LCD TV Guide
In this guide we aim to explain some of the technological features and specifications found on modern LCD TVs, which will hopefully help you to get a better understanding of what to look out for before you buy a new 22 LCD TV.
LCD Technology
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. An LCD TV screen is made up of hundreds of thousands of LCD pixels which are lit from behind by a white back-light. By sending different amounts of light through each pixel the screen is able to display different colours and produce ultra realistic images. Because LCD TVs have more pixels per inch than older CRT televisions the sharpness and clarity of the picture is far superior. Another benefit that LCD TVs have over CRT TVs is that the sets are not only lighter they are also far more compact - many LCD televisions can be wall mounted.
LCD vs Plasma
Most modern televisions tend to be either LCD or Plasma based, whilst Plasma sets feature many of the benefits offered by LCD sets (such as picture quality and compactness), they do have some drawbacks. LCD televisions tend to consume less electricity saving you some money and making them more environmentally friendly. Plasma sets can also suffer from what is commonly described as 'screen burn' - static images can sometimes leave a trace on the screen.
HD Ready
There's a good chance that you have noticed many sets being advertised as being 'HD Ready' and it's important to understand what this means. HD stands for High Definition, many television broadcasters are beginning to show some of their programs in high definition formats, resulting in a better quality viewing experience than non-HD broadcasts.
An HD Ready TV is capable of displaying high definition images, but it's important to note that you do need a receiver capable of receiving HD broadcasts to experience high definition broadcasts. One option would be to buy a Sky+HD box which would plug into the HDMI port found on HD Ready sets. Modern games consoles such as the Sony Playstation 3 and the XBOX 360 display their games in HD. Blu-Ray players also output high definition content.
To sum up, an HD Ready TV is capable of broadcasting High Definition images, so by investing in an HD Ready set you buying a set that will be able to take advantage of High Definition content which is expected to become more and more prevalent.
Digital TV
Between 2008 and 2012 analogue television broadcasts are being phased out in favor of digital broadcasts. One of the main reasons that analogue broadcasts are being phased out is that it will free up vital space for local tv, wireless broadband and High Definition Television.
Once the analogue signal has been phased out the only way to watch free television from the likes of the BBC and ITV will be by having a Freeview receiver. You could invest in an external Freeview box, but thankfully most modern LCD televisions (including 22 LCD TV's) come with an integrated Freeview receiver - so there's no need to purchase additional hardware. Integrated solutions also tend to be easier to set up and ensure clutter is kept to a minimum.