Some of us grew up when television was young, and turning that dial to pull in a handful of stations was pretty exciting. Eventually, they made them in colour, and a whole new world of munchkins and yellow brick roads was born. Then came cable television, with dozens, then hundreds of channels, surround sound, and now, flat panel televisions, with HDTV, blue ray players built in, and graphics so real that you feel like you are looking through a window, not watching television. But all of these advances in technology, while gratifying from a visual and auditory perspective, can also be overwhelming, leaving many of us wondering what digital television, what is HDTV, what’s the difference between plasma and LCD, and how we can choose among the many options available.

Progressing Towards HDTV

Traditional standard definition (SD) television was great, and these analogue signals served us well for decades. In the late 1990’s, digital televisions were creating, improving the look and sound. Then, in 2007, the UK began broadcasting signals in digital, meaning viewers must have a digital telly, or a digital conversion box, to receive television signals. If you have cable, you probably did not even notice this conversion. Around the same time, our desire for bigger and better brought us high definition television (HDTV). Today’s high definition tellies are digital, and offer very high density of pixels per inch, resulting in realistic picture and sound quality.

All that glitters is Plasma, or LCD

While plasma and LCD televisions look the same, they work a bit differently. Plasma televisions use gas plasma cells, which are electrically charged, while liquid crystal displays (LCD) have liquid crystals, sandwiched between glass panes, with specific electrical charges applied.

Both LCD and plasma offer great pictures, but there are other differences. Plasma tends to display black and other darker colours better, as well as brighter colours, thus they are often better for movies. Plasma also allows good viewing from more varied angles, in other words, you can see the screen better from off to the side, or down below, than with an LCD, though LCDs seem to be catching up.

LCD televisions require less energy to run than plasma, and often have higher pixel density at smaller screen sizes. LCD is also less subject to screen burn-in. When looking at sets under 50 inches, LCDs are usually more affordable.

Choosing a television in the HDTV age

It is important to note that there is a difference between a full HDTV set and HDTV-ready, which means the telly can be HDTV, with the addition of an expensive tuner. Today, any set purchased should be full HDTV. The choice between LCD and plasma is individual and should be made based upon set size, cost, and viewing habits.

When it comes to brands, known brands are always a good choice. Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung make some of the best LCDs and plasmas in the business; the Sony Bravia is an excellent choice for LCD screen currently. However, Visio is an up-and-coming television brand today, with LCD screens of exceptional quality being dependable, high quality, and affordable even in extremely large sizes.