The new world of High Definition TV offers an incredible viewing experience, unmatched in the history of home entertainment. But this experience has its price, and not just the price in dollars: also requires that you spend time trying to make learning about the technology to the right purchasing decision. One of the first areas of study is the difference between the four major types of HDTV Display: plasma, LCD, DLP and CRT.

Plasma

Most people use the word"Plasma" with HDTV in general. This is slightly more accurate because plasma technology is most useful in large displays, and large displays are typically high definition. A plasma screen is built with two panes of glass, mounted very close together. Between the panes a grid of tiny cells, all with a special kind of gas. When the TV computer sends an electrical signal to a particular cell, it glows like a neon sign and forms a small part of the picture.

Plasma HDTVare known for exceptional color and contrast, good representation of the fast action and a generally warm and saturated look at the picture. On the other side of the glass panel of a plasma is often a glare problem, because it so brilliantly, and some plasma screens can experience "burn-in". Burn-in is a constant echo of an image that is displayed on the screen for a long time, like a cable TV station logo or a box score in a video game. When taken appropriate action, though, can avoid burn-in.Plasma HDTV is a good choice if you watch films in a relatively dark home theater, or if you see a lot of sports, such as. You are a poor choice for the image in a room with many sources of light such as windows or for many games.

LCD

This is the most versatile and rapidly evolving technology in the display industry. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display, and it is in cell phones, car radios, computer screens to find almost everywhere you look. Untilrecently it was difficult for the manufacturer to you is greater than about 40 centimeters, so dominated by the large plasma screens and LCD-dominated in the smaller screens. But now, they also work in HDTV as large as 56 inches diagonally.
Most LCD displays are worse than plasma in terms of contrast, color saturation, and fast-action smoothness. They are much brighter, however, and the plastic surface of the screen does not reflect light like a plasma, LCDbetter in a bright environment. And some of the more expensive LCD screens, like the Sony Bravia XBR4, a picture as good as any plasma. LCD devices are also immune to burn-in, and so are better, with a gaming system or a computer display to use.

DLP

If you are set for a really big TV for a reasonable price, a DLP could be the answer. They are available in sizes of 70 cm diagonal common and are usually about half the price of asimilarly sized plasma. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing, and they form the picture by shooting a beam of light on a rapidly oscillating mirror in the back of the unit. The light is then projected, piece by piece, on the back of the screen and forms the image.
DLP sets have to look for outstanding contrast levels and image quality, but sometimes darker when you see the screen from an angle. They also have a thicker profile than plasma and LCD, usually about 16-20 cm as opposed to 5or 6, so it is difficult or impossible to hang one on the wall. For a home theater room with no windows and not too far from a window, a DLP is the ideal choice.

CRT

And finally, the good old cathode-ray tube is still an option for HDTV. This is the same technology that we see in TV sets, since television began, and though it seems to be "phasing out", it is still some advantages compared to other species. You can produce a much better picture, with better color and black levels than a similarly priced plasma or LCD. In fact, since they are so cheap, it might be difficult to even find a similarly priced plasma.

The Big Hit against CRTs is the fact that they are in sizes much larger than 30 or 35 inches, so if you plan to more than 10 meters from the screen, you should consider something else to sit. And at that size, they are very heavy and bulky. You can not quite reach the same resolution level as the other types of> HDTV.

Regardless of which type of HDTV you choose, be sure to spend enough time learning the ropes to get a feel for what you value and do not get what to do. A good place to continue your education is a simple tutorial HDTV website where you know the basic ideas and look through the reviews and comments of other people who have already taken the plunge can get.

About the Author

Tom Webster is a researcher and writer, writes forFlatHDTV.net, a guide for the HDTV revolution.

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