What is a LCD TV?
LCD TV – An Introduction
A LCD TV uses LCD technology which can provide slim design, a flat viewing surface, larger screens and higher-quality images. A liquid crystal display TV is an extremely thin TV set with a profile of 4†or less and consumes much less electricity in comparison with conventional CRT TVs or modern Plasma TVs. This is one of the reasons why LCD devices are ideal for electronic devices like laptops which can work for a longer time using batteries.
A LCD screen consists of numerous pixels and other colour filters to produce display with the help of a rear backlight device. LCD uses liquid crystals which function like gates that allow and block the passage of light through them. In a LCD display, the picture quality is usually determined by the various features like resolution, colour reproduction, screen refresh rate or response time and viewing angles. Flat panels like plasma TVs and LCD TVs have their own advantages and disadvantages based on how they perform in these areas and on the factors like light design, portability, durability, longevity etc.
One of the major qualities that make a LCD TV quite distinct from other display technologies is its ability to support higher resolution. Native resolution of a screen refers to the number of pixels or tiny dots that occupy a square inch of the screen. Display devices like LCD TV uses millions of pixels to produce an image. Since a LCD has millions of pixels, they are able to produce smooth, sharp and true-to-life images.
During the time when there is a lot of hype about HDTV and its resolutions, LCD TVs can best address its display requirements. Present day flat panels are designed to have native resolutions like 1080p, 1080i and 720p. While larger plasma TVs and LCDs can support full HDTV resolution (1080p), it is in the category of smaller screens where a LCD TV has an significant advantage over a Plasma TV. If you like to go for a flat panel below 32†but with full HDTV resolution, you have no other option but to buy a LCD TV since current plasma TVs with similar size are still far away from that spec.
If you make a research before you go for a LCD TV, you will find most LCD TVs are 32″ and smaller. It is because LCD enjoys the most preferred display in the smaller category. Another reason is the price factor. The price difference between Plasma TV and LCD TV in this category is not much while the larger LCDs are usually more expensive. The prices of LCD TVs continue to fall and the newer larger LCDs can quite compete with plasma tvs in terms of performance. However, we need to wait a little more time before a larger LCD TV becomes as cheap as an equal sized plasma TV.
Older LCD TVs had weaknesses like low contrast ratio, narrow viewing angles and higher response time. They showed images without rendering pure blacks or gave distorted vision during off-axis viewing or produced visible image artifacts. The LCD TV makers have largely minimized these defects in newer LCD TVs and you will find the latest LCD TVs can perform as well as Plasma TVs in these areas, or even better.
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Written by LCD analyst · Filed Under LCD Guide
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