Flat-Panel TVs: The New Look of Home Theater
Television technology has come a long way in the last 50 years or so, but (with the exception of the introduction of color technology in the '60s) the most amazing changes have taken place in the last five years. The latest in an impressive list of innovations is the introduction of flat-panel TVs. These televisions come in two varieties — plasma and LCD. These technologies work in different ways, but the important commonalities are the advantages over the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) direct-view and projection technology that currently dominate the TV world.
The first advantage over old-fashioned TVs is their size. These televisions are so thin (some are only 3" deep) and consequently light, that they can actually be hung on the wall like a painting or picture. Besides looking really cool, they offer a huge advantage to those of us who want a good-sized TV but don't want to lose a 5-square-foot chunk of living room or bedroom previously required. Formerly, the alternative to a big bulky TV was a front-projection unit and wall screen. While that type of package solves the space issue, it also has quite a few drawbacks. The first of these is the need for a dark environment. Unless you dedicate a room (with dark curtains over the windows) to TV and movie viewing, the picture that you see can be washed out, faded and sometimes basically unwatchable. The second disadvantage is mounting requirements. Most front projectors are designed to be permanently mounted from the ceiling — not exactly an option for apartment dwellers. Fortunately, most LCD and plasma sets come with mounting kits that make it as easy to put them up as it is to hang a good-sized picture. They also have a deep, bright picture that reduces the negative impact of ambient light (sunlight streaming through a window, for example) to the point where anything short of full-on glare won't affect picture quality too much. Current owners of rear-projection sets can attest to the havoc that an uncovered window can play on the picture of a big-screen TV. Flat-panel TVs (LCD and plasma) also have an amazingly wide viewing angle — even if you sit off to the side of the TV, you still get a great view. Believe me, once your friends get a look at how cool your flat TV looks, you'll need the extra seating space in your living room. (After all, nothing draws a crowd like a cool new gadget.)
One of the other huge benefits of these TVs is that many are capable of displaying enhanced- and/or high-definition signals. In fact, some of the most amazingly clear HD monitors that I've seen were of the flat-panel variety.
Flat-Panel TVs: The New Look of Home Theater
Television technology has come a long way in the last 50 years or so, but (with the exception of the introduction of color technology in the '60s) the most amazing changes have taken place in the last five years. The latest in an impressive list of innovations is the introduction of flat-panel TVs. These televisions come in two varieties — plasma and LCD. These technologies work in different ways, but the important commonalities are the advantages over the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) direct-view and projection technology that currently dominate the TV world.
The first advantage over old-fashioned TVs is their size. These televisions are so thin (some are only 3" deep) and consequently light, that they can actually be hung on the wall like a painting or picture. Besides looking really cool, they offer a huge advantage to those of us who want a good-sized TV but don't want to lose a 5-square-foot chunk of living room or bedroom previously required. Formerly, the alternative to a big bulky TV was a front-projection unit and wall screen. While that type of package solves the space issue, it also has quite a few drawbacks. The first of these is the need for a dark environment. Unless you dedicate a room (with dark curtains over the windows) to TV and movie viewing, the picture that you see can be washed out, faded and sometimes basically unwatchable. The second disadvantage is mounting requirements. Most front projectors are designed to be permanently mounted from the ceiling — not exactly an option for apartment dwellers. Fortunately, most LCD and plasma sets come with mounting kits that make it as easy to put them up as it is to hang a good-sized picture. They also have a deep, bright picture that reduces the negative impact of ambient light (sunlight streaming through a window, for example) to the point where anything short of full-on glare won't affect picture quality too much. Current owners of rear-projection sets can attest to the havoc that an uncovered window can play on the picture of a big-screen TV. Flat-panel TVs (LCD and plasma) also have an amazingly wide viewing angle — even if you sit off to the side of the TV, you still get a great view. Believe me, once your friends get a look at how cool your flat TV looks, you'll need the extra seating space in your living room. (After all, nothing draws a crowd like a cool new gadget.)
One of the other huge benefits of these TVs is that many are capable of displaying enhanced- and/or high-definition signals. In fact, some of the most amazingly clear HD monitors that I've seen were of the flat-panel variety.