Glossary
Local dimming
An LCD backlight technique where independent zones can dim or brighten separately, deepening blacks and lifting HDR highlights. Implemented in edge-lit, full-array (FALD), and Mini-LED forms.
Local dimming divides the LCD backlight into zones that can be controlled independently. More zones = finer control = less blooming around bright objects on dark backgrounds.
Implementations
- Edge-lit. Few zones (8–32), arranged along edges. Cheap but coarse — bright objects bloom across a column or row.
- Full-array (FALD). A 2D grid behind the panel, typically 100–500 zones. Mid-tier TVs.
- Mini-LED. Thousands of tiny LEDs, 500–5,000+ zones. Premium tier.
Why zone count matters
A 500-zone FALD on a 65" panel allocates ~3 sq. in. per zone — a star against night sky still blooms. A 2,000-zone Mini-LED brings that to ~0.8 sq. in., dramatically tighter highlights. OLED's per-pixel control is the limit.
Where this matters
Categories that use local dimming
See it compared
Local dimming on real comparisons
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