PLASMA

PLASMA: Until recently, Plasma's were the best way to get an affordable flat panel into your home. Around 2003-2004, retailers were pushing EDTV plasmas as HD ready, misinforming consumers. Also most current 42" plasmas are NOT true HD. They fall just short of the 720P resolution. The difference is not noticeable, but again fact is fact. If you wanted a true HD resolution, you used to have to get a 50" plasma to attain 720p. Today in 2007, this has changed. 1080p, 42", 50"+ plasmas are on the market and they look good! At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 1080p plasmas and LCD were everywhere. Plasmas have caught up with LCD's in the resolution department, and still maintain their benefits over LCD, but this may not be for too long.

Pros:

• Slim
• wall-mountable design
• Wider viewing angle than LCD screens and better color consistency
• Until late 2006, plasma was the best suited and most affordable flat-panel TV's of large sizes, particularly 40" and above.
• Currently cheaper than LCDs per unit of size at larger sizes.
• Better contrast ratio than LCD, though LCDs are improving rapidly
• Faster response time than LCD, though LCDs are improving rapidly
• Able to achieve darker black than LCD, though LCDs are improving (upcoming Dynamic Backlight Switching and OLED technologies)
• Contains no mercury, unlike the back light of LCDs .

Cons:

• Often heavier than LCD panels.
• PDPs are fragile, making them difficult to ship and install.
• Expensive compared to CRT and rear-projection technologies, although currently cheaper than LCDs per unit of size at larger sizes.
• Older panels were notoriously subject to burn-in. Due to improvements in phosphors, the effect in modern PDPs is largely caused by polarization of the gas particles and can often be reversed by leaving the screen on a "snow" or static channel for an hour. Some home theater aficionados claim that, while burn-in is less likely now than in the past, it is still possible in some circumstances. Many plasma televisions have functions (such as "orbiting", in which the image is periodically moved imperceptibly) to minimize the problem. LCDs are not susceptible to permanent burn-in.
• The display is brightest during its first 2000 hours. Thereafter, the display gradually dims. LCD backlights exhibit dimming as well, but they are replaceable. A plasma display cannot be recharged since the panel is a fixed pixel device with each pixel etched into the glass substrate. However, as the phosphors in a modern panel have a 60,000 hour half-life, most users will never see a plasma reach the end of its life.
• At higher elevations, usually 6000 ft (1,800 m) or higher, PDPs exhibit noticeable humming or buzzing.
• Sufferers of the DLP "rainbow effect" may encounter a similar problem with PDPs in high contrast situations. This typically manifests itself as a green flash during sudden changes from white to black.
• Noticeable reflection especially when viewed in bright rooms.

Recommendation: The Pioneer Pro-FHD1 is the best plasma consumers can currently buy (as of Feb 2007). It resolves FULL 1080p resolution, has excellent black levels, accurate color replication and a good contrast ratio. The bad part is that it will cost you around $8,000 (down from $10,000 2 months ago) and the omission of HDMI 1.3 may be too much for enthusiasts to deal with given the price. Despite this, it is one of, if not THE best flat panel currently available.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

LCD: Liquid Crystal Displays have fast become one of the most popular types of flat panel displays. Multiple manufacturers have helped drive down the price of LCD's. Large LCD's are still fairly expensive but the price is being driven down thanks to entry level LCD's sold at retailers such as Costco. LCD's gained popularity in the personal computer market and eventually transitioned over to home theatre in the early 2000's.


Pros:

• Slim
• Light weight
• Esthetic appeal
• High resolution
• LCD's have made huge strides in performance, particularly over the past couple years. Black levels have improved, refresh rates are now becoming fast enough to help reduce ghosting and image artifacting. Contrast ratio's are also improving and in some cases, on par with plasma technology.
• LCD's have a backlight which allows light to "bleed through" at all times. This is why these displays have the vibrant and sharp picture qualities that separate them from every other display type. However, for this same reason, this hinders the black, white and color reproduction. This vibrant look is very evident in HD Animation sources which can look 3D at times.

Cons:

• Black levels still plague LCD's when compared to CRT or plasma.
• You still pay a pretty penny for the top of the line LCD's.
• Color banding, motion artifacting(pixelation when things start moving), lack of a full range of colors prevent LCD's from producing a realistic picture when compared to CRT's.
• Because LCD's work with a back light, uneven lighting of the panel can accentuate or "highlight" banding. When you first turn on or off an LCD, you can see the backlight at work before the picture comes on. This backlight is part of the reason why LCD's don't produce the best blacks; there is always light coming through even when the pixel is turned off.
• Previously limited viewing angle has now improved to 170 degrees.
• Input lag still prevent LCD's from being an optimal choice for gaming although this is continuously improving and not so much of an issue in the high end models.
• Suffers from "dead" or "stuck" pixels which cannot be resolved once it happens. This is seen as regular wear and tear, even on warrantly plans.

Recommendation: Sony's KDL-46XBR2 is hands down the top of the line LCD as of February 2007. It is also available in the 40", 52" and now 70" sizes. An optional black bezel is also available for an additional cost. The 70" version is the first HDTV to have the HDMI 1.3 standard. Performance, picture quality and asthetics all hold their weight making this the LCD to beat. But do bear in mind that you pay a premium for the Sony Brand.

REAR PROJECTION CRT

REAR-PROJECTION INTRO:

Plasma and LCD are very expensive in the large sizes. Once you get past 42", things get exponentially more expensive. With 1080p resolutions now available on all displays, 50" will cost you almost a body part. A 40" or 42" is a lot more affordable. Going back to our concept of "perception" in the beginning and also introducing the factor of "substitution", manufacturers developed several technologies to address the "big screen" issue. Some consumers would rather have a huge 70" screen even if it means giving up quality. Enter the following display types; Rear projection LCD, LCOS, DLP, and as they use in the cinema, front projectors. Rear projection allows for the "blowing up" of the picture in a cost-effective manner. What we get is a huge screen in the 60"+ range with good performace. I stress "good", because as it stands now, quality IS substituted for size. When compared to Plasma, LCD or CRT's, colors will look washed out and far from realistic. Contrast, vividness, response times, and refresh rates, will also look and perform far from that of their counterparts. When you look at the specs for any of these screens, you will often see 10,000:1 contrast ratios or 5ms response times; similar specs to those of higher end plasmas or LCD, but I urge you to physically look at the display. The nature of the technology, the way the picture is created, will produce a very different result despite their high end specifications.

Now let's not compare them. Let's look at them for what they are. What you have is a huge screen cinema experience with a great picture! Let's look a little more indepth on each individual rear projection technology.


REAR PROJECTION CRT: After CRT's there was a splurge of rear-projection CRT's. The attraction was the huge size and cheap prices albeit at the price of image quality. These screens are now being phased out by other superior budget conscious rear-projection technologies such as DLP.

Pros:

• Huge sizes with 55", 60" and 65" screens being very common.
• The HDTV iterations of these screens are very cheap compared to their competition.
• The high end CRT rear-projection screens can be on par with mid-range DLP's.

Cons:

• The picture quality is not up to par with the range of today's offerings.
• They take up a lot of space and weigh quite a bit.
• Don't expect to see these available past 2008.

Recommendation: The Hitachi 51F59 is one of the few rear projections CRT's your'll find available at your local retailer. It also has a built in ATSC HD tuner.