Touch Screen LED TV: Ultimate Guide to Buying
With so many touch screen products available today, it only makes sense that touch screen technology would soon be applied to televisions. In this guide, we’ll explain touch screen televisions, how they work, what their applications are, and much, much more.
1. What is a touch screen LED TV?
A touch screen LED TV is an interactive display – one that shows images and video with the same fidelity as any other kind of television, but which can be controlled via touch rather than just with an infrared remote or an app. These screens usually rely on LED lights to power them, regardless of whether they are LCD or OLED displays.
Touch screen TVs are not a particularly common product, at least not now. They are usually not purchased for household use, since they are frequently more than $1,000, and their touch screen capability may not be particularly useful for most television watching purposes. However, they are more common in commercial, educational, informational, and business contexts due to their interactive nature.
2. What is the difference between a smart TV and a touch screen TV?
While they are both newer television technologies, smart TVs and touch screen TVs are not the same thing.
A smart TV is any kind of internet-enabled television. Unlike televisions of the past, which used cable and, later, satellite to transmit broadcasts to your televisions, smart TVs use the internet to access streaming services and web applications to bring you content. Smart TVs may also be cable-enabled.
Touch screen TVs are any kind of television that can be controlled with touch screen technologies. These TVs are rarely found in homes and are instead used for commercial or educational purposes as displays, kiosks, or teaching tools. These TVs are usually smart TVs as well, since most newer TVs are smart, but some companies may sell displays without internet connectivity for certain purposes.
3. How do touch screen TVs work?
Touch screen TVs seem like a scientific marvel. It’s shocking that we can control these already very complicated LCD screens with just our fingertips, and that they can be purchased for relatively inexpensive prices these days. But how do they work?
4. Capacitive touch screens
Have you ever encountered a touch screen you couldn’t use with a glove on? If so, you’ve encountered a capacitive touch screen.
Capacitive touch screens are touch screens that rely on changes in the screen’s electrostatic field to register touch. Your finger generates and conducts a small amount of electricity which, when touched to the screen, interacts with the screen’s electrostatic field. This registers as touch on the device and allows you to control it.
This is the technology present in most higher-end, more expensive touch screens today, as in tablets, phones, GPSs, laptops, and televisions. Their responsiveness and their lack of mechanical parts makes these types of touch screens the better choice for most consumers.
Most touch screen TVs are likely to be capacitive, although there is another major type of touch screen technology…
5. Resistive touch screens
Have you ever encountered a touch screen that you really had to press on to make it do anything? If so, you’ve likely encountered a poorly functioning resistive touch screen.
Resistive touch screens are touch screens that rely on pressure applied to the screen to sense movement. In a resistive screen, you have two sheets, separated by a small gap. When you apply pressure, the two sheets touch, which completes an electrical circuit and registers the touch to the device.
Resistive touch screens were common in early touch screen technologies, like older cellular phones, handheld gaming consoles, and more. They are not uncommon in commercial uses, like ATMs, ordering kiosks, and more, since they may be cheaper to purchase and replace than capacitive touch screens.
6. When did touch screen TVs come out?
Versions of both capacitance and resistance have existed for a long time – since the 1960s, approximately – but neither reached mainstream use for a long time. The first touch screen television used resistive touch technology and was invented in 1982, but it was, at that time, a novelty and a demonstration of technological potential more than it was a viable consumer tech product. It was shown at the 1982 World’s Fair.
However, it wasn’t until the mid to late 2010s that touch screen displays became a ubiquitous product that was reasonably inexpensive to produce and use. During this time, the touch screen self-service kiosk became a common sight at all kinds of businesses – including fast food and self-service dining.
7. What are some advantages to touch screen TVs?
As an alternative to traditional TVs, which are primarily controlled by infrared remotes, voice activation, and/or app connectivity, touch screen TVs offer some advantages to consumers, including:
7.1 More intuitive to use
While many newer remotes have quick responsiveness, clicking through every option on your television using a button can quickly become tedious. Voice activation has improved this process somewhat by reducing the number of steps involved in navigating your television’s interface, but many consumers still feel awkward using voice commands – not to mention the fact that most voice activation software still struggles to understand users’ speech. How many times have you had to repeat yourself to your remote?
Using your finger, however, can have improved responsiveness and make the process of navigating your television’s apps and offerings much speedier and less frustrating. Just being able to control the screen with your hand can make you feel as though you have more control over the screen, making it easier to use.
7.2 Accessibility
For some individuals who may have disabilities that limit their movement, touch screen TVs can be a great option.
7.3 Business
Touch screen TVs are commonly used in business applications. They may be used in offices as a display tool for presenting information or collaborating on projects, but they are also frequently used as engaging displays at conferences and workshops, showcasing information or new innovations from a company.
7.4 Engagement and education
Touch screen TVs are a very useful tool for education in certain settings. Much like SMART boards for classrooms, touch screen TVs offer the ability to project an image and directly interact with it, which can be valuable in teaching complicated processes, taking notes on screen, or teaching fun, interactive lessons with lots of engaging details. They may also be used for education in non-classroom settings, like in museums and workshops.
7.5 Commercial uses
Due to their interactive nature, touch screen TVs can be an excellent tool for certain kinds of interactive kiosks, including automatic teller machines, information boards, self-service dining, and much more. They are particularly useful as displays and guides that can be interacted with, like maps, flight itineraries, and train itineraries.
8. What are some drawbacks of touch screen TVs?
8.1 Price
Touch screen TVs are generally expensive. While they may be affordable to be purchased by an institution like a company or university, they are often out of the budget for most households, usually starting at over $1000.
8.2 Narrow applications
While their potential is theoretically limitless, touch screen TVs have relatively limited applications in the real world. Most consumers have no use for touch screen capabilities in their television, and they may be frustrated by the lack of remote capabilities and the fact that these screens are usually not built with television watching at top of mind.
8.3 Limited options
Since touch screen TVs are specialized product, there are often fewer options available to consumers, especially compared with the wide selection of non-touch televisions. You may miss out on other valued qualities in a television, like color, contrast, black level, price, or size.
9. Are touch screen TVs worth it?
Touch screen TVs may be an excellent investment for commercial and educational applications. They serve as a relatively affordable method of making complicated presentations easier and more engaging to watch, and they have potentially limitless applications in these environments. Unlike SMART boards, touch screen TVs can be moved from place to place, which can be helpful for use in large educational institutions, like universities. This can also be helpful in business contexts as representatives give keynotes, conduct workshops, and presentations in a variety of different locations.
Plus, touch screen displays are indispensable in self-service kiosks. They significantly streamline business – they free up cashiers to do other tasks around the restaurant, they allow customers to browse all their options and customize their meal with ease, and they allow for faster checkout. They are also extremely useful for displaying information to the public, as in public transportation or wayfinding.
However, touch screen TVs may not be the best choice for household use. The addition of touch screen capabilities is not a huge benefit to most consumers, and they are not often built with the average consumer in mind – usually, they are built to support business applications or educational applications.
10. Looking for reliable LED displays?
At LED Sino, we offer several high-quality LED display products and solutions, perfectly suited for clients in a wide range of industries and with a wide range of industry needs. Whether you’re looking for affordable LED display rentals for an upcoming event, or you’re looking to purchase displays for your event center, conference center, auditorium, church, or arena, we can help you get set up with clear, vivid, and reliable LED displays.