Flat screen TVs are now commonplace in many homes. The most popular forms of these televisions are plasma and LCD. But as a consumer which can be considered the best choice? Hopefully the following article will highlight some of the fundamental differences between the two technologies and how this affects the buyer.
First and foremost it is important to understand the different processes involved in both plasma and LCD technology. While these types of TV may look the same, within there are completely different processes at work producing an image. Apart from both being thin and attractively styled, they have few similarities.
A Plasma TV utilises a system of miniscule plasma gas cells that are charged by electrical current to create changes in UV light. This light is then filtered through phosphorus gasses of each primary colour to make an image. LCD TV screens on the other hand resemble an electronic sandwich, with liquid crystals between two ’slices’ of glass. Once again varying electrical current is applied to the crystals in order to create an image.
One of the major benefits that LCD TVs have over plasma variants is native resolution. This industry term simply refers to the number of pixels on the screen and in this particular instance means that LCD TVs have a higher resolution in terms of pixels than plasmas of a similar size.
One of the most touted benefits of LCD TVs is that they consume far less power than plasma varieties. This has become an increasingly important point in recent months as EU directives on energy consumption have come to the fore in electronic companies’ thinking. It is estimated that some models of plasma TV used thirty percent more power than a LCD of a similar size; the result has been some commentators labelling plasma TVs as the four by fours of the home.
It is also evident that LCD screens tend to have a longer lifespan than plasma models. Early models apparently lose half of their brightness after a measly twenty thousand hours although the latest varieties boast a lifespan of thirty to sixty thousand viewing hours. On the other hand, the average LCD TV typically has a guaranteed sixty thousand hour lifespan.
Screen burn is one of the more commonly highlighted problems with plasma TVs although this is becoming less of an issue. That said, even modern plasmas do suffer from screen burn, a result of a continuous image being shown on the screen and leaving a residual ghost image when viewing other channels. LCD TVs do not suffer from this problem at all.
So which should consumers buy? LCD or Plasma? This decision depends upon the size of the screen. In the majority of cases plasma TVs are better in larger sizes, for example those above fifty inches whereas LCD variants are better in smaller sizes. That said, those with an environmental conscience will be easily swayed by an LCD due to their lower power consumption and subsequent ecological validity. Additionally the longer lifespan of LCD televisions make them a better value buy although this is really a minor consideration. Ultimately the choice is down to the consumer but with plasma TVs apparently on the wane it is understandable that more people will see the benefits of LCDs in the future.
There are many different options for purchasing a flat screen TV. Consumers can visit a retail store in person, shop on-line or via mail-order catalogs. More and more, shoppers have turned to the convenience of buying flat screen TVs on-line. For a shipping fee, one can avoid the hassle of trying to fit a large appliance in the car and have it delivered directly to the house instead. As with any purchase made over the internet, a good deal on a flat screen TV can turn into large problems.
Consumers should take the old adage to heart: if something is too good to be true, then it probably is. Once a particular model is chosen, research its general price range. If the price for a flat screen TV model is much lower than the going rate this should throw a red flag. Do some more digging to find out why the retailer comes in so much lower than its competitors. Legitimate businesses can not afford to give away such expensive products and stay in business. These TVs are heavy, so the shipping charges can be high. Purchasers of flat screen TVs should also be wary of offers that make up low prices with unreasonably high shipping fees.
Again, do some research to find out what other retailers charge to ship the same product. When all is said and done, that good deal could end up costing much more than average once shipping is included. Manufacturers of flat screen TVs usually offer a warranty. Read it to find out exactly what is covered, for how long and who pays for shipping. Check to see if the warranty is from an American company and keep a copy of it. Research the most common things that go wrong with the chosen model and find out if they are covered by the warranty. If at all possible, check the reputation of the company with a local Better Business Bureau.
A consumer that buys a flat screen TV should learn the companys exchange and return policies before making the purchase. If the company is in a different city or state, find out who pays the shipping on a returned or exchanged item and how long the transaction should typically take. It is a good idea to purchase anything online, especially something as expensive as a flat screen TV, with a credit card. Some credit card companies offer their own warranties on purchases and most offer a dispute process.
A customer might obtain a full refund from the credit card company if a purchase was made from misleading or untrue advertisements. Call the credit card company before making a purchase and understand what consumer protections are available. With a little research a consumer can gain a lot of knowledge that will pay off in getting the best deal available and a clear understanding of what to do in case something goes wrong.
