Need to buy a new TV, looking for a good guide to all the different types...

First off, I dunno if this is the right forum for this but it looks close enough! I am looking to buy a new TV, large 42"s+. I saw a guide posted on these forums once that had a really good explanation of dlp vs lcd vs crt vs plasma. I tried searching and couldnt find it, I also googled and found a few guides but they all seemed outdated. Im not sure what type of TV I should go with, I know I want widescreen and HD, but dlp, crt, lcd, or plasma? Please post any good info you have or links that can help me.

WHat do you plan to use the TV for? What will it be primarily used to view? That can affect your choice as much as anything.

Example: Plasma Screens, while very bright and very clear, have had major issues in the past with gamers. Games tend to have static images more often than not (especially sports games) and this caused tremendous image-burn problems. I know Plasma TV's are now more burn-resistant, but they aren't foolproof.

TV and movies, no games.

OK, I'll give this one a shot.

First of all, the images will only be as good as the source it's coming from. So, with any of these displays, don't expect a really good picture unless you are getting a good source in the first place. With that, do you have HD? Are you planning to get HD? Is your DVD progressive (probably is if it's fairly new)? Does it upconvert to a higher resolution than the standard 480P?

OK, here a real quick breakdown of the different technology.

Plasma:
Plasma is typically three layers of glass with plasma gas in between. Plasma's tend to be heavier than LCD's and *may* have a problem with burn-in. Burn-in is the effect of having static images on the sceen for long periods of time (I'm talking over 8 hours straight). Plasma's will have better black detail than LCD (though LCD has improved greatly with the latest generation displays).

LCD:
Direct View LCD's.
Basically, similar to LCD's for computers but larger in size. Supposedly, they will not have a problem with burn-in. Most similarly sized LCD will cost more than a Plasma display. Contrast ratio is not as good as some plasmas.

Rear projection LCDs:
Uses a small LCD sceen and projects it to a large screen up front. Similar to how Rear Projection CRT's work, but they can fit it in a thinner box.

DLP:
There are two types (one chip and three chip). DLP technology shoots light to the DLP chip and the light bounces to a color wheel then out to the screen. You need to see for yourself if a DLP is right for you because some people see "rainbows" when viewing DLP. If you don't see it, don't look for it.
Three chip DLP's are much more expensive because they use three chips instead of one. Because there's no color wheel, there are no issues with rainbows.
Some DLP's are already able to produce true HD (1080P) but content is very limited at this point.

LCoS:
Liquid Crystal on Sylicon (Sony calls them SXRD, but it's the same thing). Basically similar to three chip DLPs.


You can find a ton of info over at
avsforum (dot) com
But sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Hope that gives you a little taste of what each technology is about.

edited LCDs.

I thought I read some stuff about 2 chip dlps? But you say they are either 1 or 3? Also as for the dvd player/speakers, I will also be purchasing these new. Right now Im leaning towards DLP, but the rainbow thing freaks me out kinda, also the bulb replacement, how hard is it to replace bulbs and how much do they cost? As for plasma, once something has been "burned in" is it possible to undo it?

My personal opinion is go for Plasma. It gives the best image quality for the money.

I wasn't very impressed with DLP. I know a lot of people that love their DLP, but I returned mine within a week. CRT and Plasma both seemed more color accurate to me. I ended up with a Sony KV-34XBR910 (Direct View CRT.) At the time it was the best quality for the money. Today, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a plasma set.

PS: What Qwerty stated is very true. The source matters. If you're buying a new set. Don't expect it to look fabulous unless you're watching high quality broadcast/recordings. You will be downright disgusted by some of your older DVDs on a new HDTV, not to mention Standard TV. There are some decent scalers in these new TVs, but remember the bigger the set the more glaring those artifacts will be.

DLP's are 1 or 3 chip (1 using a three color wheel or 3 chip, one for each color).

I'd go demo a set. Any reputable dealer will let you bring in a dvd to check out the performance on the set. Or, go to a day when there's a sports event going on, like football. Fast moving objects where the camera needs to keep up with a subject is when "rainbows" are most commonly seen.

Also, during credits (at the end of a movie). White text on black.

Bulbs typically cost around $350-$400 and I believe there are instructions on the manual on how to replace the bulb. And also, I believe typical lifespan of a bulb is somewhere in the range of 3000-4000 hours.

But remember, when they say life of the bulb, it usually means when the light output of the bulb drops to about 50% from the original. It doesn't just die when you hit that mark, so it's possible to extend the time where you need to replace it.

I myself have a plasma. I use it everyday and on a regular viewing habit, you really shouldn't have to worry about burn-in's. Now, you may need to be careful if you watch alot of CNN. The reason, the scrolling news on the bottom. If you switch back and forth to different channels, you should be fine. Now, it's not the text the burns the image, but the box that the text is on.

And there's not really a way to reverse burn-in.

When I went TV shopping I also determined that a plasma was the best value right now imo. I ended up buying a 42" Daewoo for $1500. The image is very vivid and clear, and the blacks are black. Both LCDs and DLPs (or any projection) have trouble displaying true black. It's getting better, but this is an area where CRTs and plasmas have an edge.

Mine is not a true HDTV because it doesn't have enough pixels for a 780p or 1080i resolution, it's an EDTV. I felt that the EDTV actually looked a tiny bit better with current DVDs because the resolution closely matches that of a progressive scan player, whereas an HDTV has to blow up the signal more. But you can get HD plasmas for a little more money, and they do look better with true HD content.

I also liked that I could mount the plasma to the wall. That really allowed me to arrange my TV room how I wanted, rather than be limited by a bulky wall unit or whatever.

I use my TV all the time. It gets used for sports & shows, along with movies. I found that VHS tapes looked just awful, especially compared to DVD, so I threw out my VCR.

Regarding burn-in, I've had none at all. This was more of an issue for earlier generation plasmas, just like it used to be an issue for CRTs back in the day (remember screen savers like johnny castaway). Although if a static image is up on any part of the screen for hours and hours, like the mention scrolling box or even a station's logo, it will likely cause problems. But I've watched MSNBC for six hours for hurricane coverage and that didn't cause a problem.

If a plasma does suffer from burn-in it can be reversed somewhat by displaying static - the black & white fuzzy image you get when you select a vacant channel on an analog tuner. Burnt in images will also fade gradually over time as the set continues to be used. But it would likely never go away completely.

The other drawbacks to plasmas is they use a little more power than LCDs & DLPs, but the annual cost difference will be small. And finally, plasmas gradually fade and nothing can be done to brighten them back up (unlike a DLP with a replaceable bulb). The half life is generally in the 15,000 to 30,000 hour range. So that means in 10 or 20 years of average use a plasma will be about half as bright as it used to be. This was not an issue for me because plasmas are brighter to begin with, and after that long I'll probably want a new set anyway.