Which HDTV Should I Go For LDC, Plasma, LED Or 3D?

Which HDTV Should I Go For LDC, Plasma, LED Or 3D

With so many HDTV options nowadays it is easy to get confused and end up making the wrong choice or one that doesn't stand up to your expectations.

First of all we need to understand the basics of each HDTV type. Today we have 4 types of HDTVs and they are: LCD, Plasma, LED and 3D, there is a fifth type which is OLED but the technology is in its infancy and you can only find OLED TV sets as big as 19 inches.

LCD High Def TV Sets:

Liquid Crystal Display Televisions (LCD TV) were first introduced by Sharp in 1998, but the liquid crystal display technology has been around since the 80's when it was mainly used in portable computers.

LCD TVs offer bright crystal clear images, super colour-filled pictures but not so good contrast ratio when compared to Plasma. Over the years LCD TV manufacturers have made great improvements on LCD TV's contract ratio but Plasma still lead the way in this category.

Colour accuracy of LCD TV sets are influenced by room light. LCD TVs perform better in brighter rooms due to anti glare technology and brightness. Another factor to consider is viewing angles, on average LCD HDTVs has around 120 degree viewing angles but they still have a long way to go before catching plasma.

On average these TV sets have an autonomy of 100,000 working hours which is about 50 years of use if they are turned on for 5 hours a day.

Plasma High Def TV Sets:

Plasma technology consists of hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells. Each pixel cell is an individual microscopic light bulb that has a mixture of noble gases and a tiny amount of mercury. When these cells receive electric pulses the gases and mercury form plasma that produces light, illuminating the exact balance of red, green and blue phosphors of each cell which in turn will display the proper colour sequence from the light.

Plasma TVs have the best contrast ratio between all HDTVs, on average the latest Plasma HDVT sets have a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1. Contrast ratio is a measure of the blackest black compared to the withest white. Plasma TVs can achieve outstanding black levels thanks to internal algorithms that block the power to particular pixels to render a darker pixel. The down side here is that this limits Plasma televisions gray scaling.

Plasma displays can reproduce as much as 16.77 million colours because as afore mentioned each pixel has red, green and blue elements needed to produce every colour in the spectrum. In short, Plasma TVs have the best colour accuracy of all HDTVs.

Another point in favour of Plasma TVs is viewing angles. Plasma manufacturers have nearly achieved perfection with viewing angles nearing the 180 degree mark. Also worth baring in mind that Plasma TVs are more suitable for darker rooms.

LED TVs

LED TVs are the new form of LCD TVs. These TV sets can produce images with greater dynamic contrast with a wider colour gamut and lower power consumption of at least 20-30% when compared to traditional LCD TVs.

LED backlighting allows these TV sets to be extremely thin, most models are approximately one inch think.

Many industry expert don't agree to label LED TVs as unique HDTV category because as afore mentioned LED TVs are simply LDC TVs with LED lights for back lighting instead of fluorescent CFL lighting.

LED TVs presented a solution to the low contrast levels found on traditional LCD TVs. By dimming the back light in areas where the screen should be dark it increases the black levels, consequently increase the contract ratio.

Colour accuracy is very similar to LCD TVs but LED TV has an advantage in displaying more realistic colours. Just like on LCD, LED TVs have very poor viewing angles.

3D Ready TV Sets

The latest on high definition TV, all major manufacturers are producing it with highlights to Sony and Samsung, which in my opinion are manufacturing the best 3D TV sets at the moment.

3D video technology has been around for ages but only now the technology has finally reached our homes. 3D TV sets are Full HD and have resolution of 1920X1080p, a refresh rate of 600Hz and usually support HDMI 1.4 or higher.

Now that you know everything there is to know about the HDTVs you are ready to out buy one that will suit your viewing needs.

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What Is Smart TV?

What Is Smart TV?

The very latest waves of Flat Screen Digital TVs hitting our shores this year are being marketed as "Smart TVs". What does this mean, and what benefits do they haveall Let's try and explain this concept in a simplified manner.

