What is Mini LED Technology and How Does it Work?

Mini LED Technology compared to MicroLED and Direct View LED

Mini LED technology is a display technology that sits between traditional LED (Light Emitting Diode) displays and MicroLED displays. It is a form of backlighting used in LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels, aiming to improve performance, especially in terms of contrast, brightness, and power efficiency. Mini LED technology uses smaller LEDs as the backlight source for LCD screens, allowing for more precise and localized control of light across the screen.

It's important to note that Mini LED technology is a backlighting solution for LCD panels and does not offer the same self-emissive properties as MicroLED displays. In contrast, MicroLED displays use individual micro-sized LEDs as pixels and offer true self-emissive technology, providing precise control over each pixel's color and brightness without the need for a separate backlight. Traditional direct view LED technologies that use SMD and COB packaging are also self-emissive.  However, Mini LED is much less expensive than MicroLED, putting it within reach of fine-pitch, direct view LED display customers who otherwise could not afford MicroLED, but with added benefits.

How Does it Work?

Here's how Mini LED technology works:

1. Backlighting: Like traditional LED backlit LCD displays, Mini LED displays use LEDs as the backlight source. However, in Mini LED displays, the LEDs used are much smaller in size compared to the standard LEDs used in traditional LED-LCD displays. These smaller LEDs are typically in the range of 100 to 200 micrometers in size.
2. Local Dimming Zones: The key advantage of Mini LED technology is the implementation of many more individual LED backlighting zones compared to conventional LED backlit LCD displays. These smaller LEDs allow for significantly higher LED counts, leading to a more granular local dimming capability. Local dimming refers to the ability to control the brightness of individual backlighting zones independently.
3. Improved Contrast and Blacks: The greater number of local dimming zones in Mini LED displays enables more precise control over the brightness of specific parts of the screen. When certain areas of the image are supposed to be black or display darker content, the LEDs in those zones can be dimmed or turned off entirely, resulting in deeper blacks and improved contrast.
4. Power Efficiency: The localized control and dimming capabilities of Mini LED displays can lead to better power efficiency. By turning off LEDs in dark areas of the image, less power is consumed, resulting in improved energy efficiency compared to traditional LED backlit LCD displays.

Mini LED technology represents a significant advancement in LED backlit LCD displays and is often considered a bridge technology towards fully self-emissive display technologies like MicroLED and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

How Does Ad Art Use Mini LED Technology?

Although Ad Art does not feature any Mini-LED based products at this time, Ad Art is keeping an eye on Mini-LED technology to see how it may be a good fit in future indoor digital display projects.