A flat LCD TV does not have a cathode ray tube that is present in a normal TV. A cathode ray tube, or CRT, is basically a gun that shoots out electrons at high speed at the surface of a normal TV. These electrons then strike a surface that fluoresces or glows and produces a pixel on the screen.

A CRT television needs to have a curved screen and enough depth to position an electron gun behind it and shoot the image out of the television. In contrast, a flat LCD TV uses a light source with polarizing filters and a thin layer of liquid crystals in between. This allows it to be very thin and efficient in terms of space.

A flat LCD television will initially cost more than a normal TV, but it also uses up far less power. This means that you can save money in the long run because it cuts down on your electricity bill. The clarity of the image is another major advantage that a flat LCD TV offers. You will simply never see a clearer image on other types of television because there will be no distortion from the curved screen that is present in normal TVs.

A flat LCD TV also has better resolution and clearer defined boundaries than most normal TVs. You will see the difference when you watch normal TV programs. However, it is most noticeable when you look at DVD movies because they are at a higher resolution than normal TV programs. The LCD television is the best way to go for die hard movie fans.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Flat LCD TV. Visit our site for more helpful information about Flat LCD TV and other similar topics.

Developed at the company’s seventh-generation production lines at Paju, Kyonggi Province, the high-feature panel is a wide screen (16:9) with its width and height amounting to 2.2 meters and 1.2 meters, respectively.
The high-definition model, which offers 6.22 million pixels and can produce 1.07 billion colors, boasts a response speed faster than 5 milliseconds.
This means the amount of time it takes for the LCD TV’s liquid crystal cell to go from black to white is 5 milliseconds, lower than previous norm of double-digit milliseconds. Lower numbers represent faster transitions and therefore less visible image artifacts. Monitors will not create a smear or blur pattern around moving objects.

The LCD panel of LG.Philips LCD, the joint venture between LG Electronics and Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands, also has a maximum 3,000:1 contrast ratio and almost an 180-degree viewing angle.
The contrast ratio means that the brightest color on the screen is 3,000 times brighter than the darkest color that the panel is capable of displaying simultaneously. The higher the ratio is, the better the display is.
In addition, the wide viewing angle shows that the images on the monitor will be vivid to watchers at any angle. More info on Philips LCD Televisions can be found at their LCD Television product group website.

The 100-inch model is expected to maintain the summit place for the time being because Samsung Electronics, the cross-town rival of LG.Philips LCD, has no scheme to challenge the product.
Samsung, which developed the previously biggest 82-inch LCD panel last year, has been touted as arguably the only candidate posing a threat to LG.Philips for biggest LCD. “We are not researching any LCD panel larger than 82 inches diagonally and have no plan to develop at the moment,” Samsung spokesman Shin Young-jun said. The remark sharply contrasts to that of Samsung’s executive vice president, Kim Sang-soo, who expressed confidence in producing mega-sized LCD at an unveiling event of the 82-inch item in March 2005.
“Making a 97-inch model is just a matter of time. There is virtually no technical limitation for producing LCD larger than 82 inches,” Kim said at the time.

LCD is the first offspring of the flat-screen family, which eroded the long-time dominance of the bulky cube-based monitor that causes eye strain and consumes a lot of power.
As the technology opened the door to flat-panel displays with outstanding advantages, anothor high-end screen PDP was also brought into the game.
Unlike the fat cube-based TVs, both LCD and PDP are of sleek appearance as they show images via liquid crystal or plasma, which are sandwiched between two thin glass plates.

Technologically, PDP is suitable for large-sized screens since it is difficult to trap plasma between two small plates. By contrast, LCD does not go well with large monitors due to the properties of liquid crystal.
As a result, experts have expected LCD would be the mainstream product for the small screen while PDP would be predominant in the market for screens larger than 40-inches.

However, the uphill battle between Korea’s dynamic duo -LG.Philips and Samsung- has worked in the favor of LCD by trimming its price and adding seamless technological advances.
The 100-inch LCD is merely three inches shy of the biggest 103-inch PDP monitor, unveiled by Japan’s Panasonic earlier this year.

LCD prices halved last year to the level of LCD thanks to technological progresses and rivalry in the 40-plus inch LCD panels market, the major battlefield between the two flat-panel products. If you would like to know more other about Philips Flat Panel televisions, you can visit the Philips Flat Panel TV website.

