We have all heard the marketing around MiniLED displays and Full Array Local Dimming (FALD). But what does this really look like inside a TV? I set out to find out in my most recent teardown video.
After getting inside this 85 inch behemoth Samsung TV I first noticed how the various LED arrays are split up. There are 10 ribbon cables connected from the LED driver out to the LEDs. This is not to say there are only 10 zones, but rather 10 independent circuit boards fit together like puzzle pieces.
Removing the LCD and optical films is like unwrapping a very bright Christmas present. Almost 15,000 LEDs staring you in the face like iridescent cat’s eyes. A white reflective paper with punched holes reveals the LEDs and the board underneath. LEDs are grouped in 12’s (12 LEDs per zone) with each of the 10 boards containing 1,452 LEDs for a total of 14,520 LEDs. That’s 1,210 zones across this 85 inch display, with each zone occupying ~4 mm x 2.5 mm.
These LEDs are seriously small. So small it’s difficult to measure without some proper equipment, so let’s compare it to a grain of rice. No contest. Rice looks like an abominable snow monster compared to the LED.
A closer inspection reveals a lens that is encapsulating the LED. These lenses help distribute the light so that there are no “hot spots” at the front of the screen. You can even see the solder peaking out from under the SMD LED.
Zooming back out to the remainder of the backlight unit we explore the QD film component. This film converts the blue LED light to red and green before it passes through the remaining optical films as well as the LCD. Optical spectra reveal highly pure red and green emission spectra, a tell-tale sign of quantum dots.
This TV also has an interesting feature that I have seen in other Samsung TVs. There is a printed phosphor layer on the reflector sheet at the perimeter of the entire display. Just near the last 3-4 layers of LEDs around the outside have this printed phosphor dot pattern present on the white reflector. My assumption is that this has to do with light/color uniformity at the edge of the TV.
I really wanted to do a demonstration of this display in action with local dimming enabled, however the special One Connect cable and box eluded me, so for now I am unable to show you this. I’ve shown local dimming in action on a Vizio TV in the past.
Hope you enjoyed this teardown and analysis of a Samsung MiniLED TV!
Peter Palomaki is the owner and chief scientist at Palomaki Consulting. He is widely recognized for his display teardown videos and scientific approach to helping clients. He utilizes his expertise in quantum dots and materials chemistry to solve challenging problems with clients large and small.
