Every time we turn around it seems like there is some new type of television in development. We have had 3D TV, 4K TV, Smart TV, OLED and now it seems like the next big thing is quantum screens and two major manufacturers are already all over it. Let’s take a closer look at quantum television and what it involves.
What is Quantum Dot Technology?
Earlier this year two of the leading electronics manufacturers – Samsung and LG – revealed the latest television models from their product line and both were using nanocrystal semiconductors aka quantum dot technology. This ground breaking technology promises to make our screens brighter, display more colours and offer more realistic images, but what is it?
In the most basic of terms, a Quantum Dot screen is a new type of LCD screen backlit with LED. With a LCD screen, the light from the LED backlight system is diffused and beamed through a filter allowing the photons to hit the liquid crystal layer and either pass through or be blocked in order to create the picture on the screen. With a quantum dot screen, the exact same process occurs, but the quantum dot technology enhances the color. This is largely down to the backlighting. Most LCD screens use white LED while a quantum dot screen uses blue instead.
- Must Read: A Brief History of Television
Is Quantum Dot The Best Option?
Opinion is pretty much split on whether or not quantum dot is superior to OLED. Quantum dot has been making a number of promises such as being 2.5 times brighter than a standard screen with 64 times more color expression, but it is not without its weaknesses. While quantum dot is going to allow for more accurate colours and therefore brighter images, because they are basically LCD displays, they cannot offer blackest blacks and the amazing level of contrast that OLED can. It really is going to come down to a personal choice between these two technologies to determine which , if any, is superior!
When Will These Be Available?
As with most of the products that get displayed at CES each January, you can expect them to begin filtering through in Spring and then really making headway in the Fall. That means that we can expect to see Quantum Dot screens becoming more readily available any time now. What is particularly good about quantum dot is that unlike some of the other technologies, it won’t be incredibly expensive! In fact, you can expect to pay the same amount for a quantum dot television as you would for a high end LCD! In fact, as Samsung prepares to launch 3 different televisions ranging from 55 to 88 inches, consumer electronics vice-president Phil Newton stated that ‘If you can afford to go out and buy a 78 inch television now, then you will be able to afford a 88 inch SUHD TV’. That’s what makes quantum dot such an important technology in terms of the manufacture of televisions. It is going to allow manufacturers to start offering excellent picture quality even in the least expensive televisions in their ranges.
- Must Read: Cable TV Monopoly
It is worth noting that as more manufacturers get on board with quantum dot, consumers will have lots of choices and not everyone is going to want to use the same terminology! Samsung are already using ‘nano-crystal semiconductors’ while Sony are talking about ‘Triluminous TV’. However, both are talking about quantum dot. So far LG, TCL, HiSense and a few others are sticking with quantum dot!
Quantum dot cold be a game changer in the television industry. It will offer a much better quality image without jacking up the price, potentially making high performance televisions more accessible to the average consumer.
