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.

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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When it comes to flat panel monitors, though it doesn’t reduce all your worries, it does untangle you from many that you probably experience from one time or another from your cathode ray tube monitors.

Here are some things you don’t need to worry about with a flat panel monitor. Keep in mind that this is by no means a comprehensive list and you can probably add your own pros and cons to the list if you wished:

1. Focus

2. Convergence

3. Magnetic Fields

4. Burn-In

5. Excessive Power Usage

6. Heaviness and Being a Space Hog

7. May contain integrated TV tuner or has built-in features to output audio/video without the use of special (and additional expense inducing) accessories.

So think of it this way, by investing in a flat panel monitor you aren’t only getting more bang for your buck vis a vis cathode ray tube monitors, you also get a lower frequency of headache inducing technological issues that plague your life on a daily basis. Isn’t it time for change? That’s a rhetorical question, of course.

Flat panel televisions associated packages and services are available at our website.

http://www.flatpanelmonitorzone.com

But with the technology available today to the consumer, the choices almost boggle the mind. And Joe Average doesn’t follow the technology closely enough to be able to understand which technology is best for his needs. In fact, Joe’s only gauge of quality is the unit’s price tag, which is probably about the LEAST reliable gauge of them all. So let’s take a quick look at the various technologies available for big screen TV so that you better understand what you are looking AT, as well as understanding what you are shopping FOR.

Regular tube TV: Yes, depending on your budget, this needs to be mentioned as a viable option, although unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past 50 years, there is little new that you need to know about it. It’s a TV, plain and simple. Tube TV’s are typically limited to about 36 inch pictures, with a couple top-end brands even getting to the 40 inch mark. The picture is good, and most of today’s upper-end sets also allow the viewing of HDTV on the same unit. My only word of caution here is that I cannot recommend a set that has a built-in VCR and/or DVD player. The built-in units are typically not high quality with limited functionality, and for the additional money you would pay for such a combo unit, you can get an external VCR or DVD player for far less money.

Now on to the big stuff. But first, since I already mentioned it, a word about HDTV. HDTV is great, providing an incredible picture quality, provided of course that you have the screen that can display that quality. With HDTV, without getting all techie about it, the digital signal contains much more information, and the picture is created in PROGRESSIVE mode rather than INTERLACED mode, meaning that the ENTIRE picture is refreshed with every scan instead of just every other line as is done with interlaced.

I would also recommend a unit with the wide aspect ratio, like 16:9 or sometimes 16:10. This is the ratio of width versus height of the display, and the wide aspect ratio is the one you see when you go to the movie theatre. You can still watch broadcasts on the wide aspect ratio that are designed for the old traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, but it is much harder to watch something designed for 16:9 on a 4:3 display.

Another word of warning: there are big screen units that cannot do HDTV but they can do EDTV. Be aware that these are not the same. In fact, with the next step (SDTV) right around the corner, I don’t see a long lifespan for EDTV. EDTV provides better quality than standard analog TV, but not as sharp and crisp as HDTV.

The different types of big screen TVs are discussed below.

Plasma TV

Advantages: long life (30,000 to 40,000 hours from brand names, significantly less with noname brands), very bright – up to 4-5 times a standard TV, viewing angle is huge – you can be 75-80 degrees off center and still see a clear picture, instant-on feature – there is virtually no warm-up time required, small footprint – since these units are very thin and could even be wall-mounted.

Disadvantages: possible burn-in or “image retention” if the same image is left displayed on the screen for an extended period of time (although when used as a TV this is probably not a concern), can be very pricey at the largest sizes possible (currently around a 50 inch display), very few have a tuner/amplifier built in so you will be required to get an external tuner, pixel failure – where a single pixel just remains white all the time although this is much more common on noname brands and may (check!) be covered under your warranty.

LCD TV

Advantages: Great brightness levels, also very thin and could be mounted on the wall, long life (about 40,000 hours on brand names, substantially less on noname brands), viewing angle is about 45 to 50 degrees from straight on.

Disadvantages: Ghosting – where there may be “artifacts” left on the display during a fast-action movie scene because the LCD cannot keep up with it that fast, viewing angle is not as good as plasma, very expensive technology today, not as good at reproducing accurate color as plasma.

