Archive for the ‘HDTV’ Category
To take full advantage of the great number of HDTV stations you can get with your satellite system, you will want a television with a breathtaking picture and mind blowing sound. When shopping for a television today, you have many more options than just a few years ago. From several hundred dollars, to a price similar to that of a new Corvette, you can choose the television to fit your budget and lifestyle.
If you want to watch satellite programming you will need a tv that is at least HDTV ready. Your satellite service provider will supply you with an HDTV tuner. Even if you will not be watching much HDTV programming, there is still a huge benefit to watching a digital television. All HDTV and HDTV ready tv’s contain upconversion circuitry that cleans up the picture with even non HDTV signals.
If you watch a lot of movies or dvd’s, you might want to purchase a widescreen television. A widescreen tv has a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, as opposed to the traditional television screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. You can enjoy watching movies on a screen shaped like a movie theater screen, and view non digital programming in a side cropped view, or stretch the picture to varying degrees to fill the screen. All HDTV programming uses the 16:9 aspect ratio.
The least expensive option is the good old fashioned CRT (cathode ray tube) television. It has been around since 1927, and it is the least expensive option. It is built around a single picture tube, and provides excellent contrast and overall picture quality. A higher end picture tube television will actually give a smoother appearance of motion than a flat-panel tv. The primary drawbacks of tube tv’s are their immense weight (compared to newer technology), and the considerable depth of the sets themselves, both severely limiting your installation choices. Also, the largest tube television available is 36″, so if you need a larger picture, you might want to step up to flat-panel television.
LCD and Plasma screens are the two options available in flat-panel televisions. Both are incredibly thin and lightweight, and can be wall mounted if you choose to do so. An LCD (liquid crystal display) contains thousands of crystals sandwiched between two glass or plastic plates, which are acted upon by electrical current, creating images on the screen. A plasma screen consists of thousands of pixel cells filled with gases that excite phosphors, producing light, and thereby your picture.
The weight of an LCD and a plasma tv are comparable, with the LCD models being slightly lighter in the 40″ range. As the screen size approaches 60″, the weight of the LCD overtakes that of the plasma screen. The display panel tends to last longer with the LCD than with the plasma models. LCD televisions are not vulnerable to burn-in, also known as image shadowing or ghosting, like plasma screens. Burn-in is essentially burned, or worn out pixels in a plasma screen that have been damaged over a period of time and retain color information from static images like network logos, etc… Plasma tv’s tend to have more accurate color reproduction than LCD models, and are currently less expensive than a comparable LCD. While the largest LCD tv at this writing is 65″, that is likely to change quickly as the technology evolves with the latest innovations in the computer monitor industry. The largest plasma screen television currently produced is the Panasonic TH-103PZ600U103″, which boasts a massive 103″ screen, and is expected to carry a whopping retail price of about $70,000 when is hits US markets in late 2006.
Remember the old, bulky rear-projection televisions that were almost a yard deep and weighed nearly as much as a VW Bug? Todays digital big screen tv’s take up much less space, and a 60″ television can weigh under 100 lbs. Digital big screens are capable of brightness that is unmatched by the older CRT televisions, and do not suffer burn-in like the plasma tv’s. These digital big-screens also contains a consumer replaceable lamp that restores picture quality to its original brilliance. Prices for these sets are very reasonable, usually one half to two thirds the price of a similar sized plasma or LCD television. One disadvantage of the big screen tv’s is still size; even with technological advancements, these models take more room for installation than the flat screen televisions, and are not practical for wall mounting. The ideal viewing angle is only achieved straight on, and in a seated position.
For a true movie theater experience at home, a front projection tv may be a good choice. This is a two piece system consisting of a projector and a screen. They offer picture sizes up to 300″, and do not include any type of tv tuner, instead displaying signals from a satellite receiver or cable box. The best viewing experience with a front projection setup requires a fairly dark environment, and is definitely not for everyone. However, for cinema lovers, there is no better way to bring your favorite film to life. Pricing for good projectors starts at just under $1000, and screen prices vary according to size, with most models falling somewhere between $300 and $1500.
