LCD TV Guide:

Tips for Buying an LCD TV

What to look for when buying and LCD TV.

What is a LCD TV?
LCD TVs are quickly becoming a more viable option for consumers in the flat screen market. LCD TVs are now being manufactured in sizes up to 46" and can be as small as 2.5 inches in depth. LCD TVs create their picture by applying voltage to liquid crystal filled cells. LCD TV pixels contain red, green, and blue cells which create the picture. Some LCD TVs contain over 1 million pixels.

Why are LCD TVs better?
VS. Rear Projection - Traditional rear projection TVs use cathode ray tubes with an electron beam to stimulate phosphors thereby creating the image on screen. Because the "beam" originates from a point behind and in the middle of the screen, the on-screen image is not uniform in focus, light output and picture clarity. The structure of an LCD screen TV helps eliminate these problems and provides you with a clear, uniform picture that can be viewed at up to 160 degrees to the left and right of the screen.

VS. Plasma TVs - Although plasma TVs are just as thin as LCD TVs, they are still phosphor based and are susceptible to burn-in or image retention. Once the screen suffers from burn-in it is irreversible. LCD TVs do not suffer from this deficiency. LCD TVs often times carry a higher native pixel resolution than similar size plasma TVs. For example one 45" LCD TV has a 1920 x 1080 (true 1080i HDTV) resolution and most a 50" plasmas have a resolution of 1366 x 768 and one 40" NEC LCD has a resolution of 1280 x 768 where most 42" plasma TVs only have a resolution of 1024 x 768. Where this resolution difference really comes into play is with computer applications. The higher the resolution, the clearer and crisper the picture will look.

Other Advantages - LCD TVs use less power than typical plasma TVs and rear projection TVs. Also, LCD TVs are a great solution for kitchen or dining room applications where counter space is limited and at a premium. Because Plasma TVs are not made any smaller than 32" and rear projection or tube TVs can take up valuable space because of their depths, LCD TVs are the perfect solution for this type of application. Mounts can even be purchased that will allow you to hide your TV under your cabinets when not in use.

What to look for when buying and LCD TV.
Size - The most important feature for most people when buying and LCD TV is size. Consumer LCD TVs for home use can range anywhere from 13" to 46". You may want something as small as 13" for you kitchen or as big as 46" for your home theater. When choosing the size of your LCD make sure you take into account your available space and viewing distance.

Components - Most current consumer LCD TVs come with speakers, stands, and built-in tuners. However, in most instances the stands and/or speakers can be removed if not needed. So for example, if you were to mount your LCD TV on your wall and run an audio receiver with surround sound, you could remove the speakers and stand that you are not going to utilize for a cleaner looking installation. Also, be on the lookout for whether or not your LCD TV has a media receiver box. Some makes and models include a media receiver box that will house all your inputs and then allows you to run one cable (usually proprietary) to the display. This can be great for installations if a lot of components (i.e. DVD player, VCR, Satellite Receiver, Digital Video Recorder, etc.) need to be attached to your TV. But it can also be a nightmare for someone who feels they already have too many components or for those whose distance from the media box to the LCD TV needs to be longer than the cable provided. Extra long proprietary cables from the manufacturer can be very expensive.

Inputs - An LCD TV should include the inputs you need to plug in your various video components. The various inputs include composite, S-Video, component, DVI, HDMI, and RGB. RGB is a stan da rd 15-pin computer input. Composite is a single line video output that is typical on VCRs and is also present on cable/satellite receivers and DVD players. The next step up in quality is S-video. This can be found on DVD players and most cable/satellite boxes. Component, which is of a higher quality than S-Video, divides the video signal into red, green, and blue and is on progressive scan DVDs and some newer cable/satellite boxes. DVI is a purely digital connection on some new high-end electronics and is capable of up to 1,000 lines of resolution. Similar to DVI is HDMI, but HDMI carries audio on the same line as the video signal.

Resolution - Resolution can be a determining factor when it comes to selecting an LCD TV. Where there is really no bad picture when it comes to an LCD TV there are some LCDs whose resolution allows them to display certain signals better than others. When this becomes an issue is when watching an HDTV signal on your LCD TV. To be considered true HD, the plasma must have a resolution of at least 1024x720. Most LCD TVs 23" and up have a resolution of at least 1280x720. However, most LCD TVs with a lower resolution will display an HD signal after doing some internal scaling.