Modern Television Technology

It was only ten years ago that everyone had the same television.  A large bulky object which took a large area thanks to massive cathode ray tube which protuded from the back of the television.  However, now things are very different with some televisions offering a much larger television screen, upto five times as large, yet is only a two to three inches thick.  The arrival of the flat screen has revelutionise an entire industry.  Now millions of people have thrown away there old televisions and invested in a stlyish and incredibly powerful television which offers far better picture quality for a device which uses up far less space than its predecessor.

However, the arrival of the flat screen has brought with a range of variations in the same technology which can often be confusing and times simply baffling.  We now have plasma, LCD, DLP and HDTV.  But what we all want to know is what do they mean and which one is best.

To analyse each peice of new television technolog we shall treat them equally by listing them in alphabetical order:

DLP. Digital Light Processing was originally used as a processing of controlling projectors which uses minute mirrors to reflect the correct colour of light to form a solid colour.  DLP is far less common than LCD and plasma but it does have the benefit of offering being much safer and reliable than other television technologies.  The technology also means that burn-in is not an issue and DLP system using a powerful processor can create an incredibly fine picture even for fast moving screen images.

HDTV.  This is a measurement of picture quality which is continuing to play an ever more important role in the sale of televisions.  When flat screen televisions exploded onto the market there was little consideration from consumers into the picture quality and resolution. However, television manufacturers are coming under pressure to produce high definition television screens with ever smaller pixels for the cheapest price possible.

LCD.  LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display.  It is essentially the same technology which were used in childrens hand held games however they have developed in very large and picture quality screens which can display fast moving objects with precise clarity.  They are also one of the most energy efficient TV technologies and are now leading the race of plasma.  The technology use tiny crystal to twist into milions of different shapes to display the diffent colours to make up the image on the screen.


Plasma.  Plasma televisions use an array of gas which are energised in a certain format to create the colours necessary to form the picture on the screen.  Plasma was also the orignal material for flat screen televisions however it is now gathering a very bad reputation due to its poor environmental credentials as the television uses far more energy than alternatives such as LCD.  Concerns over its use of energy is growing so bad that certain states in America are banning the sale of plasma of televisions.  It is also rumoured that China may ban the sale of plasma in a bid to improve its environmental image and diffuse concerns over its growing number of coal power stations.

For those looking to purchase a new television it is strongly advisable to avoid plasma televisions.  Not do they use more energy but there resale value could also drop heavily if its ban continues to grow.  Some of the leading manufacturers and original developers of plasma televisions are already stopping the production of these televisions.

In summary, you should simply avoid plasma as an option for a television and select an LCD television.  LCD televisions have come down in price rapidly since they first hit the market with some prices falling by as much as twenty percent in one year.

You should also search around and looking for the television within your budget which offers the best screen resolution has picture quality.  Altough soon we will also be looking to purchase 3D televisions!