Another reason to avoid edge-lit 4K TVs: they may fail faster than others, according to this report

The Edge: good for rock, not so good for lighting your TV

The Edge: good at guitar, probably terrible at lighting TVs (Image credit: U2start, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Edge-lit LEDs appear to develop visible problems very early
Problems are particularly obvious with larger-sized displays
Shop around for discounts on better-quality panels

Late last year, we published a warning for Black Friday TV buyers: avoid big TVs with cheap edge-lit panels. The main reason was the visual quality, as edge-lit panels aren't great for big sizes. But a new report suggests another reason you should steer clear. Big edge-lit panels appear to fail more quickly than other types of TV displays.

That's according to Rtings' ongoing TV longevity tests. The tests feature 100 different TVs from multiple brands and with multiple technologies – edge-LED, direct LED, full array local dimming, and OLED – and the results for edge-LED aren't great.

What's the problem with edge-lit panels?

There are multiple problems, though. First, they don't generally deliver great uniformity in how they light up the display. That's because their backlight is usually positioned at the bottom with a diffuser film to spread the light over the panel. The bigger the panel, the more obvious the design's shortcomings become.

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According to Rtings, over 25% of the LCD TVs they tested exhibited visible light uniformity issues. But among edge-LED LCD TVs, that figure rocketed to 64% – so you've got a one in three chance of getting a TV with consistent lighting.

To be fair, the number of sets affected is small: seven out of 100 TVs. However, three of those seven started showing problems before or after 2,200 hours of testing. That's the equivalent of one year's viewing in the typical US household.

According to Rtings, the results of their tests demonstrate that "edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat."

That's the bad news. But the good news is that with Black Friday nearly here, you won't necessarily have to plump for edge-lit if you want a nice big TV that fits your budget: this is, of course, one of the best times to buy a new TV because they're a big part of every Black Friday, and even high-spec models such as LG's C4 OLED get big discounts.

Naturally, we're tracking those deals, so check out our guide to the best Black Friday TV deals here.

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Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.