First - A very quick history on TV evolution

Television technology has advanced rapidly over the years, progressing from the basic "Square" 4:3 Analogue CRT Tube. The introduction and sharp rise in popularity of DVD then saw the implementation of widescreen TVs to suit this format. As the trend towards viewing movies in widescreen digital became the standard, similar steps had to be made for day to day Television viewing. So the integration of digital set top boxes began, and our Television networks began to broadcast our TV programs in digital to coincide with that. As the public began to embrace the "cinema" experience, the next natural progression was larger screens, so Plasma, LCD and later LED panels were introduced. In the years that followed, besides obvious improvements in clarity, sound & design, the only major change made to TV technology was size - demand called for bigger and thinner TVs. Over the last year or so, the introduction of 3D Technology was the next "big-thing", as well the call for more eco-friendly panels.

So we've seen TV's develop from a bulky, square Picture Tube with a choice of five stations to view in analogue, to large, ultra-slim, Full High Definition panels capable of displaying 3D images, and a choice of over twenty channels broadcasting many programs in widescreen digital. Add to that a very sharp decline in price, and an ever increasing focus on environmentally friendly performance - we've certainly come a long way. So where to from here?

Introducing Smart TVs...

The internet is now a dominant part of our daily existence. Our mobile phones have now evolved from devices used just for making phone calls into "Smart-Phones" - basically mobile phones with internet accessibility. The same technology has filtered through to our TVs, and coined the phrase - "Smart TVs". Today's new waves of Smart TVs have a very large focus on online interactive media such as Internet TV, media streaming, social networking and web browsing. In a Similar way to how internet browsing, web widgets and software like games or applications are integrated in today's smartphones, the same trend towards such connectivity has now become part of today's TVs, creating a convergence between computers and Digital TV. Smart TVs allow viewers to search for and find movies, video clips and photos on the internet, stored on a home hard drive, through to your TV, using your remote control.

Smart TVs will eventually change the way we access media in our homes

This convenience will eventually change the way we access media in our homes, or more precisely, from where we access our media. One example would be not having to run down to our local video stores anymore just to rent a movie. By pressing a couple of buttons on our TV remote we suddenly have access to hundreds of movies available for streaming from the comfort of our lounge. Applications (or "Apps" as they are commonly referred to) add yet another facet for us to explore. There are a limitless number of apps that can be created. If you are an I-Phone user, you will already have encountered dozens upon dozens of ingenious applications that you now find hard to live without. There are apps for everything, ranging from live weather and news forecasts, to TV Show catch-up episodes, the latest sports news for your favourite team as well as live scores, and of course the whole social media forum such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. These are now right at your fingertips, transforming TVs into a very diverse media network. The ability to Skype call is also an option, with the aid of a brand-specific Skype camera. While a small number of these features, in some form, have been available over the last year from some television manufacturers, in 2011 we will see the introduction of unrestricted web-browsing in some models. This opens up a limitless array of possibilities by transforming your TV into a fully functional web browser.

Smart TVs - Bringing the internet into your lounge room 

There is a distinct advantage of not having to take the effort to boot up your PC, which is usually located in another room, to perform tasks such as purchasing items on eBay, checking your E-mail, or to Google something that has just taken your interest on TV. With large high definition screens, and web pages fully optimised to suit, there is certainly a distinct advantage in browsing the internet from the comfort of your lounge instead of through a little laptop screen or sitting at your computer desk. Even if you have photos, music, movies or video files stored on your home computer, you can access all of these wirelessly through your Home network and stream them directly to your TV.

So, in summary... 

Smart TVs are the next generation of Flat Screen Digital Television, merging your TV and computer's functionality into one.

With the ability to stream high definition movies, connect with your friends using Facebook and Twitter, stream TV Shows, and get instant access to news, sport and weather - all from the comfort of your lounge and on a large High Definition TV screen. Some of the higher end Digital TV models will offer built in web browsers - opening up unrestricted web browsing directly to your Television Set. As Plasma and LED Screens have evolved to become thinner, more energy efficient and providing us with stunning Full High Definition clarity. We now have a limitless array of media applications opened up to us, providing us with versatility and cross functional capability like we have never had before.

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The Best Guide To LED TV Technology

LED TV Technology

When buying LED TVs there can be a overwhelming number of options to weigh before making a purchase. For starters, simply deciding to choose an LED TV over a Plasma TV or LCD TV is enough to give you a headache. This guide will try to hit the main topics and information to consider before choosing whether or not an LED TV is best for you and what to look out for.

