Technology Overview
LCD or Liquid Crystal Display is a Light Transmitting technology. There are three independent Polysilicon Thin Film Transistors (TFT) panels in LCD TV carrying crystals (pixels) in Red, Green and Blue primary colors. Ultra White light from the TV's Ultra High Pressure (UHP) lamp gets subdivided into three primary colors by using dichroic mirrors. After being reflected through the reflection mirrors and traveling through the electrical fields these light beams are recombined through dichroic prism to form a single light beam with a combination of millions of colors. Finally, the colors in the light beam pass through the projection lens to fall on the TV's screen and we see a crystal clear picture in bright and vibrant colors.
Widescreen TV with High Definition capability
High Definition resolution is 1280x720 pixels. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9. The High Definition monitors can accept 720 progressive vertical lines or 1080 interlace vertical lines in High Definition. Some manufacturers are bringing out TVs in Higher Resolutions of 1920x1080 pixels. This also has the aspect ratio of 16:9. This format is set for High Definition DVDs so if watching HD DVDs or the Blue-ray discs is your prime choice, look for an LCD TV with 1920x1080 pixel resolution. A monitor with native 720p can accept full 1080i lines and scale them in to its native resolution.
Resolution
The highest resolution in vertical lines from HDTV and HD DVD (when played through HD DVD player) is 720 progressive lines or 1080 interlace lines. So buying an LCD monitor with these capabilities is more appropriate. A monitor with more vertical lines such as 1080p will be more appropriate if the source is in 1080p. LCDs are fixed pixel display units.
Analog TV Deadline
February 17, 2009 is the deadline set by FCC and the US Congress for Analog TV. The broadcasters will have to relay TV signals in digital only after this date. TV manufacturers will have to install DTV tuners in the digital TVs. So look for a digital LCD TV with a digital tuner. An HD DTV tuner will be a much better choice. This way by simply connecting a digital HD antenna to your digital TV with HDTV tuner you will be able to watch local digital HD and non HD channels free of charge.
Viewing Angle
A circle consists of 360º. If you divide it by 2 you get 180º. This 180º viewing angle is the front area in case of the big screen TV where the screen surface can be seen from one corner to the other corner. Normally people sit 6' to 8' away from the TV. So if this viewing angle is 120º to 160º it will be a good option to see the monitor clearly from one corner to the other corner. Very high viewing angle will not help drastically. First of all you will not sit very close to your TV and secondly you will not be sitting in the far corner of the room. So if a TV has a viewing angle of between 120º to 160º that is a good option.
HDMI™
HDMI™ stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. This is the new standard to pass audio and video signals in one cable from digital source to the display unit. HDMI comes under compliance of HDCP™ which stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. This is like software implemented in new digital units to deter video piracy. So make sure your new LCD TV has HDMI input with HDCP. You may find LCD TVs with 2 HDMI inputs. This may be essential if you have two HDMI video sources such as HD satellite receiver and HD DVD player. One HDMI cable in shorter length say 3' can take audio and uncompressed video in digital domain to the receiver. On some new HD DVDs the audio is coded in Dolby Digital True High Definition™ but the player will convert this High End audio in LPCM or Low Frequency Pulse Code Modulation and when you transport this audio through Digital Optical out to the audio/video receiver it will be processed as DTS™ or Digital Theater Sound. The solution is to transport this High End audio through HDMI to the receiver which has a processor for Dolby Digital True HD™. To distinguish further listen to the audio from "Phantom of the Opera" HD DVD through Digital Optical output and then through HDMI output. HDMI will give you full high and low frequencies, from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. The orchestra and especially the piano part will sound as if you are listening to the original sound track in the recording studio.
So look for an LCD TV with HDMI inputs and pair up the audio with an HDMI input receiver.
Vertical Banding
LCD TVs carry three independent panels, one for each primary color. There is no need for color wheels. Thus there is no rainbow effect but LCD's can create a vertical banding. This is an image artifact which can show color degradation in mid gray colors. It will be a good idea to double check for these drawbacks before you make your purchase. Also check the specs to see if there is way to readjust or realign the panels to diminish the vertical banding.
Black Level
LCD's are light transmitting devices and thus because of this nature they can't produce a very strong black level in the picture. The new monitors are equipped with new technologies like Micro Lens Array, Digital Electrodes, Anti-reflective screen, Adjustment on three panels and so on to improve the picture quality and an enhancement on black level. So the overall picture may look decent with good color saturation though it may be lacking a strong black level. See for your self if you like the picture and its black level and color saturation.
Design, Weight and Looks
Most of the LCD TVs on the market are not very big. You may find bigger sizes in 47" diagonal. So before your purchase see where the TV will be placed. If it has to be wall mounted, make sure you have enough support capability on the studs. Check with a professional installer. Design and looks should match with your preference and taste.
Final Decision
So finally, if you like the design and looks of the LCD TV, its specs meets the connectivity and display capability with other source units and if it is under your budget then go for it.
