If you are a TV lover and have spent any time at all walking past the displays of big screen TV’s in your local stores, I can fully understand what happens — your remote control finger starts to twitch, your rear end starts to long for that comfortable spot in your favorite recliner, and you have a sudden urge to take your shoes off. At least that’s what happens to me. I admit it, I am a TV junkie. Not that I spend a lot of time in front of the TV but when I am there, I require quality, and the more quality in video and audio, the happier I am.
But with the
...but bare in mind if the light is not correct for your room type then your viewing enjoyment will really dim your enjoyment. Test your television with different light systems, and then when the you have the right configuration, then ...
Regular tube TV: Yes, depending on your budget, this needs to be mentioned as a viable option, although unless you’ve been living in a cave for the
...not have to drag wires through our home's ceiling or worry about finding long enough cables. It is just much simpler. When it all comes down to it, we can work with AND use, a wireless theater system is that ...
...Definition Entertainment Package has a full twenty six HDTV channels and a whopping two hundred and forty normal ones. The Platinum Level High Definition Television Entertainment Package has the same two hundred and forty normal channels, but the number of ...
Now on to the big stuff. But first, since I already mentioned it, a word about HDTV. HDTV is great, providing an incredible picture quality, provided of course that you have the screen that can display that quality. With HDTV, without getting all techie about it, the digital signal contains much more information, and the picture is created in PROGRESSIVE mode rather than INTERLACED mode, meaning that the ENTIRE picture is refreshed with every scan instead of just every other line as is done with interlaced.
I would also recommend a unit with the wide aspect ratio, like 16:9 or sometimes 16:10. This is the ratio of width versus height of
...the unit to function as a computer monitor as well as a television, but it is important to use caution when using any kind of rear projection TV for this purpose. While plasma TVs can often make excellent computer monitors, ...
Another word of warning: there are big screen units that cannot do HDTV but they can do EDTV. Be aware that these are not the same. In fact, with the next step (SDTV) right around the corner, I don’t see a long lifespan for EDTV. EDTV provides better quality than standard analog TV, but not as sharp and crisp as HDTV.
The
...these criteria. For maximum picture quality from high-definition sources, especially HD DVD and Blu-ray, your TV needs the highest picture resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels. The top-selling 50 1080p projection models now start around $2300, so this is a little ...
Plasma TV
Advantages: long life (30,000 to 40,000 hours from brand names, significantly less with noname brands), very bright - up to 4-5 times a standard TV, viewing angle is huge - you can be 75-80 degrees off center and still see a clear picture, instant-on feature - there is virtually no warm-up time required, small footprint - since these units are very thin and could even be wall-mounted.
Disadvantages: possible burn-in or “image retention” if the same image is left displayed on the screen for an extended period of time (although when used as a TV this is probably not a concern), can be very pricey at the largest sizes
...room, the placement of the screen and the projector, and the ambient room light. Home theater projection screens also have several advanced features such as three levels of contrast, variable gain, non-interference pigments to reduce color shift, and a broader ...
LCD TV
Advantages: Great brightness levels, also very thin and could be mounted on the wall, long life (about 40,000 hours on brand names, substantially less on noname brands), viewing angle is about 45 to 50 degrees from straight on.
Disadvantages: Ghosting - where there may be “artifacts” left on the display during a fast-action movie scene because the LCD cannot keep up with it that
...as low as $80 and the accessories are charged with their own rental rates. The rental companies require credit card information and an ID. Since DVD projection is of high quality, the major segment is the corporate and business houses ...
DLP Rear Projection
Advantages: Low purchase cost although this is typically offset by higher operating costs. At the sizes above 42 inches, the DLP big screen is approximately the same price as plasma.
Disadvantages: high operational cost (the single bulb in the projector can cost upwards of $300 to replace), large footprint - you will need to allocate about 15-18 inches from the wall to accommodate the unit, not wall-mountable, poor viewing angle - not much more than 20-25 degrees from straight on, gradually decreasing bulb brightness over time which means your picture is not as sharp
...is a good idea to find out from your cable company if any subscription or software programs are needed before you can access the system's programming. It is normally completed through special access codes given by the cable company. Another ...
Understanding the various display technologies available should help you, but keep in mind that this is not the whole story. Also know that as technology advances, prices will continue to fall and there may be more options in the future. There are many other factors to be considered which are discussed at my web sites below. But at least now you have a good feel for the type of technology that will work with both your desires and your budget.
Jon Arnold is an author and computer engineer who maintains various web sites to provide tips and information on a variety of topics. More info on this topic can be found at his
...With analogue film over time the film gets old and goes bad. So many old movies have had to be restored because of the terrible shape of the original prints. Some were so bad they couldn't be restored. With digital, ...