DLP Rear Projection

Advantages: Low purchase cost although this is typically offset by higher operating costs. At the sizes above 42 inches, the DLP big screen is approximately the same price as plasma.

Disadvantages: high operational cost (the single bulb in the projector can cost upwards of $300 to replace), large footprint – you will need to allocate about 15-18 inches from the wall to accommodate the unit, not wall-mountable, poor viewing angle – not much more than 20-25 degrees from straight on, gradually decreasing bulb brightness over time which means your picture is not as sharp or bright.

Understanding the various display technologies available should help you, but keep in mind that this is not the whole story. Also know that as technology advances, prices will continue to fall and there may be more options in the future. There are many other factors to be considered which are discussed at my web sites below. But at least now you have a good feel for the type of technology that will work with both your desires and your budget.

Jon Arnold is an author and computer engineer who maintains various web sites to provide tips and information on a variety of topics. More info on this topic can be found at his Home Theatre Web Site site at http://jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/

Flat panels are generally better on the eyes than cathode ray tubes (though you should still stand up to stretch and exercise a bit every now and then). They take up a lot less space on your desk as well. They are an ideal monitor for your kids as well as for yourself. If you still use cathode ray tube’s it’s almost like using one of those big clunky cell phones of the late nineties while others are using razor thin cell phones.

But lets be honest, when it comes to flat panel monitors it’s not JUST about it’s physical appearance and space-saving capabilities, that’s only the icing on the cake.

Once you try using flat panel monitors it is almost certain you will never purchase a cathode ray tube again at any price. Unless of course your current employment still uses cathode ray tubes. Perhaps you should recommend replacing them for flat panel monitors?

Hurry onto our web site for great stuff on big screen tvs insider info before it’s too late!

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In general the “budget” flat panel displays will lack color balance as well as sharpness compared with the entry-level and higher end flat panel displays. Also one other consideration is whether the machine is refurbished or used. If it’s used or refurbished there is probably a higher chance that some of the pixels may be “inactive”.

What this translates to is that even if a small fraction of the pixels on your monitor or inactive, there may be parts of your monitors that will stand out more and not be consistent with the rest of the colors on your screen. Sometimes this happens with new monitors too so you need to be careful on this issue.

Though there have been discussions of ways to resolve these broken pixels, such as through special “massage” methods, its clearly preferable to get a monitor that works 100 percent out of the box.

Another thing you might want to consider is the lag time in the video output. For cheaper monitors it may lag a bit more. In general, cathode ray tubes will have the highest available performance in this regard for high end applications.

If possible test out the monitor at the store prior to buying it to see if you notice any glaring shortcomings. Otherwise you may have truly found a good deal.

Top notch flat-panel tv products can be downloaded from our site.

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This article hopefully will address the value of flat panel monitors beyond simply looking at the price. Even though flat panel monitors are becoming cheaper every few months, they are still on average more expensive than cathode ray tubes. But the question is, is it worth it for the price?

Well consider these factors and incorporate them (or not) into your own decision making process. LCD flat panel monitors generally will not flicker as much as cathode ray tube monitors. The dimensions of the flat panel also tend to be more consistent. As far as the physical value of flat panel monitors, they are clearly much more compact while provide a greater viewing area than their CRT brethren.

And beyond the desktop, flat panels save you on power and electricity as they are less likely to hog up as much resources. One other thing is that you are far less likely to experience screen burn where an image is seared into the screen after being left on for a long time.

Flat panel LCD monitors do not experience distortions around magnetic forces. They also tend to better output colors and other renderings. Most people get hooked on LCD flat panel monitors the moment they start using it.

Though this is far from comprehensive in terms of assessing the value of flat panel monitors, it should offer fodder for you in terms of deciding what the value of these features are TO YOU. Good luck and have fun!

Flat screen tvs pertinent products and services are accessible at my web page.

http://www.flatpanelmonitorzone.com

The first is Plasma televisions. These televisions have been praised for their clear picture and thin frame. I’ve found these televisions to deliver a high quality picture. They are so slim they can be hung on the wall like a picture frame saving a lot of space in the lounge room. The downside is they don’t have a very long life-span. A lot of people I know that have a plasma television complain about having to keep getting it fixed after only a year.