To begin with, we're going to go over what an LED display actually is. In reality the screen of an LED TV is the same as LCD TVs. The difference between the two lies in back lighting of the screens. Traditional LCD displays use a fluorescent light to backlight the display and create contrast and brightness. LED televisions use a light-emitting diode (LED) in place of the fluorescent light, this tends to create a wider and deeper range of colors, blacks and smoother brightness than LCD TVs.

Even inside of the category of LED televisions there are options to consider.There are 2 main types of LED displays (RGB dynamic LED and Edge-LED). Each one is suited for different viewing and cost needs. Right now we're going to try and talk about the pros and cons of each type.

RGB dynamic TVs use a series of 3 LEDs, red green and blue. Varying the projection of each diode creates different temperatures of white. These are positioned in different areas of the TV to retain the original colors of the display and to be able to create higher contrast and truer blacks in different areas of the screen. The drawback to this type is that you have a loss in detail on small bright objects in large areas of darkness.

Edge - LEDs use a special array of LEDs to diffuse light across the screen in a uniform brightness distribution. This creates a dramatically thinner and lighter TV than RGB LEDs. It also consumes far less electricity than it's LCD counterpart. The downside is that there can be frame heating issues and uniformity in brightness, but these are mostly hard to notice to the untrained eye.

Overall, LED televisions offer much richer picture quality than that of traditional LCD TVs and mostly on par if not better than Plasma TVs. Not using a fluorescent light creates a more vivid image on screen and much deeper and richer dark areas that are more controlled.

Another thing to consider is the impact on the environment. LED TVs don't use mercury during their manufacturing, and produce less amounts of carbon dioxide. This along with the lower energy usage compared to LCD leads people to consider it a more environmentally conscious choice.

The most dramatic thing to consider when buying an LED TV is the cost. LCD TVs are far cheaper when you compare the same size TVs of each. The difference between the two displays, for some, simply cannot warrant the price increase. If you have the money for an LED then it's definitely the recommended option.

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Smart TVs: Are They Smart?

Smart TVs

I've been working in the tech industry for long enough to see some real clunker products along the way. From PCs shaped like fish to messaging clients that relied on slow GSM networks, there have been some memorably dud products. One that stands out in memory as a particularly odd product was LG's Internet Fridge, a $17,000 food cooling device that also included an internet-connected computer in the door.

It didn't sell well. Technology-improved versions of gadgets haven't typically set the world on fire, largely because the costs have generally been high -- why would you spend seventeen thousand dollars on a low-rent PC tacked onto a fridge when you could spend a couple of thousand on a large fridge and the same on a laptop -- and feature sets haven't exactly enhanced the experience of using the device. I may be a fan of social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook, but that doesn't mean I need to update my status while I'm grabbing some milk.

Oddly enough, LG's having another crack at the Internet Fridge concept again, with models announced at this year's CES trade show back in January, but that was a minor concept next to the next big thing to get a tech makeover, that being the concept of "Smart" TVs. Most of the major TV vendors have a Smart TV platform now, offering up social networking, light internet browsing, some games and access to catch-up TV services from the ABC and Channel 7. There's support for developers to make TV-specific applications, but as yet there's no central standard for those applications, which means the features and apps available on one manufacturer's TVs may not be available on the other.

The Smart TV concept probably has more legs than the Internet Connected Fridge, Wireless Toaster or MixMaster-With-Inbuilt Fax (not that those last two actually exist) simply because they've largely been priced at the same kinds of price points we're used to seeing TVs priced at, so you're not spending too much extra for those features. More critically they're better because the features they offer make a certain amount of sense. When I'm watching TV and want to check something, the option to quickly bring up a web page makes sense. With the addition of a camera, the opportunity to hook up a video Skype call with the entire family sitting on the couch makes sense. If there's a brief pause for some advertising, I'd probably rather while the time away with a quick ad-hoc game than being told why I should buy this year's rustbucket. You get the idea.

It's early days for the Smart TV concept. What do you think  Will your next TV purchase be a Smart TV, or will the concept go colder than the Internet Fridge?

