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For those who always wondered what the many types of HDTV available in the market are. High Definition televisions can be divided into 5 types, each of which use different technologies. In this article, the various pros and cons to all these technologies are listed.
PICTURE TUBE (CRT)
Televisions that use CRT or cathode ray tube sets have been present since the production of the first television. These kind of television sets are what most people presently own in their homes. Newer HD versions of these televisions are also available now, which provide a clearer and sharper picture than traditional CRT televisions.
- PROS: These televisions have been proven to be reliable and have a long life, with good picture quality, and a lot of detail, with vivid colours and high contrast ratios at a low cost.
- CONS: All that affordability has its own price. Since it is an old technology, these television are heavy, bulky, and have a limited screen size. They also occupy much more space.
PLASMA TV
Plasma TV screens use a relatively newer form of technology. They were once considered to be the best looking TV sets ever made. The picture produced by these televisions is sharp and the colours are bright and vivid. Plasma TVs are very thin and can have very large screen sizes as well.
- PROS: These televisions are thin, and can be mounted on a wall. They have high brightness levels and also have excellent picture quality.
- CONS: These type of televisions are very expensive, and have a shiny screen surface that reflects any light from the background. They also have a high probability for burn-in. Some models of plasma TVs use a lot of power and produce a lot of heat as well.
LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)
LCD Technology was for the longest time used primarily for producing computer monitors, cell phone displays, and displays for personal electronic devices like PDAs. This technology has become widely popular in the past few years and has the potential to grow. These displays can support a full 1080p HD resolution, that is 1920 x 1080 pixels, which makes the viewing of high definition content possible. These televisions also use less power than both plasma and CRT TVs, and have a longer life than plasma TVs.
- PROS: The form factor of these televisions is similar to plasma TVs, which means they are thin and wall-mountable. They also have high brightness levels and produce excellent picture quality thanks to high picture resolution. They are energy efficient, and can have anti-reflective screen surfaces, which eliminates a lot of glare.
- CONS: They are very expensive, and have a very high possibility of motion blur with fast moving images of the sort one usually views in action movies or sports. And they are also incapable of rendering deep blacks and grays, which slightly reduces the overall picture quality and contrast.
REAR-PROJECTION
Now this was a technology that was very short lived. The images in these televisions are projected from behind the screen. These rear-projection televisions became popular several years ago because of their large size and low price. However, this technology has become redundant today, as its picture quality cannot be compared with today’s LCD and LED TVs.
- PROS: These televisions have a low cost & very large screen sizes.
- CONS: These televisions are large and bulky, and do not provide the best picture quality, they have very limited viewing angles and are a failure when used in bright rooms.
LIQUID CRYSTAL ON SILICON (LCoS)
LCoS is the latest introduction in rear-projection TV technology. It offers a large screen coupled with sharp picture quality. It is believed that LCoS technology will be able to surpass LCD in picture quality as well.
- PROS: The biggest advantage to this technology is a large screen size, that provides a sharp and natural picture, and is much cheaper than LCD and plasma television.
- CONS: A disadvantage of these televisions is their current limited availability, due to the presence of very few manufacturers. They also can’t render deep blacks and grays, which hampers their picture quality.
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