The second is LCD televisions. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. LCD televisions deliver and even higher quality picture that plasma televisions. They are also light weight and slim in size. The only downside I can see is the price. LDC televisions are the most expensive out of the three.

The third is rear projection televisions. The main advantage to buying a rear projection television is the price. It is the cheapest out of three, a lot cheaper in fact. In most cases the half the price. Now let’s talk about the disadvantages. A good saying is “you get what you pay for” and in this case it is no exception. Rear projection televisions are bigger than the LCD’s and Plasma’s. A lot bigger, so you better have a big lounge room if you want to purchase one. The second disadvantage is the picture quality. The picture picture quality of rear projection televisions are a lot poorer.

So the question really is how much you want to spend. Paying less for a rear projection television will help your hip pocket but will be a lot harder on the eyes. Buying a LCD television will cost a bit but will deliver excellent picture quality. The choice is yours, but if you have the money get the LCD television.

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The biggest single pro of flat panel monitors is that they offer more viewing area while taking up less space. Another big advantage is that they normally provide great clarity and can be used out of the box without too much configuration.

OK so here comes some of the cons. Well truth is it’s impossible to list pros and cons that will cut straight down the middle since the monitor market is so vast and there are so many different models and manufacturers out there. But in general customers have said that flat panels lack in certain areas relative to cathode ray tube monitors.

Elements such as the sharpness, color, and also the response of flat panel monitors have been said anecdotally to be less on par than when compared with cathode ray tube monitors. In general, cathode ray tubes are considered better for “work horse” type applications such as if you need to do heavy duty video or digital manipulation and editing.

However remember one size doesn’t fit all, so it’s in your best interest to find out if you really need to use powerful applications as mentioned above, or you prefer a better quality experience and space saving features that are native to a flat panel monitor. The choice is yours.

Rush onto our website for great stuff on flat panel televisions insider tips before it’s too late!

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Viewing Distance: Is it just a matter of personal preference?

Sit too close to your big screen TV and you will be able to see the image build-up structure – scanning lines or pixels forming the image – thus distracting your attention and spoiling your home theater experience. Yet, sit too far away, and the impact will be lost.

There are differing opinions on the best way to determine the optimum TV viewing distance for a specific screen size. Just go to the movie theater and you will soon realize that it is all a question of personal preference – some would sit at the very back. Others would go straight to the front row, as they prefer the bigger picture and a wider angle of view, while some would simply choose their seat randomly somewhere in between these two extremes.

The truth is that there are no scientific rules her. This does not mean that there aren’t any guidelines that you should follow when planning a big screen purchase or a would-be home theater room.

SMPTE Recommendations and the THX Certification standards:

The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommends that the screen size for home theater use should occupy a 30 degrees field of view – in the horizontal plan – for the audience. Alternatively, the ideal TV viewing distance should be such that the screen width occupies an angle of 30 degrees from the viewing position.

This 30-degrees viewing angle seems to have been accepted by many as the standard in home theater and motion picture viewing.

This SMPTE guideline is also in line with the THX certification standards in that these recommend that the back row of seats should have at least a 26 degrees viewing angle and while recommending an optimum viewing angle of 36 degrees.

It is believed that within these viewing angle limits, the viewer will get better immersed into the action movie itself.

Vision System limitations:

There is also the issue of TV viewing distance based on visual acuity. This does not represent the optimum viewing distance – rather, this relates to the maximum viewing distance beyond which some picture detail will be lost.

Technically speaking, visual acuity is a measure of the eye spatial resolving power and indicates the angular size of the smallest detail that a person visual system can resolve. A person with 20/20 (or 6/6 when expressed in meters) normal vision can resolve a spatial pattern separated by a visual angle of one minute of arc angle i.e. 1/60th of a degree, at the eye when viewed at 20 feet away. Expressed differently, a person with normal 20/20 vision is capable of identifying an object with a height of 1.76mm at 20 feet way.