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How to Install a Wall Mounted LCD TV

How to Install a Wall Mounted LCD TV

Once you have your LCD TV home, you now have to concern yourself with how to install a wall mounted LCD TV. Wall mounting, because of the space saving factor of it and the way it prevents your television from dominating the room, is a very popular way of displaying it.

One way to get it installed is to use a professional. Obviously, someone from the store or an electronics store is going to be able to install the TV efficiently and correctly. However, that will cost you a great deal of money, and since you just spent all that money on an LCD TV, it may be a good idea to install it yourself. It is not that hard, so you may as take advantage.

First Things First

Once you have an idea of where you would like to mount your LCD TV, you need to get a stud finder. How to install a wall mounted LCD TV doesn't matter if you don't put it in the right place. User your stud finder to make sure the wall mount is put into a stud. This is the only way you will be able to make the television safely stable on your wall.

Anchors Away

Once you find the studs and have marked the mounting location, you are ready to put up the wall mount. The wall mount will need to be screwed into the wall at as many points as possible. The more points of anchor, the less weight is on each individual mounting spot. Once you have the wall mount anchored to the studs in the wall, you are almost done with how to install a wall mounted LCD TV.

Hide Cables

Once you have the studs located, the wall mount anchored, and the LCD TV attached to the mount, you need to plug in and hook up your television. You will need to find a way to hide the lines. That can be done either by drilling into your wall and running them through it, or by finding other methods of "hiding" them on the outside of the wall. Certain conduits and sheathes available in your local home improvement store can really help with this process.

Have Help

Finally, no matter how sure you are that you know how to install a wall mounted LCD TV, it is still a good idea to have help around. Whether it is to hold up the TV as it is mounted or to bounce ideas and suggestions off of, having a second person there will make the process safer and more efficient.

Learning how to install a wall mounted LCD TV is the last step in the long process of getting your perfect television. You did the research on the types of technology, found the place to buy, found the model you wanted, and installed it in your wall. Now, all that is left to do is sit back and enjoy your new LCD television on its newly installed wall mount.

you can Also Read Other Article Samsung LED Wall Mount For Picture

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Tips For Buying HD TVs on Craigslist

Tips For Buying HD TVs on Craigslist

So you want to catch up with technology and buy a high definition television. Of course you have lots of buying options, but you may consider turning to Craigslist.org. As you know, Craigslist is an online website where internet users can buy and sell products. One of those products are HDTVs. If you decide to checkout Craigslist.org or even eBay.com, here are a few helpful buying tips for you.

Read Reviews: Speaking from personal experience, some HDTVs aren't worth the money. Luckily, buying used presents a good opportunity for you. When I reviewed the new one I bought all the reviews were "this is great;" however, people jumped right on the computer and reviewed the TV after only having it in their living room for one month. When my LCD TV went, I headed back to those reviews and many were edited later stating the same power problem I had. When you buy used, the HDTV has been on the market a while and you are able to see the good reviews, as well as the bad reviews that start showing up a few months or a year later.

Ask About Repairs: This ties into the above mentioned problem I had with our LCD TV. We contacted a local television repair guy who would do the work for $300. Considering the fact that the original cost was $1,500 it wasn't a bad deal, but the television wouldn't be ready for pickup for weeks. We ended up buying a new TV and sold the older, repaired one on Craigslist. We stated this TV underwent repairs and offered a discount price because of it, but not everyone takes this approach. It won't hurt to ask. Ask why they are selling the set: was something wrong or did they just upgrade If repairs were made, try to get an even better deal by negotiating.

Consider Size: If you are buying a big screen HDTV, you want to have a game plan in place. Many times a seller just sells the television; it is your responsibility to load it into a car. A 47" television can weight as much as 150 pounds! Before agreeing to buy, get the basics on the TV in question. Moreover, ask how far you are going to need to carry it. Don't find out too late that the seller lives on the third floor of an apartment complex with a narrow stairway; your great deal might not seem so great after all.

Size, repairs, and reviews are all factors you want to take into consideration when buying an HDTV or any television from Craigslist.org or eBay.com. Cheap TVs are easy to find on these websites, but you want to ensure your cheap purchase really is a good deal

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