sure hope we can see you this winter. It has been way too long!!! Every time I take a photo of a flower I think of Linda! :)
 
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