A plasma television set wall mount is a relatively suitable and trendy way to mount your television set to the wall. Flat screen TV wall mounts saves space in the room and avoids extra furniture. They have different options that will allow you to adjust the screen to different angles so that you can watch TV from wherever you are in the room!Installing Plasma TV Wall MountTo enjoy the features and big screen of your Plasma TV, it is very important to make sure that the mounting of your TV on the wall is properly made. If you are not hiring a professional and confident that you can fix it, the following are the steps to install wall mount for your flat screen Plasma TV.• Find studs in the wallOnce you select the suitable wall mount and the exact location of the wall mount on the wall, you need to find the studs in that wall location. It is very important that the mount is securely fixed to a stud. Find the center of the stud for the best results. You can easily find the studs in the wall using a stud finder.• Drill into the wallMark the center of the stud with pencil on the wall. Ensure the mounting bracket locations are level and that the height is appropriate by using a cardboard of the size of the flat TV. Once you are sure that the correct markings are made, drill in to the markings on the studs. Make sure two or three times before drilling into the wall for the correct levels.• Attach the mount and drill for the cablesAfter exactly drilling into the studs, attach the mount to the wall with the screws. Double check to ensure that the wall mount is level. Drill a hole behind the bracket to hide the wiring. Once it is done pull the cables through the wall. If you don’t want to drill again, use tapes and other tools to hide the cables.• Attach the Flat TVOnce you are done with the wiring, the last step is to fix the TV set to the wall mount. As flat TV is often heavy, you need another person to hold it at least for few minutes. It’s a good idea to attach all of the cables to the TV before fixing it to the mount. Otherwise, it is difficult to connect the cords with insufficient space between the wall and the TV. You will not have this problem if you have swivel & tilt TV wall mount.Once you finish the above step, you are successfully done with fixing the wall mount for your flat screen plasma TV. Enjoy the wall mounted flat screen TV that adds beauty and elegance to your living room and gives you a great entertainment experience.
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How much more energy does a Plasma TV consumer compared to a LCD TV? Everyone says Plasma consumes more energy than a LCD, but by how much? Twice as much as a LCD? Newer versions of plasmas are now ‘Energy Certified”, does that mean they still consumer more energy than LCD, but overall, does not take that much compared to a traditional CRT TV?
Plasma TVs are thin and can be wall or table mounted. Whether you decide to install your plasma TV installation on your own or hire an LCD TV install technician, it’s important to figure out where you want to mount it. How you plan for your Flat screen TV install can not only impact how comfortable you are while watching television but also the interior design of the room in which the TV is placed. Before starting on your plasma TV and home theater installation, make sure to follow these steps:
1.) Choose the best method for mounting your plasma TV based on the room in which you plan to install it. Decide on whether you want to hang your plasma tv on the wall or lay it on a stand with a flat surface.
2.) If you are planning to put your plasma on a flat surface, make sure it is on an appropriate height for viewing. If you want to hang your plasma TV on the wall, you will need to purchase a wall mount.
3.) Connect your TV to an outlet. If you have mounted your plasma TV on a wall, you can plug the electrical cord into an outlet inside the wall.
4.) Connect your audio and video sources to your plasma tv. If you are hiding the cables behind the wall, make sure that you have purchased cables that are long enough to reach. TVs have a limited number of connections available, so you may need to plan carefully when choosing a connection type for your devices.
5.) Calibrate the picture on your plasma TV after you install it. Adjusting the brightness and contrast settings can help you to preserve the longevity of your plasma TV.
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Flat Screen Tv, How to Avoid Buying a Non Food Turkey?
So you are trying (or lets be more positive about this) or at least going to buy your first Flat Screen TV and you aren?t exactly sure where to start first.
Think long and hard about this after all it is better to have second thoughts now rather than when you are at home later on.
Now this might sound like heresy and no doubt all advisors will be counselling that you consider Picture sizes, LCD or Plasma, Aspect Ratios, Screen Resolution etc and these are all vital but none of it matters if you haven?t got the dough and you get suckered into spending more than you had planned to.
Stop and just consider this for a moment.
The financial expenditure that you are about to embark upon is probably going to be one of the major items of expense that you are likely to encounter (after the House/Flat and Car etc) so it is important to get it right.