Market observers predict LCD will maintain its competitiveness in even 50-inch display markets, which they initially thought would be flatly dominated by PDP.

The author of this article is an entertainment and technology nerd. Things like 100″ LCD TVs make him go mad. Therefore, one of his favourite website is Philips’ television website.

However, a LCD flat screen TV is not susceptible to burn-in and usually is less expensive than plasma televisions. LCD TVs also run cooler than plasma TVs, thereby minimizing the need for noisy fan cooling. Many LCD sets can double as a PC monitors, as well. In terms of longevity, LCD flat screen TVs can last up to 60,000 hours, whereas plasma TVs, on average, last 30,000 to 40,000 hours.

Ready To Buy a LCD Flat Screen TV?

So, you are all set to buy your first LCD flat screen TV? Cool! Here are some shopping tips before you set you mind on a particular model.

1. Check The Black-When you are shopping for your LCD flat screen TV, bring along a DVD movie that has dimly lit scenes. Use this to check for good black reproduction. Don’t worry, the sales people won’t think you are odd-maybe slightly obsessive, but not weird.

2. Remote Control-A good remote could be the difference between relaxation and frustration. Make sure that the remote control has backlighting so you can see you options in the dark. Also, make sure that the remote is comfortable. It is going to be in your hand a lot! 170-degree Viewing Angles-Try to find a LCD flat screen TV that has 170-degree viewing angles so that you may watch the image from anywhere in the room.

3. HD-Ready-HDTV stands for high-definition television.
So, a HDTV is a television with a built-in digital tuner that shows high-definition broadcasts in true high-definition resolution. We recommend that you buy a LCD flat screen TV that is HD-ready, so that you may view HD programming- it’s the wave of the future.

So, look around before you buy the perfect LCD flat screen TV for your home. You should understand that there are some disadvantages to each kind of television format, and nothing can reach perfection-yet. Well, except for maybe a jumbo 65-inch Sharp Aquos TV. LCD TVs can be simply awesome if you know what you are doing when you shop for them.

There is more than meets the eye when LCD TV shopping. These points only scratch the surface (if that!). Find out all the insider info on LCD TVs today.

Roger Wembley is author of “The LCD TV Guide.” Get your copy at http://www.ilcdtv.com

A majority of the customers belong to the middle range of 23″ to 40″ screen size, which generally come at nearly $1,000 to just under $3,000. Some of the biggest manufacturers of electronic goods present televisions with LCD technology such as Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Phillips, Panasonic and Toshiba; even computer manufacturers Dell have taken an interest in this field and have come up with a model that has created quite a stir.

Though the televisions with LCD technology are tagged exorbitantly, much higher than the regular tube models, there are several reasons why that extra cash pays off, the most important of which are outlined below:

Totally Flat Screens:

Traditional CRT televisions have a curvature built into their display screens and this could cause edge distortion, as well as shadows on the screen. But this is not the case with the LCD screen, its truly flat surface is able to remove any edge distortion and thus delivers a more reliable and true-to-life display.

Genuine Widescreen Performance:

The LCD televisions carry a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, which is more like a theater screen than a television display. This means that the height of the screen is 9 inches and the width is 16 inches, making its length almost double its width which gives the viewer a feel of being in a theater. The current HDTV signals follow this aspect ratio, as do widescreen DVDs and VHS videos.

Better Viewing Angle:

Unlike other televisions like rear projection technology DLPs, LCD televisions come with a 160 degree viewing angle, and can possibly be seen without any distortion from any angle at all.

Superb Color Accuracy:

The superior quality LCD displays can produce approximately 16 million unique colors, generating a remarkable depth of color that ensures excellent and accurate colors.

Flexibility and Versatility:

A lot of the LCD televisions are geared to function with inputs from several different devices, which may include but are certainly not limited to DVD players, VCRs, Laser Disc players and of course, satellite and cable TV systems. Moreover, there are multi-system LCD displays, which are geared to function with a range of several television signals, which includes PAL, NTSC and SECAM. This enables the same unit to be perfectly functional in several countries, because it can accept the different television broadcast standards that prevail in different parts of the world.

