Berlin | At IFA, Samsung, Sony, and other display vendors are presenting their first displays with colored LED backlights. The new RGB LED backlights are intended to significantly improve the color reproduction of LCD screens. The added value of these premium features in everyday digital signage will be minimal – but on the datasheet, RGB LED backlights leave a powerful impression.
IFA 2025: The LCD Backlight Gets Colorful
In addition to LCD and OLED, a new display technology appears to be emerging—at least judging by the product launches at IFA in Berlin this week. However, RGB Mini LED, like Quantum Dot, is not an entirely new technology but rather an upgrade of established LCD technology. Although LCD is generally considered fully developed and panel production is left to a few, mostly Chinese, manufacturers like BOE, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, companies such as BOE, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, and others continue to introduce improvements that push LCD forward in the consumer electronics market.
Announced at CES at the beginning of the year, the first production-ready prototypes are now being presented at IFA. The displays, equipped with RGB mini-LED backlights, are designed to deliver intensely vibrant, natural colors and deep contrast with local dimming. The trick is backlights with thousands of individual LEDs that adapt to the content, brightening some zones and dimmering others. But unlike existing local dimming concepts that only emit white/blue light, RGB LED backlights illuminate all three RGB colors.
Relevance for Digital Signage
The new technology is not yet available for digital signage applications, but will certainly be demonstrated at some stands at ISE. Its practical value in signage is limited, but consumer brands may welcome the more accurate color reproduction. Still, it seems unlikely that customers will be willing to pay a premium for it. Historically, LCDs with standard backlighting have been “good enough,” while lifestyle and premium displays have relied on local dimming with white or blue LED backlights as added features.
But let’s see – may the industry will surprise us with RGB-LED professional screens.
