Since many kinds of TV can deliver the high-def experience, choosing a set often comes down to finding one that fits your budget and has the right screen and cabinet size. Here are the four most common ways of producing a high-def picture.
Tube TVs have been around for decades and are slowly going away as big-name brands focus on the new technologies. Even so, many current models can still deliver better pictures than any other technology. And they’re affordable. (Some 32-inch sets sell for less than $1,000.) But the screens on direct-view models are relatively small, and their cabinets are bulky and very heavy. (They’re called “direct-view” because you look right at the tube, unlike rear-projection CRT TVs, where the beams from three tubes combine to form the image on the screen.)
Currently, the largest CRT models with 4:3 screens are 36 inches, and the largest widescreen model is 38 inches. If you’re considering a direct-view set, look for one with a flat tube. Unlike traditional curved tubes, flat-screen tubes perform well in all lighting conditions — although glare from the glass screen can still be a problem.
Many people associate “rear projection” with fuzzy, out-of-focus images unwatchable from anywhere other than right in front of the screen. But today’s rear-projection TVs (RPTVs) bear little resemblance to their poor-performing ancestors. New technologies like DLP (Digital Light Processing), LCD (liquid-crystal display), and LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon, a.k.a. Direct-drive Light Amplifier, or D-ILA, and Silicon X-tal Reflective Display, or SXRD) deliver stunningly bright, detailed images and permit far wider viewing angles than traditional CRT-based RPTVs. But these technologies carry a premium price — around $3,000 for HDTVs in the 50-inch range to more than $5,000 for some 60-inch sets. CRT models, on the other hand, will give you the biggest screens for the lowest prices, with many 50-inch widescreen sets selling for less than $2,000.
Sizewise, RPTVs begin where direct-view tubes leave off, with screens ranging from 40 to 82 inches. These big screens often mean big — and heavy — cabinets, but the newer technologies have allowed for much slimmer designs, many less than 17 inches deep for a 50-inch screen. And at least two companies are now selling 50- and 61-inch rear-projection DLP sets that are only 7 inches deep.
The sexiest designs by far are flat, hang-on-the-wall plasma and LCD sets. Measuring less than 4 inches thick, these high-tech marvels provide an amazingly bright picture while taking up virtually no space. LCD owns the market at sizes less than 40 inches, while plasma reigns over models 42 inches or larger. Prices increase dramatically with size. LCD sets range from 17-inch models selling for $800 to $900 up to 45 inchers that go for about $10,000. Plasma starts about where LCD maxes out, from 42-inch models priced $3,200 to $4,500 up to a 65-inch TV with a list price of $20,000. Both plasma and LCD sets offer bright, detailed images, are very resistant to glare, and have phenomenal off-angle viewing — up to 160°. While current plasma sets top out at 65 inches, LG and Samsung have shown working prototypes with screens bigger than 75 inches.
For the ultimate home theater experience, you need a front projector. Similar to movie-theater projectors because they project the image onto a screen on the other side of the room, these models can create detailed images as big as the side of your house — though 80 to 120 inches is the most common screen range. And a front-projection system can disappear when not in use. With a motorized screen and recessed projector mount, even the largest screen and projector can completely vanish.
Three-tube CRT front projectors, which once ruled this market, are rapidly being replaced by smaller, cheaper, more installation-friendly technologies like LCD ($2,000 and up for a high-def projector), DLP ($4,000 and up), and LCoS ($11,000 and up). The new technologies use a single lens instead of a CRT projector’s three, making them easier to install and maintain. Entry-level models start at $1,500 but have only EDTV resolution. And Sony’s SXRD projectors provide ultra-high 1080p resolution. But for money-no-object, reference-quality projectors, models using 9-inch CRTs are still the champ, fetching prices over $25,000.
>> From plasma to CRT, here's what you can count on
Plasma
Large screens — up to 65 inches
Flat-panel displays can be wall-mounted
Bright picture viewable from almost any angle
Tend to be expensive
Most can’t produce true blacks
LCD
A.k.a. liquid-crystal display
Available in flat-panel, rear-projection, and front-projection models
Image brighter than DLP
Can’t produce true blacks
Wide viewing angle on flat-panel sets
No danger of screen burn-in
Like plasma, flat-panel LCD models can be wall-mounted
Unlike plasma, flat-panel LCD screens currently max out at 46 inches
Flat-panel models tend to be pricey
DLP
A.k.a. Digital Light Processing
Used in both rear-projection TVs with slim cabinets and front projectors
Produces better blacks than plasma and LCD
Bright picture with a wide viewing angle
Unlike CRT and plasma models, no danger of screen burn-in
More expensive than CRT sets with the same size screen
CRT
A.k.a. cathode-ray tube
Available in direct-view, rear-projection, and front-projection models
Inexpensive except front projectors
When calibrated, delivers the best picture quality of all current TV technologies
Direct-view and rear-projection models are bulky and heavy
Direct-view screens max out at 38 inches