Superior Reliability Quotient:

It has been established through various tests that the expected lifetime of an LCD is approximately 35,000 hours, which at the average rate of four hours of television-viewing time per day, works out to nearly 20 years. Even at eight ours of television-watching a day, these units would last a decade, which is good value for the extra cash one has to hand out for their purchase.

The advantages enjoyed by the LCD television over the regular televisions and others are due to the technology that makes LCDs possible, and we need to understand what drives this technology in order to realize the benefits LCDs promise. An LCD display consists of picture elements or pixels, and the quality of resolution on an LCD panel partially owes to the number of pixels carried by the display: the higher the number of pixels, the better the resolution and the sharper the display. For different models the number of pixels can range from hundreds of thousands of pixels to millions of pixels.

LCD televisions are better suited for widescreen pictures such as DVD and VHS movies along with traditional television programs because it has an aspect ratio of 16:9, that is 16″ in width and 9″ in height as against the traditional CRT models which use an aspect ratio of 4:3. Aspect ratio of a television is a term that relates to its capabilities to suitably display movies and television programs in the true widescreen format, it is actually the ratio between the length and height of a television. HDTV signals are broadcast using the 16:9 aspect ratio and it is also applied by manufacturers of widescreen DVDs and VHS tapes. This widescreen aspect ratio enables viewers of LCD televisions to enjoy a truly intense cinematic experience, not unlike one in a theater.

When shopping for an LCD, one should be considering a variety of aspects, which would include the tuner the set would have to use. The LCD set ought to be capable of working with inputs from a variety of different tuning sources, including satellite TV boxes, cable TV boxes, DVD players, VCRs and so on. For potential buyers who move residences between different geographical areas often, it is necessary to ensure that the LCD television chosen is capable of working with NTSC video signals, which are the usual standard in North America and Japan, as well as the PAL and SECAM standards used in other parts of the world.

It is definitely important to buy the best LCD your money can get, which not only means that you should try and get the best you can afford when you are on the look-out for an LCD, but also that you get the best value for your dollars. If you shop around enough, physically as well as on the internet, sooner or later you would find a deal which gives you the best quality at the lowest price possible.

When you invest as much money on a device as you do on an LCD, you would naturally expect top-level performance. But if you use inferior quality connecting cables with an LCD, you would be disappointed, because this directly affects picture quality. So you might want to spend a little extra and get the best cables that money can buy to connect your LCD to your DVD player, VCR, game console, computer or other device for a fantastic display and an incredible viewing experience.

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All you should know about plasma television technology

Though the last twenty years have seen great advancements in the world of television technology; it is the plasma television that has captured the imagination and attention of the masses. This technology has come a long way since the July of 1964, when it was at first the product of a research by the University of Illinois. These true flat screen monitors entered the market with exorbitant price tags beyond the reach of all but the wealthy few individuals and businesses, because the original plasma screens were comparatively smaller in size, and the raw materials for their manufacture were expensive.

But technological advancement is a great leveler, especially when combined with the falling prices of raw materials: the prices of plasma displays have plummeted quite a few notches in the past few years and are more reasonable today than ever before. Their power and beauty in terms of color and picture quality is within the reach of more and more mid-level customers. Most well-known electronics manufacturers carry superior quality plasma televisions, and these include companies like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Zenith, Phillips and Sylvania.

The prices of plasma televisions are no longer what they used to be, and are more affordable nowadays, but they still cost a whole lot more than a regular tube television. Most plasmas retail between $2,000 to $3,500, but sagacious shopping in the form of looking around, doing market research, looking out for sales and so on can land you a plasma television for 1500$ or less. You should know exactly what you are looking for, the limitations and benefits of the plasma technology and what you are ready to pay for them.

It will also be go
od to remember at this point that the quality of a plasma television depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the quality of cable connections it is hooked with. Compromising on the quality of cable in order to save a few bucks is going to cost a lot to the plasma owner not just in the long run, but also in clearly discernible fall in performance from the very beginning even from the best model of plasma. One must invest in the best quality and most reliable cables to hook up the plasma screen to different devices like DVD players, VCRs, laser disc players, computers, laptops and so on.

How does the plasma technology function inside a television display?

