How to Choose a New TV
- 1). There are 4 categories of TV's; Flat panels (Plasma & LCD), Rear projection, Front projection, and CRT (Tube TV). Plasma and LCD are both very slim, Less then 4" deep making them ideal for wall mounting. However they both can still be placed on a TV stand. Plasma and LCD are considered by many to have superior picture quality and the most clarity. Both TV's will have a very wide viewing angle of up to 175 degrees. Plasma's picture will have much deeper blacks and life like colors, making it a great choice for viewing any type of sport, TV, movies and video games. LCD will have a much brighter picture giving you a great picture in Movies, TV and video games. Both have a rated life span of 60,000 hours (20 years at 8 hours a day). Plasma sizes range from 32" to 65"+, LCD sizes range from 5" to 65"+. Rear projection TV's are usually around 18" deep and generally have much larger screen sizes. Their screen sizes range from 50" to 80"+. The viewing angle of a projection TV will not be as good as that of a flat panel. Your picture will really start to fade away as you move to the side. You will get a decent picture from a projection, but not the quality of a flat panel. The reason is a projection is running from projected light so your blacks are not as black and your colors are not as bright, making your picture not appear with as much clarity. CRT (Tube TV's) are the oldest TV's out of all of them. They are very large in depth and very heavy, around 150-200 pounds. Their screen sizes range from 13" to 36". CRT is not a recommended TV. Its an old technology, but if your looking for an inexpensive TV then CRT is the one for you. Front projection is a projector (Like a movie theatre). You will need a clear path a separate screen to project the picture too. Front projection screen sizes go very large ranging from 32" to 200"+. The quality of picture goes down depending on screen size, and best viewed at night or in very dark areas.
- 2). Cons of the TV's;
Plasma's can obtain screen burn in (Where an image burns into the screen if left still on the screen for long periods of time. Example: A stations logo.)Plasma can also get very bad glare on their screen if your in a well lit room.
LCD TV's can have screen burn in but its much less likely then plasma (The picture would have to be on the screen for a couple days.) LCD TV's have a slower refresh rate then plasma, Meaning while watching sports or fast scenes you might notice a little blur.
Projection TV's run off a bulb, this bulb over time will dim out and die (about every 4 years) The bulb can be replaced and is fairly simple to do. The viewing angle and picture quality is much less then flat panels.
CRT TV's are big, bulky, and heavy. They are an old technology and will soon not be made. - 3). Cost's of the TV's;
Plasma up to 42" is $750-$1000, up to 50" is $1000-$1500, up to 60" is $1500-$3000.
LCD under 20" is less then $300, up to 32" is $300 to $500, up to 37" is $500-750, up to 42" is $750-$1000, up to 47" is $1000-$1500, up to 52" is $1500-$3000.
Rear projection TV up to 62" is $750-$1500, up to 73" is $1500-$3000. CRT up to 32" is less then $500. - 4). What Size is best for you?
Viewing distances;
26"-37" should be viewed between 4ft-8ft.
42"-50" should be viewed between 6ft-12ft.
55"-65" should be viewed between 7ft-16ft.
