HDTVs - The Basics
When considering the purchase of a new HDTV, consider the following and refer to the Pros and Cons of the HDTV technologies below in helping make the best decision for your particular situation; Is the room brightly lit (bright sunlight or bright lights)?, Will the screen need to be viewable from steep angles (from far off to one side or from above, e.g. viewing down from a balcony)?, Is viewing fast action movies or sporting events of high importance?, Is power consumption of importance?, Do you plan to hang on wall, is weight and thickness important?, How important is video quality, e.g. darker/deeper blacks?
You will also want to consider the resolution of the sources that will be providing content to the HDTV (e.g. HD cable, HD Satellite, Blu-ray, Media Computer, etc...), make certain that the HDTV you select will support all the required resolutions output from your sources. If you wish to support the highest resolution with your HDTV spend the extra money for 1080p.
Another factor to consider is frame around the HDTV screen, some viewers find the reflective nature of the glossy black to be annoying/distracting. If this is the case for you, stay away from the piano black / glossy finishes.
- LCD HDTVs
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) HDTVs - The LCD TV uses the liquid crystal substance to create the pixels (red, green, and blue) that make up the picture. The first LCD HDTVs used CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) as the backlight. The backlight is what provides the brightness for the TV and allows you to see the pixels. New backlight technology uses LED (Light Emitting Diode) instead of CCFL technology. Typically these HDTVs are referred to as "LED" or "LCD LED" HDTVs.
Pros:
- Bright (good for bright/sunlit rooms)
- Lower Power (lower power consumption than plasma HDTV)
Cons:
- Lower Contrast Ratio (much lower contrast ratio than plasma, not as deep blacks)
- Narrow Viewing Angle (does not allow picture to be seen at wide angle to screen surface)
- Higher Motion Blur (not as good for watching sports and action films, due to lower "refresh rates")
- Plasma HDTVs
Plasma HDTVs use noble gas to create the pixels (red, green, and blue) that make up the picture.
Pros:
- High Contrast Ratio (as high as 40,000:1, producing deep blacks)
- Wide Viewing Angle (allows picture to be seen at wide angle to screen surface)
- Low Motion Blur (great for watching sports and action films, due to high "refresh rate")
Cons: - LCD LED HDTVs
LCD LED HDTVs are LCD HDTVs which use LED technology for the backlight (vs. CCFL of LCD HDTVs first to the market).
Pros (vs. standard LCD HDTV):
- Higher Contrast Ratio (producing deeper blacks)
- Brighter Image
- Reduced Blur (less blurring than standard LCD HDTV)
- Lower Power (about 40% less power than standard LCD HDTV)
- Thinner Panel possible (ultra thin possible, just over 1")
- Rear Projection (LCD or DLP) HDTVs
Rear Projection HDTVs (or RPTV) uses either a LCD panel(s) or DLP (Digital Light Processing) chip(s) to produce the pixels. A lamp is used for the backlight, which shines through the LCD panel(s) / reflects off of the DLP mirrors, travels through optics and then projected onto the screen. RPTVs are beginning to get phased out due to the pricing of LCD and Plasma HDTVs reaching the lower price points of RPTV. Below are the basic pros and cons of RPTV vs. LCD/Plasma.
Pros:
- Cost effective for large screens vs. LCD/Plasma (but cost is closing)
- Bright (lamp backlight)
- Lightweight for large screen sizes
Cons:
- Not as bright as LCD (not as good for brightly lit rooms)
- Higher Power (higher power consumption than LCD)
- Burn-in Susceptible (if static picture for long period of time that image gets "burned" onto the screen)
- Screen Reflectivity (glass screen reflects light)
- Picture quality not as good at close viewing distances
- Poor viewing angle (not desirable if TV will be viewed from steep angle from left/right, above/below)
- Depth of cabinet (cannot be hung on wall, if planning on sitting on TV stand RPTV is good option)
- Lamp replacement costs (few hundred dollars to replace lamp, every few years)
- Rainbow effect artifact. Specific to DLP, the color wheel can occasionally produce a rainbow artifact which appears on the screen.