A plasma screen is made up of two thin panels of mounted glass, and the core of its technology lies between these two panels with a network of small pockets of compressed gas, which go on to form picture elements or pixels. Each pixel contains a triad of sub-pixels, in red, green, and blue phosphors.

The uniqueness of a plasma television lies in the fact that the advanced electronics controlling the red, green and blue sub-pixels is able to produce more than 16 million colors. When the sub-pixels are activated with small electrical pulses, the gases react to form plasma, and they emit light which acts on red, green and blue phosphors to produce color information in a screen display of high quality. Since all the excited pixels react simultaneously the viewer does not see any flickering, and is instead able to feast on a bright display with a predominance of rich, realistic color with superior depth and subtle color gradations.

Moreover, because of an absence of any back-lighting or electron beam association with the plasma television, the viewer is able to enjoy a sharper, brighter and richer picture displayed on an ultra-slim flat screen. This comes along with a wide viewing angle going up to 160 degrees without any edge distortion like in the regular CRT televisions. At bare 4″ thick (some are even as thin as 3 inches), and weighing in under 67 pounds for a 40″ display, makes plasma televisions a combination of large size, convenience, and high performance seldom seen before in the era of traditional CRT television technology.

Plasma televisions deliver a much higher screen resolution than CRT televisions, and also come equipped with the ability to function with several different signals, including HDTV (high definition television), DTV (digital television) as well as XGA, VGA and SVGA signals from a computer.

The technology behind traditional CRT screens requires an electron beam to be used to scan the picture tube from top to bottom at regular intervals. In the course of playing a traditional NTSC signal the viewer may be able to actually see these lines, but since a plasma television comes with built-in line doubling, this increases picture quality and the viewer is not distracted by visible scan lines especially when viewing a standard analog signal like broadcast television of VHS tapes.

Plasmas also come with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which means that their length is almost double their width, more like a cinema screen than a traditional television. This makes it one of the best choices for a home theater, because widescreen DVD movies and HDTV programming look great on these displays; watching these displays is like being in a movie theater, and makes for a very enjoyable performance. Plasma technology is also superior to rear projection television technology which sometimes causes their displays to have hot spots in the middle of the screen, or dark spots in the corners. Plasma televisions are completely free of all such problems, and project a uniformly bright image at all times.

But, of course, the biggest cause of the burgeoning popularity of plasmas is the way they look. Their ultra-thin, futuristic design catches the imagination of potential buyers like nothing else. Bigger and bigger screen sizes with thinner and thinner bodies help as well. They can be wall-mounted just like a picture, and can fit anywhere in a small apartment, while giving the apartment itself an ultra-modern look, which is in stark contrast to the earlier regular tube televisions with their ungainly bulk.

Plasma televisions have an array of benefits for the potential television buyer; they have the looks and the performance that have set them so much in demand. Falling prices down the years have made them more affordable than ever before: today a plasma is considered a good investment of hard-earned dollars for an eager television enthusiast.

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All you should know about regular tube televisions

CRT televisions seem to have lost the race for popularity in the high-tech age of plasma screen televisions, LCD TVs, and DLP televisions, but CRTs are still actually quite a good value for money which is why they retain a major chunk of the television market. Other cost advantages include relatively less need for maintenance, especially when compared to rear projection televisions like DLP which could work up a cost of 500$ and more for the replacement light source. And prices of CRT keep falling, which means for 500$, you can actually purchase quite a good CRT set.

The low prices are in fact the most significant unique selling point for CRT televisions because not only do they now come with built-in DVD players and VCRs, making them much more versatile and useful, but with flat screens and HDTV readiness as well. For a 100 dollars it is possible to own a 13″ CRT, which is the smallest traditional tube television, and for a maximum of 300 dollars one could enjoy a 25″ CRT.

Compared to the LCD, plasma and DLP rear projection models, the CRT units come much cheaper, and even the largest of CRTs is much cheaper when compared to other technologies. A 36″ traditional unit would come in at $1,500, whereas a comparable size LCD or plasma television would retail for much, much more, and could be more than double the price of the CRT. Once you shop around to get the best deal, even the largest CRT television with maximum features may come in at around 2000 dollars. For value per square viewing inch, this record is hard to beat amongst the new technologies.

