Many home theater enthusiasts prefer a big screen TV to the bulky projection systems. They sacrifice screen size for picture quality and space requirements. There are many types of televisions to choose from but we will cover the Plasma vs. LCD TV debate first.

Plasma TV is by far the coolest and most expensive. They are extra thin, (only a few inches) and very lightweight. They’re great for small rooms or apartments since they can be hung on the wall like a picture. The superior contrast, brightness and wide viewing angle of color plasma TV’s, have made them an excellent choice for viewing HDTV programming. The price of Plasma TV’s has been dropping recently with prices starting at around a thousand dollars all the way up to 20K for a top of line huge plasma TV.

LCD (liquid crystal display) TV’s are very similar to LCD computer monitors and offer video reproduction quality approaching that of plasma displays. LCD models generally cost less than comparable plasma models. They are extremely lightweight and thin and come in sizes from 7 inches to about 32 inches and more.

Of course as the big screen TV debate continues, we must not forget the standard CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV’s. These deliver great picture quality and are the most affordable by screen size. The negative is that they are very heavy and bulky. That is why they are losing ground to the slimmer, lightweight Plasma and LCD TV’s.

High Definition TV is becoming the new standard for TV’s. The current format for television broadcasting in America, as well as much of the world, is the NTSC format. While analog NTSC may have been the format of choice for nearly 50 years, digital broadcasting is revolutionizing the broadcast industry. High definition digital television broadcasting (HDTV) provides a much higher image resolution than NTSC. While NTSC could only provide around 650 lines of information per image, HDTV offers up to 1080 lines. This allows for much more detail and clarity.

Selecting a TV isn’t as easy as it used to be in years gone
by. Rather than going to the local department store and
choosing a console that would take up a large portion of
the living room, we now have other options. Along with
those options comes the chore of locating, comparing and
narrowing down a multitude of models to just the right one
for your viewing needs.

First, of course, you’ll need to consider the size of the
room which will house the unit. Since Big Screen TVs offer
a much larger viewing scenario, the room needs to be able
to accommodate whichever model you choose. For instance,
you might like the idea of a 60″ screen, but you might only
have enough space to accommodate one that measures 42″.
Don’t make the mistake of purchasing one and then
discovering that, as much as you thought you might be able
to squeeze it into the room, it just won’t work.

Display type is another consideration when bringing such a
system into your home. You’ll need to choose a glass tube
or flat tube (the latter being the more expensive). For
higher viewing quality, you’d be better off with the flat
tube variety. Direct-views are smaller with a brighter
picture and wider viewing angle than their larger
rear-projection counterparts. If you prefer the
rear-projection variety, however, they range in size from
40 to 82 inches diagonally. Those who like the idea of
such a large picture – and have the room to house such a
unit – will be happy with the 82″ variety.

Next, you’ll have to decide whether you prefer SDTD
(Standard Definition Television), EDTV (Enhanced Definition
Television) or HDTV (High Definition TV). The STD is
really nothing more than the usual type of television that
has been in homes across America for years. The enhanced
version is an upscale of that, but doesn’t quite offer the
quality of the HDTV variety. HDTV offers high definition
viewing, and is touted as being the best viewing experience
that there is to offer to the general public.

Financial considerations are always on the horizon, and
this will be one of the biggest factors that you’ll need to
consider when determining which type of set to purchase.
Although the EDTV and HDTV models carry weightier price
tags, they also pay for themselves over the long run, if
you consider how much money you’d be spending to go to the
local cinema on a regular basis. If your budgetary
constraints are so tight that you can’t even consider such
an option, then you can still find standard televisions
which utilize the big screen TV presentation.

The bottom line is that you’ll need to consider finances,
available space in the room, type of viewing presentation,
display capabilities and the reputation of the
manufacturer. Manufacturers such as Sony, Pioneer and
Panasonic are among the highest ranked manufacturers of TV
and big screen TV systems in the current market. Others
also have a strong reputation for quality, as well, so it’s
simply going to be a matter of doing a bit of comparison
shopping.

(c) 2005 Simon Canfield – All Rights Reserved

Simon Canfield is a hi-tech enthusiast and freelance author.

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