- LCD stands for liquid crystal display. Previously, pixel problems kept these TVs from looking as good as plasma TVs, but technology advances have made them look just as well. LCD TVs are most definitely more flexible and lighter than older CRT televisions. LCD TVs cane easily be mounted on walls or set on lightweight stands that can go almost anywhere.
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The first thing you want to look at is cost. You should buy what you can afford and realize that the longer you wait, prices will probably come down some, but waiting may not be worth the price reduction. You should also buy the size that you want so you will not want to buy another TV soon afterward.
The details in what to look at once you have decided on your budget and size include resolution, scan, viewing angle, brightness, contrast ratio as well as the company.
The most common resolutions are 720p and 1080i. !080i is going to provide more screen information and is going to look better. The "i" and "p" stand for interlaced and progressive scan. Interlace scan scans half the lines of a TV at a time and does a second scan to light the other half. Interlace only truly shows about thirty full frames a second. Progressive scan lights all lines at once and shows up to sixty frames a second. Interlace scan can make moving images look less blurry however.
A better viewing angle lets you see the TV from the widest possible angle. Most LCD TVs have a viewing angle of 160 degrees. The closer to 180 degrees, the better, as the TV will be able to be viewed more clearly from side views.
You will want a TV that has the highest brightness and contrast ratios you can get. The brighter the image and the more contrast between light and dark, the better the image is going to look.
Consider the company. Even with good numbers, a no-name brand is probably going to produce more problems than top-of-the-line TV manufacturers. No-name brands will often use cheaper parts that don't last as long or look as well. You will also want a TV with good speakers, and the better brand TVs are more likely to have better speakers.