Traditional tube televisions can also be installed with much better ease than the new technology sets, which makes it the television of choice for those who do not want to be bothered by set-up difficulties before starting on their viewing experience. Provided you have electricity and an antenna or cable connection, all you need to do is put the set on a stand or in an entertainment center, plug it in and connect the cable or antenna and you are ready to go: use the remote to find the channels and you are already watching your television. This ease is in stark contrast with the complications of hanging a wall mountable LCD or plasma TV; or for that matter, individually setting up a projector, a screen and a separate audio system in other cases and this could be one of the big reasons why CRT s continue to be popular.

Considerations before buying a CRT television

Television buying ought to be given its due consideration given the significant budget it carries, whether one is in the market for a new set or a replacement unit. Of course, the main things to keep in mind are the advantages and disadvantages of buying a particular brand or model, compared with personal requirements and preferences as well as the dictates of budget and comparative value for money.

But one needs also to note the things that would gain the best performance, and good inputs hooked up to the unit can sometimes make all the difference, because some of the latest CRT models come with several different inputs meant not only for cable, satellite and antenna signals, but also for computer inputs. A potential buyer ought to ensure the presence of inputs for DVD players, VCRs, Laser Disc players and video games as well as a VGA connection, a DVI connection, or both if possible. These two connections allo
w a computer to use the television screen as a monitor as well.

Not only do good cables make the CRT television more versatile, they also add significantly to the picture quality and performance over all. A bad cable would ruin the performance not only of the television itself but also of the equipment that the cable attaches to the television. On the short term, bad cables save money, but in the long run they are not worth it because they hamper performance by a significant margin, so it is advisable to buy the best cable available on the market.

While shopping around for a CRT television it is important that one finds the most suitable deal, and this is not very difficult because CRTs still hold the major portion of the television market. Because of this, all brands from American firms and European manufacturers to all the Asian suppliers, including well known brands such as Toshiba, Sharp, Samsung, Sony, Daewoo, Sylvania, RCA, Magnavox and Phillips among others, have several models of the traditional tube television. It is easy to compare the advantages or disadvantages as well as price differences through the study of reviews or by just simply shopping around. One should be looking at sets available at the deepest discount retailers to the totally top-of-the-line stores, electronics retailers as well as online stores, in order to find the best value for money possible.

To get the most out of your hard-earned dollars, you should insist on the latest features and advantages available in the market in order to ensure the television’s longevity. One of the things that should be absolutely mandatory that the television to be bought is HDTV (high definition television) and DTV (digital television) ready, because this will enable it to survive well into the future and support the proven long life of the CRT as much as possible. Also beneficial would be the choice of a television with a flat screen.

This reduces glare and edge distortion and enhances the television’s performance. The flat-screen CRT television actually provides a viewing experience identical to, if not better than flat-screen televisions, at a fraction of the price. The bulk could be a nagging issue with the bigger CRT sizes, and make them awkward to place, but adequate pre-planning according to the requirements of the home should be able to address this problem.

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Things you should know about the latest LCD television

Though the last two decades have seen an avalanche of innovations in television technology and home theater systems, it is the LCD television that has captured the imagination and attention of the television consumers. These flat screen monitors which look nifty even when they are not switched on, entered the market with exorbitant price tags beyond the reach of all but the wealthy few. But then, technological advancement is a great leveler: the prices of LCD displays have plummeted quite a few notches in the past few years and are more reasonable today than ever before.

The lower-end, small screen LCD televisions are available for up to 200 dollars, while the higher-end models retail at several thousand dollars. For larger LCD screens with sizes as large as 65″ and even more, the price goes up to $10,000 or more, but this only means that the technology is able to cater to all sorts of demands: for those who are on a strict budget but need quality performance, as well as those who want the very best money can buy. This new technology has changed our expectations of television viewing as none other has done previously, and may well turn out to cause a change in the way we enjoy movies, television and other forms of visual entertainment.

Televisions which use LCD, or liquid crystal display, had a few technical disadvantages in the early stages of the technology like “ghosting” specially when displaying fast action or fast moving imaging, but these problems have been sorted out down the years. These sets no longer need to be viewed from a point straight on or at an angle, and are a huge improvement on the earlier versions. At the outset of the technology, it was also generally held that LCD would be suitable only for small size televisions, and that this technology may not be able to compare favorably against other technologies like plasma, as far as large screen sizes were concerned. But LCDs are now available with bigger screen sizes as the technology has made large strides in a short period of time. This means the demand for LCD models has steadily increased and today most electronics manufacturers carry a few models that use LCD technology , and they are now featured by companies like Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Phillips and others.

