Does anyone know what the difference is between a regular IPS panel and an IPS panel with an LED backlight? I was under the impression that IPS panels had different backlights from TN panels altogether.
IPS panels using CCFL have more even backlighting. LED backlighting can be somewhat uneven and inconcsistent. CCFL backlighting also allows easier color calibration of the monitor.
IPS panels use the same backlighting as TN panels (ie. CCFL or LED).
Then why are certain companies, i.e. LG, claim they have LED IPS monitors? Is it just a marketing gimmick? If CCFL backlighting is better than LED then why would you put LED backlighting in an IPS panel in the first place?
Because LEDs are the new hot shit. Plus, LEDs allow the monitor to be hella thin. LEDs run cooler, are cheaper, have longer life, and are smaller than CCFLs. The only thing CCFLs have going for them is consistency and accuracy.
Can it even really still be considered an IPS panel if it has LED backlighting though? And which has less light bleeding?
Yes...IPS is the panel type. LED/CCFL is just the backlighitng behind the panel. So an IPS monitor with LED backlighting is still an IPS panel and still has amazing color as an IPS panel shoudl.
I have no idea which has less light bleed. If you aren't doing some serious photo editing I doubt you will be bothered at all by the inconsistency with LED lighting. It's mostly nerds measuring e-peen.
OLEDs are supposed to be excellent because each individual pixel has its own light...at least that's what I remember them saying when the technology first came out. The contrast is supposed to be amazing because you can just turn individual pixels off for blacks.
CCFL is more accurate and better for proffesional use (Hence the big 30" 1600p proffesional grade monitors that use it) but they can fade over time needing to be replaced, make the screen big and heavy, use more power, just arent as efficient.