Tips On Purchasing High Def TV

Back in 1997, when we first began our education and demonstration program to inform people about the capabilities of digital television and what we hoped to do with this new technology here at WCNY, we put together a digital demonstration area. One of the items we were able to obtain, and which caused people who came in for the demonstrations to “ooh.. and ahh..” was the 42” 16 x 9 plasma monitor that was hanging on the wall. We displayed high definition programming samples on this monitor, and created a very impressive presentation, which spurred the obvious question…”what does that cost?”. Well, at that time that monitor had a retail price of $11,000. Talk about sticker shock! Back then, when viewers and members asked me what they should buy if their television was on its way out, I told them to just buy a regular analog TV. It would work just fine even after all television is “digital”. Prices for these new flat screen TV’s would go down eventually as R&D was paid for, and more were sold. That is still true. Well, guess what? They did. I was in a retail store the other day, and a 42” plasma television with a digital tuner, and all kinds of other input capabilities costs under $700. That is still a big investment, and I still get lots of questions about what to buy and what to look for, and what to watch out for, if someone is in the market for a new “flat-screen”. When you walk into one of these stores, you see a wall of monitors of various sizes, all displaying the same picture, all impressive in their size…and price tag… with all kinds of techno-babble about what they display, how they display it, what kind of connectors they have, etc., etc.

Today, you can buy a digital flat screen monitor with a picture size from 15” (for under $200) up to a monstrous television over 60” (over $7,000). This is still less than the $11,000 retail for that 42” flat-screen 12 years ago, and you can use these for television viewing and/or for use with your computer.

I am going to talk a little about the two main types of flat screen monitors you will see in a store, how big a monitor to get for your living room, and a cost item to avoid. The two most popular flat screen TV’s you will see in any store are PLASMA and LCD monitors.

LED monitors are a third consumer option showing up in the market, but are still a very expensive option. They are a very slim profile flat screen monitor. When choosing between LCD and plasma TVs, you're actually selecting between two competing technologies, both of which achieve similar features (bright, crystal-clear images, super color saturated pictures) and come in similar packages (3.5 to 5 inch depth flat screen casing). To complicate the decision-making process further, price and size are two considerations that are rapidly becoming non-issues. LCDs are now being made in larger sizes and at competing prices with plasma TVs. I am not going to get into a technical discussion about how the two types work, but here is a little breakdown of each type’s advantage over the other, whether for television use, or as a computer monitor:

PICTURE QUALITY: THE ADVANTAGE HERE GOES TO PLASMAS

Plasma monitors have the better picture quality in normal to low room lighting conditions and are better in most picture quality categories. Plasma technology will almost always get better marks during nighttime viewing. LCD televisions are great for bright, sunny environments. Also, LCD monitors are generally better for public display such as airport signage and retail store signage due to the bright room light environment. Keep this in mind when you look at them in the store. LCD displays have a brighter picture, but plasma monitors display much more contrast which really is a better picture quality.

SCREEN BURN IN: ADVANTAGE HERE GOES TO LCD, BUT NOT AS MUCH OF A CONCERN AS IT WAS A YEAR AGO

For those who bought plasma monitors several years ago, this was a huge issue. LCD technology is not prone to screen "burn-in" due to the nature of the technology used. With plasma displays, static images (like the “bugs or logos” that programmers put in at the bottom of the screen) will begin to "burn-in," or permanently etch the color being displayed into the glass display element. The time it takes for this to occur depends on the technology of the manufacturer, and recent improvements by plasma manufacturers have extended the time it takes to “burn in”. In the past I was concerned to place a DVD on pause 15 minutes. Now, many of the enhancements in plasma monitors greatly reduce the risk of burn in. It’s gotten so much better that I don’t even worry about it anymore. In a new model plasma from any one of the manufacturers you would see in the stores, a static image would take an hour or more to burn in, and programmers are changing the on-screen logos they use to decrease this problem.

COMPUTER USE: ADVANTAGE GOES TO LCD

LCD monitors display static images from computer or VGA sources extremely well, with full color detail, no flicker, and no screen burn-in. Moreover, the number of pixels per square inch on an LCD display is typically higher than other display technologies, so LCD monitors are especially good at displaying large amounts of data - like you would find on an Excel spreadsheet with exceptional clarity. For the same reasons, LCDs will also be a slightly better for video gaming. Plasma technology has increased burn in tactics as well as computer and static signal handling, but there are still issues depending very much on the model and manufacturer. Most plasma televisions do not handle a computer input well and product a very jaggy image when viewing static images.

FAST-MOVING VIDEO PLAYBACK: ADVANTAGE GOES TO PLASMA

This is one of the places where the rubber hits the road. Plasma displays are better here because of their excellent performance with fast-moving images and high contrast levels. While the "response time" of LCD TVs has markedly improved in the last couple of years, they still suffer from a slight "trailer" effect, where the individual pixels are just slightly out of step with the image on the screen. During fast moving sports scenes, the most discerning eyes can detect this slight motion response lag.

POWER CONSUMPTION: ADVANTAGE HERE IS LCD

Because LCDs use florescent backlighting to produce images, they require substantially less power to operate than plasma TVs do. Though plasma manufacturers have improved voltage consumption requirements a plasma TV will consume around a third more power for the same size display.

PRICE AND RESOLUTION: ADVANTAGE TO PLASMA

LCD displays will have a higher resolution per same size comparison than plasma. Those extra pixels and the production process of LCDs cost more money to produce. Expect to pay up to a third as much more for a similar size LCD than a plasma TV.

SUMMARY OF LCD’s VERSUS PLASMA SCREENS:

Depending on the room it's to be placed in and the usage it's meant for, (if the television will be facing a large window where the sun comes in through during the day), LCD might be a better option, as it doesn't have the same glare problems plasma does. LCD is also a good option for those planning to play a lot of video games where there's still images, or wishes to plug his or her lap top in to use it as a larger monitor.

A LITTLE ABOUT CONNECTIONS:

All new flat screen monitors have the same basic configuration of connections, so you can hook up your antenna, cable feed, cable DVR box, DVD or vhs machine, and a computer. Look for an HDMI connector on the monitor to hook up your cable box. This is a very convenient and high quality connection method, which passes video and audio.

SIZE OF THE MONITOR AND VIEWING DISTANCE:

Below, I put in a chart with the diagonal screen size and the minimum and maximum viewing distance recommended. If you are looking at a 42” wide screen monitor, your viewing location should be at least 5.3' from the monitor and not further than ten and ½ feet away. Generally, 30-inch and smaller sets are great for bedrooms or guest rooms but too small for the main living room. Sets with bigger screens are large enough for the whole family to enjoy and will probably be too much for most small bedrooms.

If you're mounting the set inside an entertainment center, be sure it fits in every dimension; also, leave a couple inches on all sides so that the TV has enough ventilation. If you're getting a bigger set, you may want to consider a dedicated stand.

ONE LAST NOTE:

I have been called or e-mailed by some folks who are looking at buying a new digital flat-screen HDTV, and have been told that they needed to buy a calibration, and that if the set is unplugged, they would need to buy this service again. This is not true. Don’t pay to have your new monitor calibrated. And if you lose power, the set will come back just the way it was before the power outage, or you unplugged it.

As always, if you have a question, call me at the station, or e-mail me at john_duffy (at) wcny (dot) org.