What Sort of Flat-Screen TV Should You Choose?

The television marketplace is flooded with a plethora of brands, sizes and different types of television. These TVs also come in a range of refresh rates and value-adding features such as built in freeview, built in freesat and in some cases the internet and other multimedia control functionality. Here are an overview of the benefits and drawbacks of the various TV options out there:

Plasma – These are the cheapest types of televisions on the market at the moment, coming in at roughly 20% less than the equivalent LCD price. Although they are cheaper, they suffer from a number of side effects, including a limited life of around 8 years of regular use due to the burn out of electrical components and the picture quality is fairly poor. Plasma screens are brighter than rear-projection screens of old, but still are not as vivid or visually stimulating as other forms of flat-screen TV. Plasma TVs are for people who want an attractive big screen TV at a good price.

LCD – These are currently the most popular type of flat-screen being sold and offer a good versatile viewing experience. The definition is usually good with pleasing contrast and brightness. The colour also looks fairly rich and the price is reasonable. Unfortunately, LCD TVs are fairly chunky and if you want one with a good screen refresh rate, then you still have to pay a lot.

LED – These TVs use LCD technology, so are technically LCD TVs with the same circuit breakers, fuses, electrical switches and technology. The difference with an LCD TV is how it is lit. LED lights run efficiently and brightly and are very small. This allows for incredible brightness and a super slim body that is suitable for wall mounting. The downside to these TVs are that they still cost quite a lot, usually an extra 30% on the LCD price for the equivalent screen size. Using cable ties is essential to help cover up the wires from such a beautiful device.

3D – 3D TVs have started to creep into the market lately as the pricing has become more attractive. You can have a 3D TV in plasma, LCD or LED format, but you are available to watch programs in 3D if that is how they are broadcasted. The technology is still fairly new and you’ll struggle to find a lot of 3D content out there and you still have to wear glasses, which is not a good prospect for a lot of people as they can be quite expensive and uncomfortable.

OLED – This new technology will be coming our way soon. There are examples of this format being produced by brands such as Sony but they cost a fortune and are still very small. This technology allows TVs to be really thin and have an almost perfect picture with rich blacks and vivid colours. You’ll be seeing these within the next couple of years.