MageB420666

Here's the major rundown on HDTV's. There are two main types: Flat Panel and Micro-display.

Sub-categories:
Flat-Panel: Plasma, LCD
Micro-display: DLP,LCD,LCOS
There are also some HD CRT tv's, and there are still some of the CRT rear-projections as well.

Flat-Panel Rundown:All flat panels can be wall mounted. However, they are much more expensive per screen inch than other tv's. Brand name's tend to have a 60,000 hour half-life(refers to brightness), off brands can have as low as 15,000 hour half lifes. Also contrast ratios and colors are worse with off-brand tv's. Off-brands may seem like a great buy because you can get a 32" for under $1,000, but they have a much worse picture and quality than the more expensive brand names. When looking, pay attention to the blacks on the screen, avoid tv's that have "grey" looking blacks. Get a surge protecter, these tv's are expensive to repair.

Plasma- A great TV to get if you watch a lot of movies.
Pros: Great color and contrast. These tv's offer some of the best pictures on the market with great detail in dark areas.
Cons: Burn-in. If you play video games or watch news and sports for hours on end, don't get a plasma. Glare. Plasma's have a glassy front, if the room has a lot of lights or windows, they can reflect off the front.
Myths-Needs the plasma refilled every few years. FALSE, the gas in the tv doesn't leak out or need replacement. Can't be leaned on its side or tilted much. FALSE, you can hang the tv upside down if you wanted to, the plasma is contained in tiny sub-pixel compartments and can't move around. Can't be moved once its hooked up. FALSE, Unless it was fully installed with cables run through the wall, in which case it can still be moved, but it takes a lot more effort. The plasma can explode. False, the gasses used in plasma tv's are Neon and Xenon, both are non-reactive(chemically) noble gases.

LCD(Liquid Crystal Display)-Great television for a brightly lit room.
Pros: No glare, much better suited for a high light environment than a plasma. Has a brighter picture than a plasma. No Burn-in.
Cons: Contrast. LCD's have a much lower contrast ratio than Plasmas, a good LCD has a 3-4,000:1 ratio. A good Plasma has 10,000:1. This cause LCD's to have less detail in really dark scenes.
Myths- none that i've heard of.

Micro-Display Rundown - Cannot be wall-mounted, however these tv's are much less expensive per screen inch than a flat panel and have comparable picture qualities. Becareful of how far you sit from the tv when getting one, if you sit too close, the picture will look like shit. Lamps last for 6-8,000 hours, and can be replaced. When looking, pay attention to the whites on the screen, try to find one with a nice brilliant white, as opposed to a dimmed yellowish white. Also, get a battery backup for these tv's, they prevent the lamp from being damaged if the power goes out.

DLP(Digital Light Processing)- These tv's have wonderfull pictures that are bright and full of color. There is no grid pattern on the screen blocking light. Work great most rooms, if the room is large enough to accomidate 42" or larger.
Pros: No grid pattern on screen, allows for a brighter picture. No burn-in.
Cons: Rainbow effect, affects only 1% of the population. Most noticeable with white text, if you don't see it in the store, you won't see it at home.

LCD(Liquid Crystal Display)- Not to be confused with the flat panel LCD. Have great color. Picture is not as bright as DLP, has the grid pattern on the screen. Tend to be used on mid-low model lines.
Pros- No rainbow effect. No burn-in.
Cons- Grid pattern blocks light, results in a dimmer picture than a DLP.

LCOS(Liquid Crystal On Silicon)- Pretty much just an LCD with a mirror on the back of the chip. Has a somewhat brighter screen.


So now that you know some stuff about the tv's, heres what you need to get the picture out of them that you see in the store.

First off, Cables. YOU NEED GOOD CABLES! A HDTV with a coax cable is going to look like shit. The minimum cable to get is Component. Thats the Red-Blue-Green cable, it is the minimum quality cable that carries HD. The best cable to get is HDMI(High Definition Multimedia Interface). And yes, these cables can be expensive. We sell $200 cables at the store I work at. If you've just spent a few thousand on a tv, don't skimp out on another couple hundred for cables, you need good cables to get a good picture. Plan on spending at least another $100 to get the cables you need to hook everything up to the tv.

Second, Programming. Contact your cable or satellite provider and get HD service. There is no point in having a HDTV if you aren't watching HD on it. I have no idea how much this will cost you, as it varies by area, provider, and service plan.

Hopefully after having read all of this, you should have a better idea of what you want, if you don't feel free to PM me or post questions. I hope you're not as confused as I think your likely to be.

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