Are you in the market for a new big screen TV? If you are, you may be a little confused by all the choices and terminology that surrounds big screen TVs. There are basically four different types of big screen TVs for you to choose from. They are the plasma, LCD, rear projection, and the regular CRT. To determine which type of TV to purchase, you will first need to take look at your budget and see how much you can afford as there is huge range in the prices.
First, there is the flat panel plasma TVs that work by using thousands of illuminated fluorescent lights that form an image on the screen. Plasma TVs are more like monitors, which needs an external TV tuner to display broadcast signals. The plasma displays are digital and they have a much higher resolution than the CRT TVs.
In the last few years, plasma screens have been revolutionizing the industry with incredibly sharp, bright pictures, high contrast, energy-efficient operation, and a flicker-free picture. Of course, one of the biggest selling features is the size. The screens offer incredibly wide viewing angles as well as up to 170 degrees with perfect clarity, so you can watch TV from almost anywhere in the room without distortion or glare. Most plasma screen TVs are HDTV-compatible, and can also serve as large, high-quality monitor for your computer.
The relative cost of plasma TVs is a little higher than that of the other types of televisions. However, their cost must be weighed against their convenience and stunning image quality. As with CRT-based TVs, there is also some risk of burn-in due to static images, but only for those who plan to leave the news channel on all day or play certain types of video games.
The LCD TVs work by passing electricity through a sandwiched liquid crystal solution held between polarized glass, creating light and colors to generate the picture image. LCD flat panels are a more affordable alternative to plasma displays, and offer remarkable picture detail and energy efficiency. They are also environmentally friendly, consuming approximately 38% less power than a regular CRT television of the same size. Also, the screens last much longer than those of CRT-based TVs with little, if any, deterioration in image quality.
LCD TVs come in either standard or widescreen aspect ratios and the flicker-free screen is very easy on the eyes. LCD flat panels may have trouble with intense motion, for instance with sports, though recent models have begun to address this issue. The flat panel LCD TV is basically a bigger version of a laptop computer screen. LCD TVs are almost an inch thinner than plasma, but they are limited to a size of just 40 inches.
On the other hand, rear projection TVs are great if you want a screen size of 40 inches or more. The idea behind rear projection is to combine both a projector and screen into one unit. The projector casts the image on the rear of the screen. With rear projection, you get the most screen size for your money, combined with excellent picture quality. However, they can be very heavy and deep. They usually cannot be viewed in bright light and have a narrow viewing angle.
Before choosing a big screen TV, you should put some thought into the size of screen you actually want to bring home. While most people would think that bigger is better, the size of the room you will be putting the TV in ultimately dictates the appropriate screen size you should get. As a rule, you can think of an approximate 6-to-1 ratio when planning your purchase; that means you should have six diagonal inches of television for every foot of distance between the TV and your usual viewing location.
If your TV room only allows about seven feet between where the screen will go and where you will be sitting, then you should choose a screen in the range of 42 inches. This will put you close enough to the screen that you get the benefit of the detail without having to move your head to see different parts of the screen. Keep in mind that conventional (non-projection) CRT TVs require more distance for comfortable viewing.
Then you also have to consider if you want widescreen or standard. The aspect ratio of your big screen TV is the next important issue to consider. Aspect ratio indicates whether it is the standard (4:3) or widescreen (16:9), which is similar to movie screens. If you love movies but detest the black bars that often accompany widescreen presentations, you will want to purchase a widescreen TV to avoid this phenomenon.
Once you have decided on which type of big screen TV to purchase, you have to consider how to connect it to the rest of your home theatre components, as this will affect your overall viewing satisfaction. There is a variety of cabling options available, which include basic gold-plated connectors on a shielded cable, all the way up to a component video cable made of gas-injected nitrogen cellular dielectric with heavy-duty double shielding and machined gold connectors. These cables will deliver high-performance connections for your video components, with life-like colors, low attenuation, high-speed signal transfer, reduced interference and excellent conductivity.
Obviously, there is a lot to consider when choosing a big screen TV. Whatever you choose, you will enjoy the better image quality, a screen big enough to see everything you want to see, and a complete movie experience in the comfort of your own home. As you get ready to make your choice, be sure to check out the specs of the TVs you are interested in and make sure they provide the features and quality that you want.