Major brands of rear projection LCD TV sets include Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, RCA, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba. The most popular models are HD capable, and there are three basic types of HD TVs.

So how do you choose the right rear projection LCD TV for you and your viewing needs?
First, consider the space you have available before you worry about the screen size itself. Most rear projection LCD TVs have screens measuring from 42 to well over 60 inches. You might be tempted to purchase one of the biggest screens, which can span as much as 70 inches or more, but first determine how much floor space you can spare, and plan to view the TV from around 7 to 10 feet away for optimal picture quality.

Also consider depth and price. Once you know how much room you have, decide whether size or price is more important. CRT-based sets are floor-standing models with deep cabinets mounted on casters. Some take up as much space as an armchair or loveseat. Many rear projection LCD TV sets are tabletop units, or you can buy a separate stand for a few hundred dollars.

Then focus on picture quality. The best rear projection LCD TV sets deliver very good picture quality with HD content and good picture quality for DVDs and regular TV programming. Rear projection LCD TV screens provide much better picture quality than CRT models.

Also check the viewing angle. Some rear projection LCD TV sets display a better image from off-center than older sets did, which is important if your TV will be watched by several people at the same time. Before buying a particular model, see how the picture looks if you step off to the side or move up and down. With some rear projection LCD TV sets you’ll see a dimmer, washed-out image as your viewing position angles away.

Once you’ve made your choice, it pays to think about whether you want an extended warranty on your rear projection LCD TV. While extended warranties may not be worth it for most products, they may be for high-priced TVs. Because rear projection LCD TV sets are expensive, check into the cost of a service plan. Find out whether in-home service is covered and whether a replacement is provided if your rear projection LCD TV can’t be repaired.

Linda Harrison writes for the website http://www.trylcdtv.com. Click Here right now to learn about LCD Television.

When beginning your search for a 30 inch LCD TV you should start by reading reviews of various 30 inch LCD TV models. This will give you an idea of what features you will be looking for. Consumer Reports is a great place to start looking for a 30 inch LCD TV because they will give you unbiased reports on all major name brands. You can find Consumer Reports on the web at http://www.consumerreports.org.

Once you have an idea of what kind of 30 inch LCD TV that you are looking for, you can begin comparison shopping via the internet. There are so many online stores out there that offer 30 inch LCD TVs that you will have no problem finding a deal. There are, however, a few pointers to take note of before whipping out your credit card to make a purchase of a 30 inch LCD TV online.

First, you need to take shipping of your 30 inch LCD TV into account. Shipping for an item of this size and weight can be well over a hundred dollars, which is going to increase the total price you pay. You also need to make sure that you are buying your 30 inch LCD TV from a reputable dealer online. Read their customer reviews and make sure other people have been satisfied with their customer service. Also, make sure they offer things like warranties and everything else that you would be offered when purchasing a 30 inch LCD TV from a reputable bricks and mortar retail store such as Best Buy or Circuit City.

That being said, here is a review of a 30 inch LCD TV as well as the cheapest price found on the web to get you started on your search for the perfect model.

Dude! You’re getting a Dell! The Dell W3000 is a wonderful 30 inch LCD TV for the multimedia customer. This 30 inch LCD TV model has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1280 x 768. This means that you will have a widescreen crisp picture no matter what you are watching. Because this 30 inch LCD TV is brought to you by Dell, of course you are able to hook the screen up to your computer and use it as a high resolution computer monitor. Although it does not come with a built-in HDTV tuner, this 30 inch LCD TV is HDTV compatible. The cheapest price found online for this 30 inch LCD TV new is $1,538.90 from http://www.compudirect.com.

Roger Wembley writes for http://www.lcd-tv-now.com. Come visit our site for lcd tv stuff and lcd television information.

An LCD (light crystal display) screen consist of a thin layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two plates of glass. When an electric current is sent through these crystals an array of tiny multi-colored pixels light up and produce a TV picture.

