[SOLVED] Trying to understand how LED works

[McLovinHawaii]

Recently changes careers to IT and got an assignment asking me to list different types of computer monitors. Reading about monitor types I'm stuck at trying to figure out how LED works in computer monitors. I found an article online saying all LED monitors are LCD but not all LCD monitors are LED. From what I understand LED is used as backlight on a LCD monitor but then I read several articles describing LED vs LCD setting up LED as a stand-alone type of monitor and now I'm just really confused.

Is LED used as backlight for a LCD panel or can LED also function as a stand-alone computer monitor?

 

[EyyMunchian]

Heres a quick sum up. LED screens are LCDs because they use the same principle. LCD monitors have a massive backlight lighting the screen, where LEDs usually have tons of small little leds in a panel as the backlight. LED or LCD is the right way to say it, because its the difference in backlight of the monitor. However OLED is can be standalone as it removed the backlight completely.
video source: LCD vs LED vs OLED screens (AKIO TV) - YouTube

 

[JWNoctis]

Is this an interview question? Check your favourite online encyclopedia. These would describe it better than anything that would fit here.

But if you want a summary, then yes, LED as a light source is used as a backlight for LCD panels. Another popular choice is very thin fluorescent tubes, at least in earlier times. What people typically referred to as LED monitors are actually LED-backlighted LCD monitors.

Sufficiently small LED - mostly OLED, or Organic LED, in large arrays are also used as computer display. These generates their own light, which eliminated the need for a backlight.