LG announced today that it plans to launch its first LCD TVs with "QNED" miniLED backlight for improved contrast. A 86-inch 8K model will have nearly 2500 dimming blocks.

More, smaller LEDs in LCD TVs
Ahead of CES 2021, LG has announced plans to launch new flagship LCD TVs that will be available in up to 86 inches. The TVs sit just below the 2021 OLED TVs (yet to be announced) in the company's 2021 TV line-up.

- "Our new QNED series is a premium home entertainment option that expands and improves the LCD TV space and gives consumers another terrific viewing choice," said Nam Ho-jun, SVP of R&D at LG HE. "These TVs deliver an experience that set them apart from other LCD TVs and speak to our commitment to innovation and pushing the standard forward."

The most advanced models will feature an 8K LCD panel (100/120 Hz) but the company will also make available models with a 4K LCD panel (also 100/120 Hz).

- "Thanks to quantum dot and NanoCell technologies with Mini LEDs as the light source, brightness and contrast are far superior to that of conventional LCD televisions. The 2021 lineup includes 10 new 4K and 8K models covering a wide range of large screen sizes up to 86 inches."



The company refers to the TVs as "QNED miniLED" (short for "quantum nanocell miniLED", according to LG), much like Samsung refers to its top LCD TVs as "QLED". It is in theory possible to create self-emitting TVs – like OLED TVs – based on QNED but in these TVs you are getting nearly 30,000 LEDs behind an LCD panel. MiniLED should not be confused with microLED either. For a true LED TV you would need millions of tiny LEDs, typically three per pixel, which is what is often referred to as microLED.

LG said that its new LCD TVs will feature up to nearly 30,000 LEDs divided into up to nearly 2500 dimming blocks, or zones, (86-inch 8K model) for more accurate control of light and color, and improved contrast; up to a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, according to LG.

That is still a far cry from the millions of "zones" in the company's OLED TVs but a significant jump from LG's previous LCD TVs with zone dimming capabilities. The company made it clear that its OLED TVs still represent the best of the best in its 2021 TV line-up.

- "With 8K OLED offering self-lit pixels that provide perfect black, infinite contrast over 100 million subpixels, no current display technology is the equal of OLED. However, Mini LED offers the best picture quality of any LCD TV to date and represents a compelling new option for consumers seeking to upgrade their viewing experience," said LG.

Samsung is rumored to also launch miniLED-based LCD TVs in 2021. LG's arch rival has events planned for the first and second weeks of January 2021.

The new miniLED LCD TV models will be officially announced at CES 2021 in January. Stay tuned for much more information.