How to Buy a Flat Screen HDTV
Flat screen, or flat-panel, High-Definition Televisions (HDTVs) are rapidly growing in popularity due to their picture quality and space-saving design. There are two different types of flat panel HDTVs, Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) and plasma, each with advantages and disadvantages.
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LCD
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LCD TVs are the better-selling of the two varieties of flat screen TVs. They are more versatile than plasma due to the low-glare finish on their screen, which makes them a better choice for rooms with natural sunlight, or for people who prefer to watch TV with the lights on. They also tend to have longer lifespans than plasma TVs and are virtually immune to screen burn-in.
Plasma
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Plasma TVs are more sensitive to light than LCD TVs, but in a darker viewing environment they produce a superior and more natural picture compared to an LCD TV of the same price. Plasma TVs also have a wider viewing angle than LCD TVs, and look just as good from the side as they do head on.
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Resolution, Refresh Rate, and Contrast Ratio
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Resolution measures the number of pixels on screen at a given time, with a higher number indicating a sharper and more realistic picture. Refresh rate applies only to LCD TVs and indicates how many times per second the picture refreshes, with higher numbers indicating smoother and more realistic display of moving objects. Contrast ratio is a measure of the difference between the brightest and the darkest color a TV can display, but is measured differently from company to company, which diminishes its usefulness.
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References
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