Plasma, DLP or LCD? Oh my!
If creating a home theater is the next project on your home remodeling list you have some critical decisions to make. The first of which revolves around the centerpiece of your new space: Hi-Def TV or HDTV.
Currently, there are three main types of Hi-Def TV or HDTV available: plasma, LCD and DLP.
DLP
Let’s start with the most easily affordable, the DLP. DLP is an abbreviation for Digital Light Processing, and is actually a rear projection TV. In DLP projectors, the image is created by a matrix of tiny mirrors, with each mirror representing one pixel on the screen. Though priced lower than other hi-def offerings, this technology can still deliver 1080p resolution - the highest currently available.
While DLP televisions are similar in weight to the other hi-def choices, they are quite a bit thicker (about 15-20 inches) and are not designed to be wall-mounted as of yet, though that may change in the near future.
DLP users occasionally complain about annoying fan noise in some models, and since the technology is more “mechanical” than plasma and LCD, there could be a risk of a higher incidence of breakdowns. Projection televisions of any type also exhibit poorer viewing angles than the direct view options, and color resolution may not be as sharp.
LCD
Next on our list as we climb the price ladder: Liquid Crystal Diode televisions, also known as LCD.
LCD televisions use opposing “polarized” panels that sandwich a thin liquid-crystal gel. That gel is divided into individual pixels, each of which can be darkened or lightened according to how much actual voltage is passed through it - the more voltage, the darker the pixel. Since a small amount of light always leaks through the gel, a true black screen is extremely hard for an LCD television to accomplish, but advances in LCD technology have put these TVs nearly at the same level as plasma.
Weighing much less and having a much smaller footprint than the old CRT monitors, LCD technology quickly became the technology of choice for computer screens. The smaller screen sizes created sharp LCD images, so small-screen TVs became LCD’s niche. But with recent technological advances screen size has increased considerably while maintaining sharpness, and the previously poor viewing angles have become as good as plasma televisions can offer. Liquid Crystal Diode technology is now a viable competitor to plasma televisions on the home entertainment field.
Plasma
Similar to an LCD TV, in that a sandwich is created by two panels of glass, the material between the two panels is not a liquid gel, but rather a gas.
Despite advances in LCD technology, plasma TVs generally exhibit greater brightness and sharper contrast then their competitors - especially as the screen size increases. Plasma monitors can be get as narrow as 4 inches, and have conveniently wide viewing angles.
The usable lifespan of a plasma TV is 60,000 hours - which is the equivalent of watching for 6 hours a day for 27 years. Hi-Def plasma televisions exhibit contrast ratios of 30,000:1, a significant advantage over LCD or DLP. Although screen “burn-in” has been an issue in the past, the latest in screen technology has reduced this potential drawback to a minimum.
How to Choose
As with most of the features of your new home entertainment center, in the long run the amount of money at your disposal will be the biggest factor in which television you ultimately choose. You would need to itemize the things you must buy, and prioritize it.
Consumers who value high fidelity sound could choose to spend more money on a hi-tech surround sound system; others might decide to turn over the lion’s share of the budget to the decorator. In any event, you can, be comfortable knowing that any of the choices open to you are far better than to what was available even in the recent past.
Frank Sarntarpia
Home Theater Audio Systems
Hi-Def Television
Source: Digital Light Processing
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