Which Display Technology is Best?
Part 2 in a
2-part TV tech series
Part 1:
New TV or Digital Converter Box?
You're bored. You can't believe that the time to switch TVs came so fast. You turn on your old tube and flip through the channels. Darn. Nothing but that white fuzz comes to the screen.
The Switch
"The switch" is when TV signals switch from analog to digital. The date will be Feb. 17th 2009.
After that, analog TV sets using antenna to receive free TV will not get a signal. Read Part 1 of this series for an explanation.
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And you wanted to watch “American Idol!” At least you've already figured out that you want a new TV instead of a converter box to catch your favorite show.
What should you do now? You should try to choose what kind of TV to buy!
Now comes the research
It's February 17 and you didn't make the switch to digital!
You hop onto the computer and surf the internet for data on new TVs. You know that you should be well informed before making any real decisions.
Whoa! Look at all the stuff! OLED, DLP, LCD, Plasma, CRT, PHOLED, FOLED, WOLED, TOLED . . . .
Alright, time to narrow it down! Click! OLED Stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode… “Electricity passes through the organic layers… makes light…” Oh, man!
OLED
The OLED is the king of the TVs. It has the best viewing angle, the best contrast, the least amount of power consumption and is the thinnest TV on the market.
Sadly it is only available in an 11-inch size!
An OLED could be rolled up around a pen and pulled out at any time you needed a down loaded map or a screen for choosing a song.
If the scientists can make the screen bigger and the cost comes down the OLED would completely take over the TV market.
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Wait! ”…only available model is an 11-inch' screen!” Well, I guess that's out!
Oh, look! PHOLED is almost the exact same thing!
PHOLED
PHOLED, which stands for Phosphorescent OLED, is basically a really efficient light bulb. It can produce more light than normal incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. A PHOLED uses less energy than an LCD light bulb.
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So are FOLED…and WOLED…and TOLED! That eliminates them, too!
FOLED, WOLED and TOLED
FOLED stands for Flexible OLED which can be bent and folded into anybody's pocket. They could be useful for traveling to places.
WOLED stands for White OLED. White OLEDs are a lot bright than normal incandescent bulbs. They are very energy efficient.
A TOLED really stands for Transparent OLED. As the name implies, it is see through. It could be useful on a window or a mirror.
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Need help with the language? Check out DTV.gov's standard terms and definitions.
Gee, CRT is what I have already, you think to yourself.
CRT
A Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is the big bulky TV that you probably have right now. It works by a ray gun that shoots electron beams at the screen. The electrons create a picture.
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All that's left is DLP, LCD, and plasma TVs! DPL …”…digital light processor…” Hmmm… says that they're “big and bulky!” I'll keep that in mind.
DLP, LCD and Plasma TV
DLP, or Digital Light Processor, is a bit larger TV. It has a problem with the screen door effect, but not with burn-in or viewing angle (170 degrees).
It's not too heavy, and has a maximum resolution of 1080p. Resolution is the number of horizontal rows. If the resolution is 1080p, then there are 1080 rows of pixels visible.
A plus is that it is pretty good for power consumption.
LCD doesn't have a problem as far as burn-in goes. It's light weight and low power consuming.
Plasma has a good viewing angle, but has a problem with burn-in. It's ok with weight and power consumption.
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“…can have screen door effect?” Oh… like seeing all the pixels? “…poor viewing angle.”
LCD … Liquid Crystal Display…”… it's light weight… Good viewing angle… can be big or small.”
Looks like plasma can be biggest of the choices I have, “…has burn-in as a problem.”
Burn-in
Burn-in is when an image that has been on the screen for a while remains there even when you change pictures. Plasma TVs are the only major TV that has this problem.
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To decide which TV is best for you, a good place to start is by looking at your lifestyle...
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