Flat-screen TVs

The two basic types of flat-screen high-definition televisions or HDTVs on the market today are the plasma screen and the LCD. With either choice you get a bright, clean picture in a light package that’s generally about 3 1/2″ thick. Prices have gone down recently on HDTVs, but they are still a major purchase so you want to be certain that you make the right choice. There are some basic rules on which screens are best for which situations, and there are more considerations, such as your viewing choices and your budget. Most all HDTV models come in the 16 to 9 widescreen aspect ratio, similar to a movie screen.

Flat Screen HDTVs

Plasma TVs

Plasma TVs use tiny cells between two panels of glass holding inert gases; an electric charge turns them to a light-emitting plasma. Plasma TVs are all HDTV in resolution. The screens start at 37″ and go up to around 67″ inches in most prices ranges. If you have big bucks to spend there are larger plasma television screen available as well. The typical prices range from just under $1,000 to $15,000.  The main considerations are screen size, viewing distance and pixel count. Most plasma TVs, are now 1080p or true HDTV, with the higher pixel count offering a better picture than a 720p set. But you would need to be viewing from 10′ or closer to see the difference on a 50″ screen. One commonly cited problem attributed to plasma flat screen sets is the possibility of imprinting or burn-in of images. This happens when one image is displayed most of the time. With televisions this could be a station identification logo in the corner. This is not a high risk with the most recent models of plasma television screens. Keeping the contrast and brightness settings at a lower level will help minimize this already low risk. If you play video games you would want to turn the screen off while the game is paused.

Plasma TVs

LCD TVs

LCDs use backlighting and tiny, electrically charged liquid crystals to create their images. While plasma is a more common choice in larger models due to manufacturing concerns, LCD screen can range all the way up to 65″. In perfect conditions, the picture quality of LCDs tends to lag a bit behind the plasma screens. They do not represent deep dark black and the darker hues of gray as well as plasma screens. The do not respond to change as quickly as plasma screens and this can cause a bit of blurring during fast action, although many LCD screens now have technology implemented to limit this effect. You get a somewhat narrower field for comfortable and clear viewing than with plasma sets of the same size. The main advantages of LCDs is that they are not susceptible to burned-in images, and more important, they are easier to view in a brightly lit room. LCDs are also a lighter weight than plasmas of the same size so are easier to move from room to room.

LCD TVs

Special features

Whichever display you choose you will want to understand the basic specifications and what they will mean for you. Most sets now come with a wide variety of options and special features. Many of these special features come with special terminology. Just choosing whichever set has the largest numbers is not always the best choices. Contrast ratios are important. This is how bright and dark a screen can display different parts of an image at one time. The higher the ratio the better the image will be. This means 600-to-1 is not as good as 1,000-to-1. You can even find sets that display contrast of 10,000-to-1 but be cautious about such claims. There is no standard industry wide way to measure contrast levels. Look at the TV compared to another and see which looks like it has more contrast to you.

Consider the inputs

The video imputs are important. Composite video is the old standard and the lowest quality but all sets should off this connection so that they can still be hooked up to your older VCRs and cable boxes. S-Video is better quality but most VCRs do not use this connection. Other electronics such as older DVD players usually do. Component video is a good high definition option for connection. Blue-ray and DVD players now use this connection. VGA connections are for computer connections. DVI is the best option for quality and versatility. There are also HDMI and HDMI CEC. These connections offer the highest quality but are not that common yet. You will also want to assess the audio output choices if you plan to use external speakers or Surround Sound.