Quantum dots are an intriguing technology getting a lot of attention right now because TV makers like Samsung and LG are building LCD televisions that use them.
But what are quantum dots and what do they mean for you?
Quantum dots themselves are tiny crystals, otherwise known as nanocrystals.
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They are way too small to see but have a special power.
When light is shown on them, they become luminous and give off a very precise color, depending on their size.
The size of the dots can be very finely tuned, so they give off whatever colored lights you want.
There's a lot you can do with quantum dots, from solar panels to medical applications.
But you've probably heard them discuss most in relation to TVs.
What tech companies are doing now is to put quantum dots in LCD TVs, something television makers say it makes for more colorful pictures.
To understand why they say this, let's look at how color is created inside your television.
In a normal LCD TV, light is shown from blue LEDs coated in yellow phosphor to create a white light.
This light hits a layer of red, green, and blue color filters.
These are called sub pixels and because red, blue, and green can be mixed to create any color these use the glow from that white light to create the distinctive colors that make up a TV picture.
LCD TV's that use quantum dots are a little different.
Instead of a white light they use plain blue LED's which as well as shining through to those sub pixels.
Also illuminate a bunch of quantum dots that have been tuned to give off red and green light.
TV makers say that, because the red, blue, and green colors produced in the quantum dot sets are very pure, they can shine through those filters with less wasted light than tv's that use the white light.
This the companies say makes for a better more colorful picture.
The quantum dock can be arranged in narrow tubes right in front of the LEDs or as an additional layer covering the entire screen itself.
The layer method is the newest and is being used by Samsung in its SUHD TVs for twenty fifteen as well as by LG.
The LCD tv's with quantum dots we've seen so far look great, but don't expect a total revolution in the way LCD tv's look.
The jury is still out as to how much quantum dots can improve LCD sets, but we do know one thing.
They'll be more expensive than standard LCD tv's.
They'll still be cheaper than OLED however, a completely different display technology that's as far as we've seen.
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Have the best picture of all.
So now, all you need to know is that quantum dots are a way of augmenting an existing kind of technology, that TV makers say will give you a picture that's more colorful and nicer to look at.
