The first thing to be aware of when it comes to High Definition television choices is the different methods that the television uses to place the image on the screen. First of all, there are CRT televisions. CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube. This is the type of TV that we have been using since the early days of televisions. These televisions typically will not be any larger than around 40 inches. After CRT televisions, there are rear projection televisions. Rear projection televisions have, in the past, been based on CRT technology. In recent years they have started to use other technologies such as LCD. Rear projection televisions are usually in the 40 to 70 inch range. There are also front projector televisions, but these tend to be rather expensive, and require a specific sort of screen to use. They are most often found in office uses.
Flat panel televisions are the newest sort of High Definition televisions. There are two basic types of flat panel televisions: plasma and LCD. Plasma HD televisions work in a similar way to the fluorescent light bulb. A plasma television uses gas, sealed in plasma, inside of the cells on the screen. The gas is charged by the picture signal, causing the gas to change to red, green, or blue. All of these tiny cells, changing in concert, form the picture. LCD televisions use liquid crystals, rather than gas sealed in plasma. These crystals either pass or block certain colors of light, which then creates images on the HD television screen.
There are some differences between plasma and LCD HD televisions that you need to think about when considering your High Definition television choices. Plasma televisions are available in larger screen sizes, and they have better motion tracking and color accuracy. On the other hand, plasma televisions generate more heat than other HD televisions. High Definition LCD televisions run cooler than plasma. They also run brighter than Plasma televisions. LCD televisions tend to have a longer life, as well.
Over the last few years, the price on all high definition televisions have been reducing in price. The increase in technology brings in more competition. This competition is not only helping more families obtain a better quality in their entertainment, it is driving the broadcasting providers to focus on their HD options. The leaders of the pack, DIRECTV, is offering its customers the most channels available in HD at the moment with many more on the way. Dish Network, although struggling to keep up, is still outperforming the cable providers.
