In terms of home entertainment the days of the robust and large unit tube televisions are becoming a distant memory. Seemingly the only option now is for a slim line, flat panel television, delivering the ultimate in both performance and aesthetics within the room that it is placed.
With flat panel TVs now monopolising the home entertainment market, the only choices that are really left to be made are what type of flat panel television, and what manufacturer or model to choose. When selecting the type of flat panel television to choose, there are three main options: Plasma, LCD and LED.
Plasma televisions were the delete mercari account first of the three technologies to really hit the mass market. Plasma TVs incorporate a technology that sees gases held between two panels of glass that is electronically converted into Plasma and emits ultraviolet light, stimulating phosphors to ultimately display light from the screen. This technology was revolutionary during its mass production in the late 1990s and sparked a huge popularity in Plasma televisions that brought about its market dominance until about 2006.
Plasma TVs like each flat panel option are slim line with the ability to be wall mounted. Plasmas are capable of producing the highest standard of black levels, with excellent colour reproduction and superior viewing angles when compared with its LCD and LED competitors.
The nature of the technology used in Plasma televisions opens it to the potential for something known as burn-in, which is the permanent etching of imagery onto the screen due to it being displayed statically for too long. This was a major issue; particularly with early Plasma TV models, although modern burn-in-reduction features have lessened its impact.
Despite early market dominance, analysis from 2006 onwards has conveyed the overtaking of Plasma TVs by LCD televisions.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) televisions utilise a technology that sees a complex grid of millions of LCD shutters open and close to emit the correct amount of light generated by cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) that illuminate LCD pixels. This technology is able to produce a higher resolution (1080p compared to 720p)than that of similarly sized Plasma televisions, although the fact that some light will always leak through the pixels results in not being able to achieve the black levels or colour saturation of their Plasma alternatives.
LCD TV’s rise to power from 2006 onwards is deemed to be largely due to a wide scale reduction in price and the continued support of major manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung and LG. Despite its inferior black levels and narrower viewing angles, the higher resolution of LCD TVs have made them the force to be reckoned with within the flat panel television market.
Attempting to overthrow that dominance is the rise of LED (Light Emitting Diode) televisions. Employing tiny light-emitting diodes instead of the CCFLs found in LCD TVs, LED televisions are available in conventional back-lit versions, as well as the latest technology edge-lit LED TVs.
The introduction of LED edge-lighting technology has allowed for the manufacture of ultra slim line models of LED TVs, achieving a flat panel television unlike any other on the market, with the thinnest of models measuring just 29.1mm in width.
As a relative newcomer to the flat panel television battle for supremacy, LED televisions are still offered at comparatively expensive prices, and not yet available in the comprehensive range of sizes when exceeding 40″ as the more established Plasma and LCD options.
However, with their advanced technology, LED TVs are able to produce the high black levels of Plasma TVs without the fear of burn-in, whilst also outputting the high resolutions of LED TVs. The inclusion of the best aspects of both Plasma and LED TVs, without their downfalls makes LED TVs the flat panel television option of choice; however that choice will have to come at a higher price for the time being.