The other thing I’ve heard multiple times is that the resolution is definitely less than the CRTs, and that no real graphics person would ever use one.
I’ve heard plasma TVs are energy hogs, and use much more power than other sets of the same size.
Sorry, I read this as talking about flat panel computer monitors, but much the same kind of thing has been said about the flat tvs.
I’ll email this thread to an A/V guy I know, and see if he has any input.
“Don’t Plasmas and similar TVs have a really short lifespan?”
Naw, thats a myth going around there should be info on it on the net though.
You can get a hdtv card for your PC & watch hdtv on your PC …
howstuffworks.com explains how all these tvs work.
LCD TVs will have picture defects, in the form of pixels that are stuck on or off. On a TV this isn’t a really big deal, as you’ll be sitting rather far away, but it is an issue for things like computer monitors. Also, note that refresh rates and viewing angles will be problematic. As for refresh rates, LCDs are notorious for blurring out the picture when there is motion, a lower response time counteracts this. They also have poor viewing angles, which means if you sit off-center of the TV, the colors will be distorted or the picture might be unviewable. How wide the viewing angle is depends on the LCD in question, some are almost as good as CRTs, some BADLY distort if you move even a few degrees off center. Basically, head into the store and actually look at the LCD screens they have available so you can find one that you think looks nice.
LED displays, in the form of Organic LED arrays, are the future of display technology. Once they are able to get the lifespan of OLED displays comparable to LCDs, you can expect to see LCDs and CRTs disapear almost overnight, as OLED displays are cheaper, easier to manufacture, and feature much higher image quality.
Hope this helps.
What Alereon said. There may be some pixels that won’t light; the manufacturers claim no “worse” than one in a thousand but I’ve never seen that bad. And many people lock their displays in full-screen mode so they can justify paying so much for a TV but everything coming in 4:3 format (most broadcast TV, video tapes, and DVDs that are not widescreen) gets distorted.
I’d hold off on flat panel TVs for a few years.
plasmas DO hog a lot of power, but thats because they are big and bright. what other units of similar size are you referring to ? CRTs do not go that big, and projecton TVs’ picture is so freaking bleak you can’t compare them.
to me, there are 2 reasons not to buy them
1 - they will get cheaper
2 - the resolution will increase, as HDTV specifies much higher resolutions than currently available in plasmas, or for that matter other HDTV display technologies.