In terms of TV viewing distances, these represent the point beyond which some of the picture detail will no longer be resolved by the viewer vision system.

So How Does All This Translate In Practical Terms?

A few rules-of-thumb can help put in practice the guidelines detailed above. These rules for viewing distance refer to the screen width rather than the screen diagonal and therefore apply to both 4:3 and 16:9 display formats.

A general rule for the TV viewing distance based on the SMPTE and visual acuity guidelines, is that the nearest TV viewing distance between you and your big screen TV should be limited to approximately twice the screen width (more precise 1.87 x screen width for a subtended angle of 30 degrees), while the furthest distance being no more than five times the width of your screen.

This rule of thumb should give you a fairly good approximation for your TV viewing distance. It does not necessarily represent the ideal home theater viewing distance but rather the limits within which your TV viewing distance should theoretically be out of the trouble zone.

In other words, move closer than twice the screen width size, and the picture scanning lines, pixels and any other video artifacts will become too visibly intrusive – leading to distractions that will spoil your movie watching experience. Move further away than 5 times the screen width and your vision system will no longer be able to resolve all the picture detail.

But

It is also important to realize that these maximum and minimum viewing distances should be seen in the light of the video signal definition.

A fully resolved high definition TV (1080i, 1920×1080) supports a closer viewing distance than standard analog TV. Thus while twice the screen width would be the ideal TV viewing distance for a HDTV display, it would be a bit too close for standard TV; in the later case, a three times the screen width would be a better option.

Similarly, the five times the screen width as the maximum view distance, while more than adequate for a standard analog TV picture, is a bit too far away for a person to see the fine detail supported by a HDTV picture – a three to four times the screen width represents a more practical limit for the maximum viewing distance in the case of HDTV.

These rules-of-thumb work best with big screen TV sizes in the range 42-inches and over.

When it comes to the use of regular-size standard definition analog TVs in the home theater, i.e. up to 36″ / 40″ diagonal, the optimum viewing distance range is between 8 feet and 12 feet. TV sets smaller than 36-inches aren’t big enough to qualify for Home Theater use; their smaller screen size will not provide the desired impact on the viewer.

Vertical Angle of View & Screen Height:

For optimum viewing, the eyes of the viewer should be level with the center of the screen.

Maximum vertical angle of view: In those home theater set-ups where this is not possible, the SMPTE guidelines suggest that the maximum vertical angle measured at the seated eye height from the front row center seat to the top most part of the projected image should not exceed 35 degrees.

This does not represent the optimum viewing angle but rather the limit beyond which the viewer will be subject to an increased neck strain.

This maximum vertical angle limit is always measured from the front row as this represent the extreme angle of view.

Minimum angle of vision: While there do not appear to be any specific SMPTE or THX guidelines in this respect, yet studies have shown that if the screen size occupies less than 15 degrees of the viewer’s vertical field of view, than that image appears small.

Practical Considerations:

In a typical home theater set-up, you do not need to really worry about neither the maximum vertical angle of view, nor about the minimum vertical angle of vision for an effective movie theater experience.

If one were to adhere to the recommended TV viewing distance of twice the screen width (as further detailed above based on the SMPTE guideline of 30 degrees horizontal field of vision), you would automatically be complying with the minimum angle of vision. The reason being that there is a fixed relation between screen height and width in accordance to your home theater screen aspect ratio of either 16:9 or 4:3.

Further more, in a typical home theater setup, it would be very difficult to exceed the maximum vertical angle of view beyond which you will be subject to an increased neck strain.

Taking into account that most home theater rooms are approximately 10 feet (3m) high, the resultant vertical viewing angle is normal well within the maximum of 35 degrees detailed in the SMPTE guidelines – all you have to do is just remain within the twice the screen width guideline for your viewing distance.

Andrew Ghigo – A Telecoms/Electronics engineer by profession, with specialization in digital switching and telecoms fraud management systems.

Editor and publisher of http://www.p
ractical-home-theater-guide.com – a site dedicated to all home theater enthusiasts with the scope of serving as a comprehensive home theater guide to home theater systems, product reviews and home theater design.

This article is an excerpt from a series of articles appearing under the
home theater design section of the site.