| High definition television sets are probably more affordable than you think |
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All you want is to buy a TV that lets you watch your favourite sports team or a DVD of Ray in high definition. How hard can that be? Plenty, actually. The ad circulars for electronics retailers reveals an intimidating jumble of specs: HDTV, DTV, EDTV, DLP and lots more. Its enough to make consumers postpone their purchase. Or worse, buy the wrong product. But heres the good news: High definition (HD) is probably more affordable than you think. That same set, combined with a high-def DVD player, makes a great combo. Simply put, you dont need an LCD (liquid crystal display) or plasma set to get HD. Conversely, not all LCD and plasma sets are equipped for HD. And, surprisingly, the traditional tube (CRT) has a lot of fans in the electronics field. CRT offers superior brightness and a truer black than the newcomers. The technology of plasma is similar to CRT. Plasma is basically a sheet with tiny pits that are individual phosphors instead of three big ones for red, green and blue on CRT. The picture quality is very similar.
The drawback of the CRT is its that the sets are bulkier and heavier than their LCD or plasma counterparts. But theres another CRT technology that can give you a bigger picture, say 60 inches, at a cheaper price: rear-projection CRT. The main thing you get for the price premium of skinny LCD or plasma HDTVs, then, is the space savings. But the new technologies have drawbacks that need to be taken into account LCD screen images can have jagged edges, especially when they show motion, as in sports programming. Thats because they have a slower refresh rate. The new DLP technology from Texas Instruments minimises that problem. Also, LCD screens are generally better in a dark environment such as a basement, but some models are better in bright rooms than others. Plasma screens, while generally better than LCD in brightness, side viewing and motion images, might be the wrong choice if you tend to leave the TV on for long. Of less concern is the shorter lifespan of plasma. Most experts agree that, even with heavy use, a plasma TV will last at least six to nine years.
After you decide whether you want a traditional tube CRT, rear-projection CRT, LCD or plasma, you need some homework on specs. If you want HD ready if you are a cable or satellite customer and HD Built-in if you get only local channels. DLP, or digital light processing, is offered for a premium with many HDTVs. The last important thing for non-geeks to understand before purchasing an HDTV, is what it wont do. It wont make non-HD programming look better. It wont let you watch DVDs in HD unless your DVD player is also HD. It wont let you record and play back programs in HD, unless you have special systems, such as TiVo.
In fact, if you buy an HDTV with a larger screen size than you are used to, the resolution of non-HD programming may look worse, because youll be able to see details you didnt notice before. That can make the picture look fuzzy.
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