Thinkpads Forum

Are LCD (oops, LED) backlights going to be in Thinkpad's near future?

I've hear that one maker is using them already and wonder if Thinkpads will soon make use of this technology.

Do you mean LED backlights? I have heard they are making inroads into laptops. It would nice if future Thinkpads had them.

It would also be nice for a future laptop used an OLED screen (which requires no backlight since the screen has the feature builtin).

Or even an E-Ink screen like the one used in a concept future laptop (April 2006 issue of Popular Sciencehttp://www.popsci.com

Note from Moderator: Posting something that large with no warning was... not smart.

OOPS. Yes, I did mean LED backlight.

If the main problem with current LCD screens is the backlight going bad, then an LED solution would be great. With newer technologies, I wonder how long their lifespan will be. I'd hate to replace an entire screen if I can just replace the bulb or led.

I'm yet to see an LED burn out on it's own. Usually, to burn out an LED, you have to send it too much voltage so I'm sure an LED would last much longer than a CCFL. As for using them in laptops, I think it's already done. I can't remember what, I think it was a Toshiba Libretto but it was a tiny laptop and it had LED backlight.

AlphaKilo470 wrote:I'm yet to see an LED burn out on it's own. Usually, to burn out an LED, you have to send it too much voltage so I'm sure an LED would last much longer than a CCFL. As for using them in laptops, I think it's already done. I can't remember what, I think it was a Toshiba Libretto but it was a tiny laptop and it had LED backlight.

They don't burn out in the classic sense; although over a very long period of time, the intensity can go down. The only real way to "burn" one out is to exceed the voltage limit in with reverse polarity.

Actually, it the light bulb of your screen goes bad, you don't have to scrap your screen. Do you throw away your car, just because the headlights are broken?

The light bulb, a CCFL, is an ordinary technical fluorescence light, costing around $10-15 and can be easily replaced. I sometimes do it myself (buying them on ebay).

Otherwise there are lots of specialized firms to replace your CCFL (LCD4Less, etc.). You can send them your notebook and they do it for a small surcharge.

CCFLs tend to last about 10-15000 hours, although their useful life ist shorter (they get yellowish and darker).

LEDs can last 30-5000 hours before they go darker (i.e. the highbrite LEDs from different firms). Regular LEDs like the stand-by light on your TV can easily last your lifetime and for your kids (100 years?), before electromigration, corrosion of the material etc. kill it.

LEDs will be the future everywhere, from headlights, backlights and ambient light. I am curious about the great progress in the organic LEDs, they might become a success in 2-3 years in larger screens.

Oops, a typo. I mean highbrite LEDs last up to 30-50.000 hours, sometime 80-100.000 hours.

Yes, LCD backpanel would be really nice and quite useful especially for the thinkpads. The display is actually the only part of my baby which I do not like at all. Colors not really crisp and the brightness just sucks; especially outdoors.

Perhaps a transreflective backpanel could be a solution? Like every Pocket PC has...

IBMGuy