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In many ways – style, picture quality and price, for example – the Samsung UN55B8000 HDTV is a cut above other LCD HDTV models, thanks largely to its innovative edge-lit LED lighting technology. Are you wondering what an edge-lit HDTV is? Read on.

To understand the concept of an edge-lit HDTV, first, you have to know how an LED TVs works. While a regular LCD television uses a single fluorescent lamp as a backlight, an LED-lit LCD television uses hundreds of small bulbs (called light emitting diodes or LEDs) covering the back of the screen. Because of this, LED-based televisions are brighter and can produce more vivid colors and in particular, deeper blacks – a result of the fact that a group of LEDs can be totally turned off while part of a fluorescent lamp can only be dimmed. LEDs also consume less power but can last much longer.

It comes as no surprise, then, that many of those looking to buy an HDTV opt for an LED-based one, and if you’re one of them, you will be thrilled with the introduction of edge-lit HDTVs. Instead of having panels covered with LEDs, these HDTVs, like the Samsung UN55B8000 have rows of LEDs only at the top and the bottom, which project the light to a plate that focuses it towards the screen.

So what is so great about an edge-lit HDTV? For one, edge-lit LED technology allows HDTVs to be made thinner and lighter. Just take a look at Samsung’s latest LCD HDTVs. They are very slim, easy to carry and mount on the wall, and look more attractive than other models. The UN55B8000 is a perfect example, measuring only 1.2 inches deep at most.

Also, while LED-based televisions are already known to consume about half the energy consumed by conventional LCD televisions, those that are edge-lit consume even less. In particular, according to tests, the UN55B8000 consumes up to 40 percent less energy than it normally would.

All these make edge-lit HDTVs a great choice in spite of their disadvantages, namely the heating of their frames, especially at the top and bottom parts, inadequate screen brightness and screen uniformity issues, which Samsung has mostly taken care of. Indeed, the UN55B8000 may have less than uniform brightness during dark scenes but you won’t notice it unless you go looking for it.

There are other reasons to buy the Samsung UN55B8000 aside from its edge-lit LCD lighting technology, like its accurate colors and excellent video processing with a refresh rate of 240Hz that prevents blurring even when the action picks up. It also has Yahoo widgets which you can put on your screen, DLNA capability that lets you access stored media files on your networked computers and a built-in content library to keep you entertained. While there aren’t much connectivity options for analog devices, the UN55B8000 still provides four HDMI inputs, a PC input and two USB ports.

So, is the Samsung UN55B8000 a good buy? This is something you shouldn’t be asking any longer after reading this. After all, you already know the reasons why it is very expensive, the same reasons that make it not just a good but a great HDTV, a true cut above the rest.