Because they’re so thin and light, LCD screens are now the most popular screens for computers, and as prices come down, are becoming the most popular screens for TVs.

LCD TV screens are 1/4″ to 4″ thick, and are 2″ to 65″ wide. LCD TVs can cost anywhere from $50 for a hand held model to $15,000 for a 65″ widescreen TV.

LCD TV Features

* LCD TVs utilize digital technology which gives you a much sharper and clearer picture than a standard tube TV.

* LCD TV screens are thin and lightweight so they can be placed almost anywhere in a home or office, even hung on a wall.

* Most LCD TV screens are manufactured in widescreen format and are compatible with widescreen DVD’S and HD programming.

* LCD TVs have a flat screen so there’s no picture distortion as there is with curved tube TVs.

* LCD TV screens have a life span of 50,000 to 80,000 hours, depending on the make and model of the LCD TV.

* LCD TVs don’t suffer from screen “burn in” like tube TVs.

Getting the Best Price on an LCD TV

If you’re in the market for an LCD TV, keep in mind that prices can vary widely between retailers. That’s why I recommend checking out LCD TV models at a local electronics store, then checking prices online before you buy one.

Take a trip to our local Best Buy, Circuit City, or Wal-Mart to test various HD TV models. Watch the picture, test the controls, and ask the salesperson any questions you may have.

Then, when you’ve picked out a model you like, go online to see where you can get it at the best price.

I recently checked prices on a comparison shopping website for a Panasonic LCD TV and the price difference between retailers varied by more than $1,000. It’s amazing what bargains you can find online.

The website I used to check prices also included buyer reviews so I also got honest feedback from people who had actually purchased the LCD TV model I was interested in (can click on the link below to visit this website).

Prices for LCD TVs start at $300 for a 19″ TV, $900 for a 32″ TV, and $2,000 for a 40″ TV.

Conclusion

If you spend most of your evening hours watching television like I do, and you want a picture with near lifelike quality, then an HD TV set is what you’re after.

Click on this link for more information on LCD TVs and to check out LCD TV models and prices. Click on this link for information and prices on home theater systems. Click on this link for information on free satellite TV systems and service.

The author, Brian Stevens, is the senior editor for TheSatelliteTVGuide.com and has written a number of LCD TV reviews.

Get the Right Size

When choosing the best LCD TV, you need to figure out what size is going to work best with your budget and the room where the television will go. LCD screens’ quality is often related to its size. Go much over 35 inches and you may find yourself with colors that are slightly off or faded. Though this is improving, it is worth considering.

In order to choose the right size, you should consider what the right distance is between where you sit and where your television screen is. So, check out the room where your television will be, how far you will sit from the potential location, and what size will work best for that situation. If you are up to five feet away, a 20 to 27 inch model will work, if you are back 6 to 8 feet, then 32 to 37 inches are best, if you are 10 to 14 feet away when viewing you should consider a 42 to 46 inch screen, and if you are as much as 16 feet away, then 50 inches will be your best bet.

Once you have established what size of LCD TV you need, you can look for the other factors. Make sure you get something that will work with your HD setup. Half the point of getting an LCD TV is to be able to watch television in HD. So double check to make sure you know what you need and how to connect it with your cable’s HD services before you buy.

Finally, look at warranties. Choosing the best LCD TV is a lot easier when you know problems can easily be taken care of. Talk to the sales person wherever you decide to buy and make sure you understand the total warranty. Make sure, also, that you buy from an authorized dealer so that you do not have your manufacturer warranty voided over a technicality.

Choosing the best LCD TV for you means doing a little more homework. You must find out what size is going to work best in your room and for your viewing, you have to make sure everything is compatible, and finally you have to make sure you get a good warranty. If you do all of these things, you will have the best LCD TV for you.

Stu Pearson has an interest in Business & Technology related topics. To access more information on lcd tv or on lcd tv review, please click on the links.

Q: Does the “plasma” in plasma televisions need to be recharged or replaced over time?

A: No. The plasma gases are sealed in individual cells when they are manufactured. There is no way to recharge or replace the gases. However, plasma TVs, when used normally, will last you many, many years (up to 20 years) so you don’t have to worry about the screen burning out for a long time.

Q: Are plasma and LCD TVs difficult to install?

