Another reason to avoid edge-lit 4K TVs: they may fail faster than others, according to this report

• Edge-lit LEDs appear to develop visible problems very early
• Problems are particularly obvious with larger-sized displays
• Shop around for discounts on better-quality panels

Late last year, we published a warning for Black Friday TV buyers: avoid big TVs with cheap edge-lit panels. The main reason was the visual quality, as edge-lit panels aren’t great for big sizes. But a new report suggests another reason you should steer clear. Big edge-lit panels appear to fail more quickly than other types of TV displays.

That’s according to Rtings’ ongoing TV longevity tests, as reported by FlatpanelsHD.com. The tests feature 100 different TVs from multiple brands and with multiple technologies – edge-LED, direct LED, full array local dimming, and OLED – and the results for edge-LED aren’t great.

What’s the problem with edge-lit panels?

There are multiple problems, though. First, they don’t generally deliver great uniformity in how they light up the display. That’s because their backlight is usually positioned at the bottom with a diffuser film to spread the light over the panel. The bigger the panel, the more obvious the design’s shortcomings become.

According to Rtings, over 25% of the LCD TVs they tested exhibited visible light uniformity issues. But among edge-LED LCD TVs, that figure rocketed to 64% – so you’ve got a one in three chance of getting a TV with consistent lighting.

To be fair, the number of sets affected is small: seven out of 100 TVs. However, three of those seven started showing problems before or after 2,200 hours of testing. That’s the equivalent of one year’s viewing in the typical US household.

According to Rtings, the results of their tests demonstrate that…