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How To Choose Your Next TV

Plasma, LCD, projector, CRT? The choice of display technologies can be overwhelming for the un- or under-informed. Which TV should you next choose?

CHOOSING LCD

Slim and desirable, LCD screens are the new belles of the TV Ball. But they're not as perfect as you think...
Liquid Crystal Displays have been around for over 20 years, but have only recently become a reality in the TV market.

The reason for this is that their fundamental operation relies on crystals moving in a viscous liquid and, like wading in treacle, it's a very slow process. Early generation LCD panels simply could not switch pixels on and off fast enough to cope with a moving video image, and consequently remained in clock displays and PC monitors that were predominantly used for near-static images.

Thankfully, as the technology has developed, the pixel-switching time has dropped dramatically and, in the very best models, causes very little motion blur on moving images. This has opened the floodgates for LCD TVs right up to over 50 inches. However, unlike plasmas, price is no indication of quality.

Hot or Not?

LCD contrast ratio is generally poorer than any other TV technology as the backlight can leak through the "switched off" pixels. A potent backlight can lift the brightness figures, but colour is dependent on single block filtering, so the total range of colours and the colour saturation are also mediocre. The deep liquid crystal substrate means the picture integrity fades away as you move off axis, although the latest models claim a viewing angle up to 170 degrees. That said, manufacturer's specification sheets can read like Tolkien-scale fiction at times, so getting a demonstration of an LCD TV before you buy is essential.

So why is LCD currently the must-have technology? Not only are LCD TVs a super slim flat panel, they are much lighter in weight than plasma models, as the LCD itself is made from plastic rather than glass. Screen resolutions are HD-friendly on larger screen models and each pixel has a much better defined edge definition than the glowing phosphor dots of plasma or CRT - creating a very sharp image. LCD TVs do not suffer screen burn-in from constantly displaying static images, are silent in operation and, from an energy-saving perspective, use little electricity.

But the biggest key to LCD TV's rise has been falling prices. Each panel is cut out of a single large sheet of fully engineered LCD and each new manufacturing generation creates larger initial sheets. This reduces cost per unit and hence the street price.

LCD TV costs will continue to fall, the picture quality will continue to rise and, as features like digital tuners, memory card readers and wireless connectivity become mainstream, LCD TVs will dominate the 32 inch flat panel market.

As long as you make sure you are buying an HD-ready model and try before you buy, you can't go wrong.

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Posted in Digital TV | Tags: Digital TV, hd, hd lcd tv, hd television, hd tv, hd tvs, Home Entertainment, LCD, lcd television, lcd televisions, LCD TV, lcd tvs, Plasma screen, plasma televsion, plasma tv, television, televisions, tv, tvs

A Brief Primer on Digital TV and What You Need to Know

Beginning with Luxembourg in 2006, followed then by ten other European countries, the advent of government mandated digital tv began. The United States decision to transition came soon after. The U. S. Required all television stations to move from analog to digital transmission effective June, 2006. 2011 will mark Asia's entry into the digital tv era with Japan coming on board.

The U. S. Congress' decision to mandate the switchover from analog to all-digital television was based primarily on two factors. First, the government's desire to free up precious broadcast bandwidth for those organizations concerned with public safety such as police and fire departments, and second, to provide viewers a better picture and sound experience. One other consequence of freed-up bandwidth is that some of it can be auctioned off by the government to companies which provide advanced wireless services.

To facilitate the conversion process the government addressed the need of those people who did not own a digital-ready television. It offered to those owners a coupon, worth up to forty dollars, which could be traded in for a digital converter box. Congress also stipulated that non-digital televisions could not be imported, nor could they be manufactured in the U. S. Retailers still selling analog television stock were required to prominently display at the point of sale a statement informing the customer that a converter box would be required for those sets.

The biggest difference in quality between an image generated by an analog tv signal and one generated by a digital tv signal centers around resolution. The level of detail and clarity of the picture the viewer sees is based on the number of pixels, arranged in a grid pattern, on the screen. Simply, the more pixels, or discrete points on the screen, the better the resolution will be. An analog generated grid usually tops out at 500 x 400 pixels. A digital image can create an image up to nearly ten times the number off pixels.

Multicasting is another advantage of digital television transmission. In an analog environment only one channel can be allocated to a chunk of bandwidth, whereas in a digital environment that same chunk can be divided into multiple channels. This provides television stations the opportunity to provide more programming to its viewers.

Interactive programming is another advantage of digital television. People subscribing to cable or satellite services will discover enhanced functionality. Example include movies-on-demand, text-messaging via the television's remote to live television shows, and VCR-type choices such as pause, slow motion and fast forward.

Today, consumers have four options when considering televisions. Analog TV's can still be used but require a converter box. A digital-ready set comes with its own converter but will usually lack in picture resolution. An HD-ready set may or may not include a converter which will generally offer good resolution. The most expensive option is the HDTV which will include a digital tuner and will have high resolution. Selecting which type of TV to go with is a matter of budget or other preferences.

With digital television viewers can realize new highs in picture quality and enhanced functionality. The developments of today represent only the beginning. As manufacturers seek out new technologies and competitive edges, the consumer can reasonably expect an even more compelling viewing experience.

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Posted in Digital TV | Tags: Digital TV, HDTV

The Big Change Over to Digital TV

Change Over to Digital TV

Analog TV has finally gone by way of the Dodo bird we are now all in the era of true digital TV. TV broadcasters made the change over to digital TV on Friday June 12, 2009. Still with all the money spent on trying to get everyone ready for the switch over there were still hundreds of thousands of people caught by surprise.

Twenty years and billions of dollars spent the big switchover was made Friday the 12th of June. The broadcasting and industry analysts say the switchover was hardly noticed. Sometimes you wonder where they get their information from. They really must not live on a little place we call earth.

On Friday the FCC got more than 300,000 calls from people in shock wanting to know what happened. Just think about the numbers of people that would just not call. The elderly retirees in Florida alone would be in the millions that are still in shock. It seems funny that the people that really matter are never considered in charts and graphs and statistics.

The change is here and millions are scrambling to figure out what happened and what to do. The people able to go online will quickly find the solution and solve their new problem of no TV. But the people that have no idea what to do will need help. So share this information with the people that are unable to help themselves.

For over-the-air signals after the switch, most TV sets made before 2004 will have to be hooked up to a digital converter box. The boxes sell for $40 to $50 the government is giving away coupons knocking $40 off that price at dtv2009.gov. The coupons can be applied for up to July 31st at midnight but it is a first come first serve. So make your application soon.

Questions about what to do for the small battery-operated TVs they have in case of a hurricane or storms. The best answer is to junk them and get a weather radio. We will have to wait for prices to come down on the small battery-operated digital TVs.

You can find the converter boxes in a lot of places here are some sources to get one online.

	Insignia NS-DXA1 Digital to Analog TV Tuner Converter Box for Regular TV Sets Sale Price: $99.99
	Standard Features: NTIA Approved Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB) Receives and Displays All 18 ATSC Formats Composite Video Jack (Yellow RCA Plug) Stereo Audio Jacks (Red & White RCA Plugs) 75 ohm RF Video/Audio Jack (Coaxial Cable)

	Coby TFTV891 8-Inch Portable Widescreen LCD TV with ATSC/NTSC Tuner and Integrated Telescopic Antenna (Black) List Price: $152.99 Sale Price: $93.71
	Coby TF-TV891 LCD TV TFTV891 LCD Flat Panel TVs