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damiensmunki · Jan 31, 2008, 12:29 AM

I've posted many more times in the past couple weeks than is the norm for me, because I'm going to buy a new laptop in the next week or so. I wasn't really taking the backlighting technology into much consideration, as I didn't think it provided too much real world difference. However, I just read a user's opinion that it makes a huge difference.

What do you guys think? Should LED backlighting be a major consideration in purchasing a new laptop? Do the LED backlit displays perform that much better? Thanks, and sorry if this has been discussed already. I searched for "LED," "display," "displays," "screen," and "screens," and couldn't find much discourse.

Guy Kuo · Jan 31, 2008, 03:20 AM

The two theoretical advantages of LED vs cold cathode backlighting I would consider are.

1. Prolonged screen life prior to dimming. Cold cathode backlights dim over time. That dimming continues with usage and over time the screen no longer appears as bright. Put a one year old laptop next to a new one and you'll probably notice that the older screen is now half as bright as the new one. The cold cathode lamp has simply faded. LED's (provided they are not being overdriven) should have a considerably longer half life. That could conceivably mean that your screen will remain able to light up nicely for extra years usage.

2. It may be possible to extend battery life using LED backlighting, but that depends on the lighting system's efficiency. +/- on this point in my book.

So, given the choice, I'd choose an LED based backlight. However, the advantages do depend on how the lighting system was implemented. If the design overdrives the LED's to achieve sufficient brightness, then their long life advantage would be negated if the user keeps the brightness cranked to max. Also, the usable life time of a laptop is short. One may well be replacing it in a couple years as faster and more compelling models become available.

P · Jan 31, 2008, 03:38 PM

Displays with LED backlights also have better contrast ratios.

hookem2oo7 · Jan 31, 2008, 04:18 PM

I had a 2.16 MBP with the CCFL backlight replaced by Apple with a new 2.2 with the LED backlight. I would never go back to the old display. It's much brighter, and I don't have to wait 5 minutes for the brightness to come up to full power. After calibrating with supercal it's 100 times better than the old display was.

You should probably also know that the reason Apple replaced my old MBP was because of display backlight flickering problems, so my opinion is somewhat biased towards the new display.

iamnotmad · Jan 31, 2008, 09:29 PM

interesting stuff, obviously people with them think they they are the best. I have a 6yr old 22" cinema display and my wife a 6yr old TiBook. Both displays still work fine and are bright enough. I've seen led and non led side by side and there is a brightness difference, but it's far from earth shattering.

The bottom line is if the machine you want does not have it right now and you can wait, wait. if you need a machine now get it now. Same as always.

harbinger75 · Feb 3, 2008, 08:53 PM

I have been mulling over all the pros and cons of getting a MacBook instead of a MBP in order to maximize my money (I'll be able to buy two Macs instead of one), and I have to say that a few large things point towards not getting the regular MacBook.

The keyboard issues that seem to have gone seemingly unnoticed by Apple notwithstanding, I wasn't aware until recently that the MB doesn't have LED lighting. I, too, prefer LED lighting and for that matter, glossy screens.

I'm having a difficult time figuring out this decision, and this LED backlight factoid is yet another consideration.

Cadaver · Feb 3, 2008, 10:11 PM

If you like everything else about a certain laptop, I wouldn't let the absence of an LED backlight stop you from buying it. All things being equal, its better to have than not, but personally I wouldn't spend $800 more on a laptop just to have an LED backlight.

driven · Feb 5, 2008, 03:46 PM

I'm using a laptop with my first LED lit display. It is an amazing display. By far the best screen I've ever used on a laptop (and perhaps anywhere.) I'm glad I spent the extra money on it. (As opposed to getting the MacBook Amateur/Non-Pro/regular macbook.)

OreoCookie · Feb 5, 2008, 04:18 PM

The gamut (range of displayable colors) is often larger as well.

Mac User #001 · Feb 5, 2008, 04:40 PM

I have an LCD for my PC, which doesn't have backlighting, and must say, I can't even really look at it for the first second or two its on- its too dark. And it doesn't reach full brightness until about 20-30 seconds later.

harbinger75 · Feb 5, 2008, 08:40 PM

Well, it has come down to this: 1 MacBook for me and 1 iMac for my wife. The tax return wasn't as great as we had hoped due to a home business last year, so it was either blow the entire wad on a MacBook Pro, which would mainly be used by me while my poor, poor wife looked on helplessly, or get two Macs so we could both live in bliss until next year's return (which WILL be twice as much or more without the business).

So, I'm just going to suck it up and not complain about not having LED backlighting, a separate graphic card or some of the other extras and just be happy we can both sit side by side enjoying our computing experience.

Cadaver · Feb 5, 2008, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by harbinger75

Well, it has come down to this: 1 MacBook for me and 1 iMac for my wife. The tax return wasn't as great as we had hoped due to a home business last year, so it was either blow the entire wad on a MacBook Pro, which would mainly be used by me while my poor, poor wife looked on helplessly, or get two Macs so we could both live in bliss until next year's return (which WILL be twice as much or more without the business).

So, I'm just going to suck it up and not complain about not having LED backlighting, a separate graphic card or some of the other extras and just be happy we can both sit side by side enjoying our computing experience.

The MacBook is a fine machine. The display is very nice. I think you'll enjoy it.

Koralatov · Feb 6, 2008, 05:54 PM

I had the opportunity of eyeing up a pair of 15" MBPs side-by-side in a store once, and the LCD with LED backlighting did look a lot better to my eyes. I suspect that Apple are going to gradually move over to an all-LED backlighting set-up over the next few years, as the cost of them drops. It makes sense that they would do it first on the Pro lines, where price is less of an issue.

It is worth noting that a dimming backlight is not the end of the world: one intrepid CubeOwner replaced the CCFLs in his 20" ACD. I'm quite glad it can be done--I expect in the next couple of years I might have to do the same for my 22" ACD, and also my iMac. Another bonus is that it doesn't look too complicated.

On a related note (and this is likely a stupid question): does an LCDs power-usage drop as the CCFLs in the backlight dim? I imagine they probably don't, but I thought I may as well ask...