Whether you watch mainly sporting events, movies, or dvd’s, a modern television can give new life to your favorite programming. As technology advances at an astonishing pace, prices for larger and more sophisticated television sets continue to come down. If you do some shopping online and find that you can’t quite afford the tv that you want, save money for five to six months; no matter how much or how little you are able to save, chances are you will be able to afford the set you want as prices come down. Just don’t blow the money you have saved – you might need to build a new room to house the larger set you will be buying in two years.
Gregg Pennington owns the website http://satellitetv.easy-lookup.com, a site dedicated to satellite tv and television technology.
With all of the various TV display technologies on the market today (Plasma, DLP, LCD, etc.), it is important to understand the basic pro’s and con’s of the display technologies used in manufacturing High Definition TVs. First, here are the dominant types of displays available today:
- Direct view tube CRT
- Flat panel LCD
- Plasma
- Rear projection LCD
- Rear projection DLP
- Rear projection CRT
- Rear projection LCoS
What makes a plasma TV better than a direct tube CRT? Why would I choose a rear-projection TV over an LCD? Each type of display has inherent advantages and disadvantages associated with the technology used in manufacturing the display. The following guide provides a synopsis which should help you understand relevant points to consider when deciding which HDTV display type is right for you.
Direct-view CRT HDTV Displays
CRT stands for “cathode ray tube” and is the type of TV we are all most familiar with. Chances are, if you have a TV that is 5 or more years old, you have a CRT TV. Despite their age, CRT displays still offer a lot of bang for your buck.
The main advantages of CRT’s include:
- Flat screen – which provides wide viewing angles (most new CRT’s built today have flat screens, but you will still find a few that have are manufactured with curved screens)
- Outstanding picture quality
- Relatively inexpensive in all sizes
- No danger of burn-in
- Capable of producing true blacks
Sounds great, so why are CRT displays losing market share new display technology like plasmas and LCD’s?
- Bulky size and very heavy weight
- Maximum screen size is limited to approximately 36″
To give you an idea of what is meant by “bulky” and “very heavy”, a typical 27″ flat screen CRT will weigh around 100-120 lbs, a typical 30″ flat screen CRT will weigh about 150 lbs and a typical 36″ flat screen CRT will tip the scales at about 200-225 lbs. At over 200 lbs., that kind of weight is going to require at least 2 strong people to lift it up onto the TV stand.
CRT’s are also much larger in terms of depth. A typical 27″ CRT measures 20″ deep, a typical 34″ CRT measures 24″ deep, and a typical 36″ CRT measures 26″ deep.
Why should I choose a flat screen CRT over a curved screen CRT?
The answer is two-fold: 1) Having a flat-screen will allow for wider viewing angles, so that you can those people sitting on the left and right sides of the TV also have a good view of the images being displayed. 2) Having a flat screen will allow you to view the picture as it was meant to be seen, without any of the stretching in images that is associated with a curved tube. A curved tube has inherent flaws that cause the image to be “stretched” as it reaches the edges of the screen. While this may not be an important feature for you, I would encourage you to look at a flat screen and a curved screen side-by-side. The difference in image quality will be much more apparent.
Flat panel LCD HDTV Displays
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and is the type of TV you will be familiar with if you have seen the flat-panel LCD monitors used with many newer computers. The same technology is also used in LCD TV’s.
The main advantages of LCD’s include:
- Flat screen – but see below for note on the viewing angles
- Thin, lightweight and stylish looking
- High resolution and excellent picture quality
- No danger of burn-in
Flat panel LCD’s main disadvantages:
- Relatively narrow viewing angles
- Expensive in sizes over 30″
- Incapable of producing true blacks
To give you an idea of what “thin” and “lightweight” means, a typical 27″ to 30″ LCD will weigh about 40-50 lbs, a 32″ LCD will weigh about 50-55 lbs, a 37″ LCD will weigh about 60-65 lbs. These types of TV’s are thin and light enough to be hung on a wall.
