Gadgetory

quantum dots are an intriguing technology getting a lot of attention right now because TV makers like Samsung and LG are building LCD televisions that use them but what are quantum dots and what do they mean for you quantum dots themselves are tiny crystals otherwise known as nano crystals they're way too small to see but have a special power when light is shone on them they become luminous and give off a very precise color depending on their size the size of the dots can be very finely tuned so they give off whatever color light you want there's a lot you can do with quantum dots from solar panels to medical applications but you've probably heard them discussed most in relation to TVs what tech companies are doing now is to put quantum dots in LCD TVs something television makers say makes for more colorful pictures to understand why they say this let's look at how color is created inside your television in a normal LCD TV light is shone from blue LEDs coated in yellow phosphor to create a white light this light hits a layer of red green and blue color filters these are called sub pixels and because red blue and green can be mixed to create any color these use the glow from that white light to create the distinctive colors that make up a TV picture LCD TVs that use quantum dots are a little different instead of a white lights they use plain blue LEDs which as well as shining through to those sub pixels also illuminate a bunch of quantum dots that have been tuned to give off red and green light TV makers say that because the red blue and green colors produced in the quantum dot set are very pure they can shine through those filters with less wasted light than TVs that use the white lights this the companies say makes for a better more colorful picture the quantum dots can be arranged in narrow tubes right in front of the LEDs or as an additional layer covering the entire screen itself the layer method is the newest and is being used by Samsung in its su HD TVs for 2015 as well as by LG the LCD TVs with quantum dots we've seen so far look great but don't expect a total revolution in the way LCD TVs look the jury's still out as to how much quantum dots can improve LCD sets but we do know one thing they'll be more expensive than standard LCD TVs they'll still be cheaper than OLED however a completely different display technology that as far as we've seen has the best picture of all for now all you need to know is that quantum dots are a way of augmenting an existing kind of TV technology that TV makers say will give you a picture that's more colorful and nicer to look at