Choosing the right monitor panel and technology depends on the use. You probably have seen acronyms such as LCD, LED-LCD, OLED and QLED when searching for a monitor. What do these acronyms mean and what are the differences?

LCD technology

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is the oldest technology of these. In LCD displays, electronically controlled polarizing liquid crystals are illuminated with a backlight. The backlight lights up all the pixels at the same time. LCD displays have a relatively high energy consumption, the angle of view is quite limited and the contrast is low. Old LCD displays were also notably larger than monitor today.

LED-LCD technology

LED-LCD works on the same concept as standard LCD monitors. The difference is that, instead of a solid backlight, the light source is LEDs. LEDs can be positioned behind the LCD layer or on the sides, depending on the desired width.
This is the most common technology today. LED-LCD panels have advantages in for example control rooms and other round-the-clock uses, since they offer 24/7 uptime. LED-LCD screens display colors better, have wider contrasts and offer a wider angle of view (up to 178°) compare to the traditional LCD screens.

QLED technology

QLED is, despite its name, also a LCD screen. Its difference with the normal LED-LCD screen lies in LED technology. QLED's LEDs are produced with the quantum dot technoly. In other words, it is a more advanced version of LED screens. QLED screens offer a wide contrast, excellent display of colors and a good angle of view compared to a normal LED-LCD screen. Black is almost perfectly black and QLED also works in bright lights due to its strong luminous power.

OLED technology

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) is a LED screen developed by LG that doesn't have the traditional backlight nor the liquid crystal layer. Each pixel can be illuminated and turned off independently. The screen has great luminous power and displays shades of white excellently. LG classes OLED screens as 18/7.

OLED screens are thinner and can be bent into curves. Therefore it is possible to create individual videowalls and Digital Signage elements. OLED screens can be shaped into both concaves and convexes. The screen should be chosen based on whether to shape it vertically or horizontally. The screen can also be restored to a straight shape or curved the other way, as many times as desired. OLED screens can also be installed upside down, for example on the ceiling, due to not having liquid crystals, unlike QLED, LED-LCD and LCD screens.

It is important to remember in all screens, that images should be displayed evenly, so that a image burn-in won't be happen. For OLED screens, this means turning off the screen completely for a few hours.