Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What Is The Advantage Of LCD Over PLASM TV?
LCD television advantages include no burn-in susceptibility, cooler running, less screen glare, more functional at high altitudes, longer display life (although improvements are being made in Plasma screen life), looks better in brightly lit rooms, and less power consumption than Plasma.
Also, LCD televisions have made great strides in upping-the-ante in native pixel resolution, with a growing number of sets offering a full 1080p (1920x1080) display capability at affordable price levels in screen sizes ranging from 37-inches and up. On the other hand, the number of Plasma Televisions offering 1080p native pixel resolution are increasing, there are aren't as many affordable 1080p choices in the 42-inch screen size, as well as being more expensive in comparison to their LCD counterparts.
One factor to consider in favor of LCD over Plasma (at least for the near future) is that if you are planning to purchase a Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD, or Upscaling DVD Player, LCD may be a more cost-effective option as you can get a 1080p LCD set from 37-to-42-inches at a lower price than and 42-inch size Plasma set that has 1080p resolution. One other factor to consider is that LCD televisions are typically lighter (when comparing same screen sizes) than their Plasma counterparts, making wall installation easier.
Q2. Are LCD TV's Susceptiple To Burn-in?
LCD technology is not susceptible to burn-in, which is actually uneven aging of a display's phosphor. LCD TVs are liquid crystal-based, not phosphor-based, so there is no surface to burn-in. LCD TVs do exhibit a phenomenon known as "image retention" that occurs when bright objects have been left onscreen for an extended period of time, but this effect is not permanent.
Q3. What Is Aspect Ratio?
The aspect ratio describes the relationship of screen width to screen height. Conventional sets have a 4:3 aspect ratio, whereas wide-screen models are 16:9. Wide screens are the future. For one thing, HDTV is a wide-screen format. For another, DVDs usually look better on wide-screen displays because nearly every movie made in the last 50 years was filmed in an aspect ratio of either 1.85:1 (very close to 16:9, which is 1.78:1) or 2.35:1 (even wider than 16:9).
Q4. What Is S-Video?
S-Video offers better quality than composite video does, and most video sources except standard VCRs now have S-Video outputs. Connection is made with a special cable and multipin sockets.
Q5. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) – What Is It?
HDMI is DVI plus a digital audio and control link. HDMI is the dominant digital connection interface for HDTVs today. The big draw here is that you get a one-wire setup that pumps HD content into your other home-theater components too. This connection is provided on almost all current HD satellite receivers, HD cable boxes, and upconverting DVD players (those that provide 720p, 1080i, or 1080p output from regular DVDs), and it is the standard video connector for Blu-ray Disc players. The exact version of the HDMI input (for example, 1.1 or 1.3) is of little consequence on TV sets currently on the market. Of more importance to HDTV shoppers is how many HDMI inputs a TV has. Aim to get an HDTV with at least three or four HDMI inputs, to accommodate the multiple devices you're bound to accumulate.