LCD, DLP Or Plasma? Oh My!

LCD

LCD, DLP Or Plasma? Oh My!

At a decidedly higher price point is the next type of set to consider: Liquid Crystal Diode televisions, also known as LCD.

LCD televisions utilize two "polarized" panels that sandwich a thin liquid-crystal gel. That gel is divided into individual pixels, each of which can be darkened or lightened according to how much precise voltage is passed through it - the more voltage, the darker the pixel. Since some light always leaks through the gel, an absolutely black screen is almost impossible for an LCD television to achieve, but advances in LCD technology have put these TVs nearly at the same level as plasma.

Though the gap is narrowing, plasma TVs generally exhibit greater brightness and sharper contrast then the competition - especially as the screen size increases. Plasma televisions can be may measure under 5 inches, and have a very wide viewing angle.

Plasma

As with every other aspect of your long-awaited home entertainment project, in the long run the amount of money at your disposal will be the biggest factor in which television you ultimately choose. You would need to itemize the components you must buy, and prioritize it.

Audiophiles could choose to spend more money on a hi-tech surround sound system; others might choose to turn over a greater percentage of the budget to the designer. But no matter which option you choose, be comfortable knowing that any of the choices open to you are vastly superior to to what was available even in the recent past.

LCD computer monitors, because of their light weight and small footprint, quickly became the technology of choice in the industry. The smaller screen sizes created sharp LCD images, so small-screen TVs became LCD's niche. But in the past few years screen size has grown larger and larger while maintaining sharpness, and the previously poor viewing angles have become as good as plasma televisions can offer. Hi-Def LCD televisions are now a viable competitor to plasma televisions on the home entertainment field.

Currently, there are three main types of high-def televisions available: plasma, LCD and DLP.

Other minor drawbacks include the possibility of annoying fan noise in some models, and since the technology is more "mechanical" than plasma and LCD, there may be a higher incidence of breakdowns. Projection televisions of any type also are burdened with poorer viewing angles than the direct view sets, and color resolution may not be as sharp.

DLP

The usable lifespan of a plasma TV is 60,000 hours - which would allow you to watch TV for 6 hours a day for 27 years. Hi-Def plasma televisions can boast of contrast ratios of 30,000:1, a significant advantage over less expensive hi-def televisions. Although screen "burn-in" has been an issue in the past, technological advances have reduced this potential drawback to a minimum.

How to Choose

Built in a similar manner to an LCD TV, in that a sandwich is created by two panels of glass, the material between the two panels is not a liquid gel, but rather a gas.

This practical guide to the design, implementation, and maintenance of cable TV systems, written for technical personnel, engineers, managers, and operators, includes an overall introduction to standard NTSC and HDTV systems, outlining start-up procedures and development of the industry to the present day. The impact of new high-definition television (HDTV) systems is also discussed, for the first time in any cable TV book. This book presents a brief overview of the basic electrical circuits required for cable television systems, as well as sections on coaxial cables and cable systems, in which the whole cable TV distribution system is treated in detail. The head-end and hub system are completely discussed, and up-to-date material on cable system design and network topology is included. And to insure proper maintenance, readers get the latest test procedures and measurements, plus guidance on standards, records, and reference data.
Customer Review: A great overview
I'm new to Cable TV and work mainly on the software side. Two years of hearing the plant guys use decibels to describe coax runs led me to this book. This book is a great intro to the RF side of things. Note that while it isn't an EE level e-mag book it is not for the mathematically faint at heart.
Customer Review: Excellent read for electrical engineers
I ran across this book while on vacation and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been almost 20 years since my undergrad and masters in Electrical Engineering, and this book brought back a lot of great knowledge and memories. Covers emag, optics, circuits and much more.