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How to buy a flat screen high definition television

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- LCD Or Plasma
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How to buy a high definition television

These days going to the store to buy a new television is a test to even the most patient person.

So many choices are available these days. If one doesn't properly research the matter they might end up spending lots of money on something they will not be happy with down the road.

This is my attempt at educating anyone looking to buy a plasma or an LCD television.

What you'll find on this lense

Plasma, LCD. What does it all mean?
Movies to watch on your new television
LCD Pros
LCD Cons
Plasma Pros
Plasma Cons
LCD Or Plasma
Blue Ray DVD's
High Def Televisions
Tell me what kind of television you decided to buy.
More Movies

Plasma, LCD. What does it all mean?

Buying a high def television

All the new buzzwords and technology that comes with buying a new television these days will make the most technical persons head spin. I'm here to help you find out how some these technologies work.In the end I hope you'll be able to buy your next High Definition Television (HDTV) with confidence.

In this lens I will guide you to the information you will need in order to understand all the components that make up a high definition television.

We will examine how two popular types of displays available in stores work. These are the kinds of televisions that are very thin and can be hung on a wall like a picture frame.

Movies to watch on your new television

Check out these movies.

LCD Pros

Non-Reflective face
The face of an LCD television will not reflect the light from the room.
This means you can watch a movie with the lights on or off and not have to worry about degrading the picture quality.
Low power usage
LCD screens use less power than Plasmas do.
For more information on the power consumption of TV's click here
Low heat generation
Because LCD's use less electricity they also run cooler. Because of this there is less of a need for fans and ventilation
Light output does not degrade over time
A Plasma screens output degrades over time due to phosphor wear. LCD's do not suffer from this problem.

LCD Cons

Black level
While quite good the black levels on an LCD display are not as good as those on a plasma. This is because LCD's block light to generate an image rather than create it.
Response delay
LCD's have a response delay that causes fast motion images to blur.
Expensive
Larger sized LCD's cost more than a plasma of an equivalent size does
Shallow viewing angle
Viewing from an angle can be a problem with LCD screens.
This is because the light is coming from behind the image.

Plasma Pros

Viewing angle
Plasma screen have a much wider viewing angle than LCD's.
(160 degrees)
Blacks
Because plasma screens do not have backlights. They are able to produce dark colors much better than their LCD counter parts.
Price
Pound for pound Plasma screens are cheaper to manufacture.
No response delay
Plasma screens have virtually no response delay. This means that fast moving images do not suffer from artifacts or ghosting. Great for sports and action movies

Plasma Cons

Heat
Plasma screens produce a lot of heat. Because of this they require fans to keep them cool. These can sometimes be noisy.
Burn in
Plasma screens are prone to burn in. Burn in is when a ghost of an image remains permanently on the screen. This can happen if a static image is left on the screen for a prolonged period of time.
Brightness
Plasma screens are not as bright as their LCD counterparts
Energy consumption
Plasma screens consume almost two times more power than LCD's do.

LCD Or Plasma

Whats your favorite?

I'm curious to know what people are using and why. Please vote for your favorite technology and help me improve my lens.

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Blue Ray DVD's

High Def Televisions

Tell me what kind of television you decided to buy.

What did you buy and why? How did you make your choice?

Reply

coltus Oct 14, 2011 @ 4:01 am | delete

I choose lcd tv. 32 lcd tv deals

Reply

RichardMillner Sep 28, 2011 @ 10:09 pm | delete

Great site. Good information.

Reply

Nov 14, 2010 @ 9:30 am | delete

Wonderful blog! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes as well as the information are well written. I love Samsung Plasma TV and looking for C550 series. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!

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JaturapakDuangin Sep 26, 2010 @ 10:44 pm | delete

Sometimes things just work out perfectly from start to finish and this was one of those times. Amazon had this unit for a fantastic price, $200 less then Walmart, $150 less then Best Buy 1080p LCD HDTV. I ordered it and took advantage of the super saving shipping which was FREE, was told to expect delivery in 8 to 10 business days, 2 days after placing my order the unit arrived, Fantastic! Love the shipping tracking feature on Amazon, complete with a "heads up" text message when delivery was about to be made. Setup was simple and fast. I already had a HD cable box so I just put the stand on the tv, hooked up a HDMI cable (not included) plugged the unit in and was finished. Picture is just great!! I played around with the Televisions features while going through the picture and audio setup and found it to be very easy to do plus the included owners manual which was on disc and paper was a nice touch. I wish all shopping experiences could go as well as this one did.