Tips On Choosing A Hi-def Tv Or Hdtv
Plasma, LCD[/c] or DLP?
Now that you’ve made the decision to create a home theater room for the enjoyment of your family, you have some critical decisions to make. The first of which revolves around the centerpiece of your new space: Hi-Def Television or HDTV.
Currently, there are three main types of Hi-Def Television available: plasma, LCD and DLP.
DLP
Let’s begin with the least expensive, the DLP. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing, and is actually a rear projection TV. In DLP projectors, the image is created by a matrix of tiny mirrors, with each mirror representing one pixel on the screen. Though less expensive than other hi-def choices, this technology can still deliver 1080p resolution - the highest currently available.
While DLP televisions weigh approximately the same as the other hi-def TV options, they are quite a bit thicker (about 15-20 inches) and are not designed to be wall-mounted as of yet, though that may change in the near future.
Other minor drawbacks include the possibility of bothersome fan noise in some models, and since the technology is more “mechanical” than plasma and LCD, there may be a higher incidence of breakdowns. Projection televisions of any type also are inherently saddled with poorer viewing angles than the direct view sets, and color resolution may not be as distinct.
LCD
At a decidedly higher price point is the next type of set to consider: Liquid Crystal Diode televisions, also known as LCD.
LCD televisions feature opposing “polarized” panels that sandwich a thin liquid-crystal gel. That gel is divided into individual pixels, each of which can be darkened or lightened according to how much measured voltage is passed through it - the more voltage, the darker the pixel. Since a small amount of light always leaks through the gel, a true black screen is extremely hard for an LCD television to achieve, but advances in LCD technology have put these TVs on an almost equal footing with plasma.
LCD computer monitors, because of their light weight and small footprint, quickly became the technology of choice in the industry. The smaller screen sizes created sharp LCD images, so small-screen TVs became LCD’s niche. But with recent technological advances screen size has grown larger and larger while sustaining contrast, and the previously poor viewing angles have become on par with plasma televisions can offer. Hi-Def LCD televisions are now a viable competitor to plasma televisions on the home entertainment field.
Plasma
Built in a similar manner to an LCD TV, in that a sandwich is created by two panels of glass, the material between the two panels is not a liquid gel, but rather a gas.
Though the gap is narrowing, plasma TVs generally exhibit greater brightness and sharper contrast then their rivals - especially at larger screen sizes. Plasma sets can be as thin as 4 inches, and have conveniently wide viewing angles.
The usable lifespan of a plasma TV is 60,000 hours - which would allow you to watch TV for 6 hours a day for 27 years. Hi-Def plasma televisions exhibit contrast ratios of 30,000:1, a significant advantage over competing technologies. Although screen “burn-in” has been an issue in the past, technological advances have significantly lowered the incidence of this drawback.
How to Choose
As with most of the features of your new home entertainment center, in the long run the amount of money at your disposal will be the biggest factor in which television you ultimately choose. You would need to itemize the things you need to purchase, and prioritize it.
Consumers who value high fidelity sound may decide to spend more money on a hi-tech surround sound system; others might decide to turn over the lion’s share of the budget to the designer. But no matter which option you choose, rest easy knowing that every option open to you are far better than to what was available even a decade ago.
Ingrid Preube
Hi-Def Television or HDTV
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