A: While you may want to hire a professional electrician to help you with wiring if you are installing your plasma or LCD television on a wall, you can also easily place the television on a stand yourself and place it anywhere you like.

Q: Do plasma and LCD TVs give off radiation?

A: All electronic devices, including televisions, must comply with FDA guidelines (in the United States) and CSA guidelines (in Canada) on radiation emission before being permitted to be sold to the public. While there is radiation emission in the form of ultraviolet light, the amount is negligible and you are unlikely to be affected by it watching the television from normal distances.

Q: What are anamorphic widescreen DVD movies?

A: There are two common ways of recording wide format movies on a DVD: letterbox and anamorphic. Letterbox refers to a video played with horizontal black bars on the top and bottom of the picture. Anamorphic recordings are also commonly labeled “Enhanced for 16:9 TVs”. Anamorphic recordings have over 30% more vertical resolution than letterbox format and elimates or significantly reduces the black bars found in letterbox pictures in order to fit to the screen size of 16:9 televisions.

Q: Do LCD’s have a burn-in problem?

A: No. Unlike CRT and plasma TVs, liquid crystal displays do not use phosphor and thus have no problems with a still image becoming permanently stored on the screen. Instead, LCD TVs use a backlight on a colored, transluscent liquid crystal screen.

Q: Can I use a game console such as Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo Game Cube or Microsoft XBOX with my LCD TV?

A: Yes. If you intend to use a game console and/or watch standard TV broadcasts over cable, satellite or antenna, an LCD TV is a superior choice over plasma televisions. The repetitive image from games and unused black-filled borders will damage a plasma TV by burning a permanent image into the phosphor.

Q: Will leaving my LCD TV on cause the image to degrade?

A: No. Unlike plasma TV’s, this LCD TV does not exhibit aging over time. The brightness of the image remains the same because LCD televisions use a florescent backlight.

Q: Can I mount my LCD TV straight into drywall or plaster?

A: No, drywall or plaster alone will not offer enough support. A structural beam or stud must be used as the anchor for the wall mount.

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Philip Liu is a freelance author and publisher currently based in New York City. Philip publishes regularly on his websites dealing with cell phone reviews and news and plasma, LCD TV reviews and news.

Plasma TVs work with inert gases like xenon or neon, which are excited by electric pulses from specialized cells called pixels. This makes the gases glow. These glowing gases, in turn, produce the correct blend of red, blue and green light on the pixels. The pixels are illuminated by a fluorescent light bulb, which is driven by semiconductor software on the motherboard.

LCDs are actually thin film transistors (TFT), which contain liquid filled crystals between two plates of glass. LCDs work by blocking out unwanted light. When the signal hits the TFTs, they contort to a required angle, thus allowing only the requisite amount of light to pass through. A lamp behind the screen or a thin LCD bulb provides illumination to the TFT.

LCD TVs and plasma TVs have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Plasma TVs show better contrasts. Contrast means the ratio between the blackest black and the whitest white. A plasma TV can produce contrasts of even 3000 to 1, which is very high by LCD standards. LCD TVs can provide contrasts up to 900 to 1. However, in LCD technology, even a low contrast ratio can produce much better images.

Plasma TVs produce colors by addition of red, blue and green while LCD TVs produce colors by blocking unwanted light from the spectrum. Hence, plasma TVs produce colors by additive principle, while LCD TVs do the same by subtractive principle. That’s why plasma TVs are much better at producing colors than LCD TVs.

Plasma TVs also have wide viewing angles, as much as 160 degrees. Since LCD TVs produce images by an LCD lamp behind the screen, viewing angles aren’t wide. LCD TVs produce differently colored images when viewed at higher horizontal angles.

Though plasma technology wins over LCD technology in color, contrast and brightness, LCD wins hands down when it comes to the functionality. LCD TVs have greater longevity. Most LCD TVs can last up to twice the lifetime of a plasma TV. LCD TVs are also better suited to usage at higher altitudes or while traveling, because LCD technology does not use any gases, and is not subjected to air pressure.

LCD TVs are also energy efficient, as they require less voltage. This helps in reducing electricity bills.

Earlier LCD TVs were priced much higher than plasma TVs. But due to stiff competition, their prices have come down drastically. According to their current standing, LCD TVs cost only marginally more than plasma TVs.

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