Choosing the Right High Definition TV for Your Home Theater
So, you finally get to plan out your home theater installation! Chances are, you’re experiencing a symptom that’s been known to affect virtually all home-theater rookies: the feverish, day-dreamy state that accompanies visions of the bright, crisp, larger-than-life images that you’re soon to enjoy on a brand new high definition screen. Getting caught up in the excitement of putting together a home theater might cause you to jump at any high-definition television (HDTV) that comes along, but it’s important to keep in mind that not all HDTV's are created equal!
High definition televisions are classified into three main categories: Plasma, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and Projection. Each type provides outstanding picture quality, but because of their different technologies, each “family” of high definition screens also carries its own list of features and space requirements. Read on to find out which type of HDTV is best suited to your viewing needs and home theater space.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Just think of an LCD television as a bigger version of your flat-screen computer monitor… it displays pictures using the same technology as your PC: the screen’s liquid crystal-filled cells form images as light is streamed through them. LCD's offer screen sizes that range up to 46 inches, provide images with good saturation levels, and work great in home theater areas that have high levels of ambient light (whether it’s coming from windows or artificial sources). Just like plasma screens, LCD's are wall mountable, and a natural choice for home theater fans who are also into gaming.
Plasma
If you’re a super-visual home theater buff for whom the picture is numero uno, a plasma screen is definitely the way to go! Plasma screens provide bright, color-saturated pictures and excellent black levels by way of a technology that charges neon and xenon-filled gas cells, which then form images. Plasma displays can be fairly pricey, but they offer the benefit of a large screen size (up to 60 inches) with a relatively small footprint (depth-wise, they max out at around 6 inches). Best for viewing TV and movies, plasma screens can keep up perfectly with even fast-action camera shots.
Projection
You say you’re dreaming of a high-definition big screen but can’t quite make the budget for a flat panel? No problem… as long as you have a decent-sized home entertainment room with some floor space to spare, a rear-projection microdisplay TV should fit the bill perfectly! Because rear-projection screens tend to be on the thicker side (they can get up to 22" deep in places), they need to be placed in a home theater console, or set down on either a stand or the floor. But don’t be disappointed... whatever rear-projection displays lack in the wall mountability department, they make up for in sheer size. Whereas LCD's and plasma screens stop growing at around 46 and 60 inches (respectively), projection TVs can exceed 65"! In addition to being huge, the pictures that rear-projection microdisplays provide are also sharp and bright, with excellent color saturation.