All you need to know about TV's (Please Sticky)

Jorge

For anyone that is interested in buying a new TV I will do my best to give you a guide that will answer any questions you have. I will try to go in detail for each type TV. I realize that this is going to be long so I will list pro’s and con’s of each at the end of the post. If you still have any questions please PM me or reply to the thread. I will gladly answer them and/or update the information.

Two quick points before I get started

RESOLUTION:
The numbers simply address the number of lines viewed on the screen, from top to bottom. 1080p sets can cost up to twice as much as a 720p set the same size. A majority of 720p TVs will show 1080i, but like most high definition broadcasts are in 720p. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, over cable, satellite, or antenna will allow you to watch 1080p. If you want to see 1080p you will need to shell out for a PS3, HD DVD player, or Blu-ray player AND an HDMI cable. HD DVD and Blu-ray are simply formats of high-definition movies. HDMI is the only cable on the market that will transfer 1080p. Just to add, component cables will show up to 720p.

CONTRAST RATIO:
Pay attention to contrast ratio. The higher the better. Think of it as the number of colors between true white and true black. It will greatly determine the picture quality. A low c/r will cause the picture to look washed out and reduce your viewing angle. CRT’s are described as having an infinite c/r, RP’s have an extremely high c/r. LCD and Plasma all have a defined c/r from the manufacturer.

I will address a few things to consider when shopping for a new TV:
Price or Size (whichever is your concern)
Room lighting (windows and lights)
Use of TV

There are 4 types of TV’s to consider:
Traditional CRT Tube
Rear Projection (Sony LCD, JVC HD-ILA, DLP)
Flat Panel LCD
Flat Panel Plasma

CRT/Tube
CRTs will have the longest life out of any TV, a picture brightness that will compare to anything else, and is the best for gaming. I say best for gaming because there is no response time, no burn in issues, and no bulb to burn out. CRT is going to have the smallest price out of the 4 and is going to be the only type that will mostly come in standard definition. SD Tubes are inexpensive and most come with component input if you are looking to slightly improve your consoles’ picture quality. CRT will come in a max resolution of 720p. One downside is the glass screen will show a lot of reflection. Also the HD tubes weigh substantially more than a flat panel, about 110lbs at the lightest. Price point is a very appealing area for CRT’s. SD Tubes will range from $100-$500. HD Tubes will range from $350-$1000. Sizes can range from under 12” to the largest HD Tube being 34.” A lot of people consider CRT old technology, but don’t think that. A personal testimony…I use a 30” Samsung HD Tube and it has a better picture than most flat panels on the market for almost half the price.

Rear Projection
RP have a simple philosophy…more screen, less money. You will find them as small as 42” and they are probably made up to 80.” With some shopping you can find one for as low as $1200, a 60” will run roughly $3000. RP will be the next best style for gaming since there is no response time. Also most RP sets come in 1080p, and the price difference between a 720p and a 1080p set is only a couple hundred dollars. Brightness is relatively low and viewing angle is limited. What drives most people away is the bulb. It only lasts about 6,000 hours which is roughly 5 years on average viewing. Bulbs will run you about $300 to replace.

Flat panel LCD
This one is tricky. If you want small and new technology, this is for you. Although I have seen very few LCD’s under 26” with a good picture, most look pixilated and blocky. Size will range from 15” to 70.” Price will range from $200 all the way up to $32,000 (no joke). 720p sets will go up to 46” and 1080p sets range from 32” and up. A cheap 1080p set will cost about $1500. A good 1080p set will cost about $2000. Most 40”+ are 1080p. LCD’s show very little reflection, but have a low viewing angle. Although a lot of the new LCD’s have a very wide viewing angle. Most 32”+ sets will have a 4ms response time which a lot of gamers look at. 4ms is about as low as you will find. LCD’s aren’t ideal for video games because of ghosting and pixilation, but damn they look good. LCD’s will last you about 60,000 hours or roughly 15 years.

Flat panel Plasma
Bright picture, high c/r, and max viewing angle. If you have windows that have a lot of sunlight shining through, a plasma is going to show reflection as if it were a mirror. For a set over 42”+ plasma is going to be the cheaper alternative. One downside is that 1080p plasmas are not yet common. 720p plasmas will range from 42” and up starting at $1400. 1080p plasmas will start around $7000. Plasmas will have a life similar to LCD’s. Finally, burn-in, the problem everyone is worried about. It used to be a major problem, but not so much anymore. For the first ~100 hours plasmas are highly susceptible to burn-in, but most manufacturers are inputting settings to erase burned in images such as image rotation or white wash. Even after the initial 100 hours, static images left on the screen for ~4 hours are capable of being burned in.

So in summary:

CRT
Pros:
Wide viewing angle
Inexpensive
Infinite contrast ratio
GREAT FOR GAMING

Cons:
No larger than 36”
Large and heavy
A lot of reflection
1080p not available

Rear Projection
Pros:
More screen, less money
1080p is common
Very little reflection

Cons:
Low brightness
Bulb replacement
Not available in small sizes

Flat Panel LCD
Pros:
Available in all sizes
Available in all resolutions
Very little reflection

Cons:
Smaller sizes have low picture quality
Larger sizes are very expensive
Low viewing angle

Flat Panel Plasma
Pros:
Brightest, clearest picture
Maximum viewing angle
Big screen without needing a big wallet

Cons:
A lot of reflection
Only common in 720p
Burn-in is still a small problem

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King Wiired 

Nice post, I wondered what is the technical rubbish about TV's were all about. I'll sure to check it out when I'm interested in getting a new one :]

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Jorge

I expected more hits. I still think this should be stickied.

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spicka

very nice post, im looing to buy a new tv so thanks!

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