Pop into a TV retailer today and you will be faced with screen sizes up to a whopping 70 inches, using a confusingly diverse range of display technologies.
Which big TV? Thankfully, as the technology has developed, the pixel-switching time has dropped dramatically and, in the very best models, causes very little motion blur on moving images. This has opened the floodgates for LCD TVs from 14 inches right up to over 30 inches. However, unlike plasmas, price is no indication of quality.
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LCD contrast ratio is generally poorer than any other TV technology as the backlight can leak through the ‘switched off' pixels. A potent backlight can lift the brightness figures, but colour is dependent on single block filtering, so the total range of colours and the colour saturation are also mediocre. The deep liquid crystal substrate means the picture integrity fades away as you move off axis, although the latest models claim a viewing angle up to 130 degrees. That said, manufacturer's specification sheets can read like Tolkien-scale fiction at times, so getting a demonstration of an LCD TV before you buy is essential.
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So why is LCD currently the must-have technology? Not only are LCD TVs a super slim flat panel, they are much lighter in weight than plasma models, as the LCD itself is made from plastic rather than glass. Screen resolutions are HD friendly on larger screen models and each pixel has a much better defined edge definition than the glowing phosphor dots of plasma or CRT – creating a very sharp image. LCD TVs do not suffer screen burn-in from constantly displaying static images, are silent in operation and, from an energysaving perspective, use little electricity.
But the biggest key to LCD TV's rise has been falling prices. Each panel is cut out of a single large sheet of fully engineered LCD and each new manufacturing generation creates larger initial sheets. This reduces cost per unit and hence the street price – with near 30-inch models now on sale for less than £1,000. Considering the best 32 inch CRTs are still approaching that price, the hang-on-the-wall LCD TV has an unshakeable appeal.
LCD TV costs will continue to fall, the picture quality will continue to rise and, as features like digital tuners, memory card readers and wireless connectivity become mainstream, LCD TVs will dominate the 14- to 32-inch TV screen market. As long as you make sure you are buying an HD-ready model and try before you buy – you can't go wrong.