Plasma HDTV Displays
While plasma displays used to be much too expensive for the average Sunday football fan, they have come down in price enough to become a very attractive choice for many HDTV shoppers. Having said that, you will more than likely still pay more for a big-screen plasma TV than a similarly sized rear-projection display. What makes plasma TV’s so attractive?
- Flat screen with very wide viewing angles
- Very thin and lightweight
- High resolution with deep, saturated colors
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)
Plasma’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive compared to other HDTV display types
- Slight potential for burn-in
- Limited lifespan
To clarify “thin” and “lightweight”, a typical 42″ plasma will weigh between 50-90 lbs, a 50″ plasma will weigh about 80-110 lbs. These types of TV’s are thin and light enough to be hung on a wall.
Rear projection HDTV Display
Rear projection TV’s are an economical choice for a large sized TV and they still offer excellent picture quality. They are, however, too large to be hung on a wall and work best when placed on a TV stand (or on the floor in the case of rear projection CRT’s). The most economical type of rear projection display is the rear projection CRT.
Rear projection CRT HDTV’s offer:
- Flat screen
- Relatively low cost
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)
Rear projection CRT’s main disadvantages:
- Very heavy and very bulky
- Narrow viewing angles
- Image visibility suffers in brightly lit rooms
Very heavy and bulky is a nice way of saying that rear projection CRT’s are HUGE. A typical 48″ rear projection CRT weighs 150 lbs. and is a little less than 24″ deep, a typical 56″ rear projection CRT weighs almost 200 lbs. and is over 2 feet deep, a typical 65″ rear projection CRT weighs 300 lbs. and is over 2 feet deep, and a typical 73″ rear projection CRT weighs over 400 lbs. – now THAT is a huge TV!
Rear projection LCD, DLP and LCoS HDTV Display
These types of rear projection HDTV displays are also referred to as microdisplays. They work by using a lamp that bounces light off of or through a tiny pixel-filled microchip and onto the screen.
Rear projection LCD’s offer these advantages:
- Flat screen with good viewing angles
- Thin and lightweight compared to CRT
- Not susceptible to image burn-in
- No “rainbow effect” artifacts that are sometimes found in rear-projection DLP TV’s
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)
Rear projection LCD’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive
- Slight delay when powering up
- Lamp replacement required periodically
- Possibility for “screen door effect” artifacts
Rear projection DLP’s offer these advantages:
- Flat screen with good viewing angles
- Thin and lightweight compared to rear projection CRT
- Not susceptible to image burn-in
- No “screen door effect” artifacts that are sometimes found in rear-projection LCD TV’s
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)
Rear projection DLP’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive
- Slight delay when powering up
- Lamp replacement required periodically
- Possibility for “rainbow effect” artifacts
LCoS, D-ILA and SXRD These technologies are all variations on the same manufacturing process that utilizes liquid crystal on silicon (hence the acronym LCoS). However, implementation of this display technology differs significantly from one manufacturer to the next, so it is impossible to lay out common pro’s and con’s of the technology itself. Each TV with this type of technology will have different characteristics for image quality, viewing angle and cost. I recommend researching each manufacturer and their specific models featuring LCoS in order to compare their benefits and drawbacks to other display types.
Conclusion
There are lots and lots of choices online and in stores today for new TV’s. Enter into the television section of any Best Buy or Circuit City and you’ll get bombarded with a myriad of options for plasma, LCD, direct-view tube and rear-projection TV’s. What you choose for your new TV will either brings you hundreds of hours of enjoyment watching movies, sports and news or will bring you many hours of frustration by not choosing the best type of TV for your needs. My hope is that this information will give you the knowledge, and the confidence, to make the right decision for your next TV purchase.
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