Think well in advance and make sure you leave yourself with plenty of room to manoeuvre when it comes to the financials.
As they say make the wrong decision too soon and it could be along time for you to correct your mistakes.
The thing is that without proper planning you could be left regretting the fact that you could have scored big-time with a ?sales bargain? for just a few hundred more at this stage in the proceedings or you allowed yourself into being talked into spending way more that you had budgeted for and now you can?t afford the electricity bills to power it!
As I said before, think carefully and plan well and you should be OK.
So let?s get started with looking around at what is on offer at the moment and continuing the trend of giving you independent advice (not always what you want to hear but never mind) in this article we are going to take a look at what you should NOT spend your money on despite the best intentions of the sales guys!
We?ve highlighted three particular Flat Screen TV?s that you should steer clear of if you are looking for a decent TV and they are as follows.
The first one we recommend you steer clear of is the Evesham V32EMRO.
The V32EMRO is a 32in LCD TV and currently these TV’s can be found for 600 pounds sterling or 1200 US dollars. The resolution of the screen is 1366 X 768 and with regards to being HD Ready the answer is yes. The Evesham has 2 (no RGB) scarts and the type and number of Multimedia interfaces the V32EMRO uses is HDMI and 1. The type of Tuner for this TV is Analogue and the Evesham is available from limited outlets only.
All these points being taken into consideration, how would we view the Evesham V32EMRO?
First up, we would look at the picture quality and our score here would be 4, and for the sound quality we would rate it at 4. Another useful aspect to review is the availability and number of relevant connections and our score here would be 4. As far as overall features are concerned we would give it 4 and the final individual verdicts would relate to the ease of use and overall value for money and our scores here would be, 8 and 4 respectively.
Finally our overall opinion would be to be honest there is not a lot to be positive and enthusing about this TV even allowing for the fact that it is relatively cheap. That factor allowing, it still doesn’t represent good value for money (in our opinion) so thumbs down I?m afraid. The real fact is that Evesham actually have other sets that are infinitely superior to this one and this does let the side down I?m afraid.
Next up we think that you should avoid the Funai T27004.
The T27004 is a 27in LCD TV and the prices for these are around 700 pounds sterling or 1400 US dollars. The resolution of the screen is 1280 X 720 and with regards to being HD Ready the answer is yes. The Funai has 2 (2 RGB) scarts and the type and number of Multimedia interfaces the T27004 uses is DVI and 1. The type of Tuner for this TV is Analogue and the Funai is available from limited outlets only.
All these points being taken into consideration, how would we view the Funai T27004?
First up, we would look at the picture quality and our score here would be 4, and for the sound quality we would rate it at 4. Another useful aspect to review is the availability and number of relevant connections and our score here would be 6. With regards to the overall level of features, our view would be 4 and for ease of use and overall value for money we would give it, 8 and 4 respectively.
Taking everything into consideration our overall view of the package would be for the asking price of this TV, the picture quality is very poor and therefore our verdict has got to be thumbs down for this offering so go and part with your hard earned cash elsewhere!
Lastly we think that you should give a miss to the Sanyo CE-32LD6.
The CE-32LD6 is a 32in LCD TV and these TV’s at present can be found in the region of 790 pounds sterling or 1580 US dollars. The screen resolution is 1366 X 768 and with regards to being HD Ready the answer is yes. The Sanyo has 3 (2 RGB) scarts and the type and number of Multimedia interfaces the CE-32LD6 uses are HDMI and 1. The type of Tuner for this TV is Analogue and the Sanyo is available from limited outlets only.
So how would we rate the Sanyo CE-32LD6?
Well to start with our score for the picture quality is 6, and closely tied in to the picture quality is the sound quality and our score for this would be 4. Taking a look at the number of relevant connections and their availability, our score would be 8. If we take a look at the overall “featureability” our score would be 6 if we then take a look at the ease of use and overall value for money then our scores would be, 8 and 4 respectively.
Taking everything into consideration our overall view of the package would be there is not much to recommend this I’m afraid despite however hard we tried. To be honest this TV gives the impression that all Sanyo were really trying to do was find some use for excess spare parts. Very much a case of “what do we do with these electronic bits – Oh I know lets build a TV and see how much we can offload.”
With regards to the prices in this article we have tried in all cases to take an average across the industry from a number of well known web sites and so we ask you to bear this in mind and treat these prices as advisory only rather than absolutes.
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