Types of HDTVs
Because HD video has a much higher resolution you will need to have a television set that can display HD content. You probably already know if you do or do not have an HDTV as in the last few years companies have made it clear that you are buying a HD capable set. If you are buying a new TV there are some decisions you have to make though on what type of HD set you will buy.
LCD
Liquid Crystal Displays or LCDs as they are known to most are one of the most common types of HD televisions. LCD TVs are always very thin and range in size from very small up to around 52". There are some larger and companies are always working to make bigger versions, but in general the largest LCD sets are around 37" - 42".
LCD televisions offer very good color reproduction and viewing angles, plus are always very thin and thus make a great television if you are not looking for something bigger than 42". They also have very long lifespans (that last many many years) and in general are a decent price (a larger size LCD is around $1000).
Plasma
Plasma televisions are the other flat screen technology that you see. Before LCD televisions were available in larger sizes, Plasma televisions were able to fill in the larger flat screen market. Plasma offers very good viewing angles and color, but LCD is still a bit better. Early Plasma televisions also suffered from very short life spans of only a few years.
Currently there are not a lot of Plasma televisions on the market, but expect more to be coming out soon with screen sizes larger than LCD. A great way to get a larger thin television.
DLP - LCD Rear Projection
LCD Rear Projection televisions (often reffered to as "DLP TVs") are the larger TVs you see in stores these days. It is common for a Rear Projection TV to be 52"+ in size and you can find them up to around 65" in size for a relatively decent price. Rear Projection TVs get the name DLP as many of them use the Texas Instruments DLP chip to produce the picture on screen.
Rear Projection Televisions work like a projector in reverse as it projects the image from behind the screen onto the screen instead of from in front of the screen like a normal theatre projector wood.
Rear Projection televisions are known for their larger size at a relativly low cost. The viewing angle is a bit less on Rear Projection TVs vs. LCD and Plasma so it is not as easy to sit far off to the side and watch. Also they tend to be about 1ft - 2ft in width and thus are not wall mountable and are usually free standing.
Summary
On the market today you will only really find the above types of HD televisions. There are some conventional tube televisions that will offer HDTV, but most of the time these are expensive, heavy, and do not support all the features that the newer HDTV sets will.If you are looking for a thin, wall mountable TV you will want to look at Plasma or preferrably right now LCD. If you want a large TV (52"+) you will want to be looking at Rear Projection (DLP) televisions.
If you are in the market for a new television, you should be buying a HD compatible TV. It is a technology that is here to stay and will soon be the standard.
Read on for more HD info:
- Intro to HD
- HDTV Connections
- HDTV Sources
CategoryHD
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