Here’s a must see from wired.com - It’s a visual timeline of TV from the early scanning disc sets right up to present day plasmas.  No Definition right throuth to High Definition :)  Go here to check it out.

Incredible to see how much things have changed.  Also check out http://www.tvhistory.tv/ for extensive archives of tv history and trivia.

HDTV’s are now the norm in most peoples living rooms, but their is still a lot of confusion about them. Hopefully this buyers guide should help out…..

LCD Or Plasma?
LCD tends to work better in smaller sizes, whereas plasma technology works best at large sizes. You cant buy plasma below 37″ but it will give you a better overall picture than plasma.
Bottom line is, plasma is still king
Common Myths
Firstly lets get rid of some common myths surrounding flat panel displays. Plasmas do not need regassing, they never have and never will, in fact it would be impossible to do! Plasmas can last as long as LCD, but bear in mind that cheap unbranded plasma displays may have a shorter life span than cheaper LCD’s.

Contrast
Contrast ratio refers to the ratio of intensity between the darkest and lightest areas of a display, more simply put it is the difference between the whitest white and the blackest black. The greater the contrast ratio the better the sets ability to define black in a dark scene, and white in a light screen. So usually the higher the contrast ratio, the better the screen. Bear in mind that most contrast ratio figures are artifically inflated by manufacturers. This is mainly due to their being no universal method used by all companies to get their ratings.

Lifespan
Some people will have you believe that plasma wont last as long as LCD, truth is, plasma can last as long as 60,000 hours, although its brightness will be significantly reduced by this point. In theory, LCD could go no forever although the backlight would need to be changed at some point. Bottom line is, by the time your plasma dies, you’ll be wanting to buy a new tv anyway
HD Ready

This is a badge that all HD TV’s should carry, if it doesnt, be very wary! It is a set of rules layed out by an independent european body called EICTA.
It specifies that to display the HD ready badge and be classed as HD ready a panel must adhere to the following rules

• Minimum resolution of 720 physical lines in the widescreen aspect ratio
• Accepts a HD input via Component
  and DVI or HDMI
• Accepts inputs of both 720p and 1080i
• Supports HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection)

All this means to the consumer is that if it displays the HD ready badge, then it is compatible with all soruces of HD avaliable, basically its futureproofed…….. for now
If you want to download a PDF with the specifications for being HD then click here

Resolution
There are currently 3 different types of resolution avaliable in HD flat panel displays, they are..

720p refers to 720 horizontal lines, that are progressivley scanned.
1080i refers to 1080 horizontal lines that are displayed interlaced
1080p refers to 1080 horizontal lines that are progressivley scanned

A progressive image will give you a smoother picture with 1080p being classed as full HD. Most sets on the market are either 720p or 1080i. This is sufficent for most peoples needs, displaying HD images flawlessly while still being able to reproduce lower resolution formats such as DVD and broadcast TV with ease.

1080p sets are great for playing back HD-DVD titles and Blu-Ray movies, but have a lot more work to do to upscale lower resolution images onto the panel. Make sure you buy a 1080p panel with a good scaling chip, otherwise your NON-HD images are going to look real bad.

Remember, its not the amount of pixels its got, its what it does with them that counts…..

Manufacturer

It’s usually best to stay away from the cheaper plasma brands such as Goodmans, Bush etc… These are just rebadged mass-produced panels, usually from manufacturers like samsung and NEC. They don’t have the same research put into the controller boards and processors. Invest wisely and spend a little bit extra grabbing a good manufacturer. LCD panels are widely rebadged and from other manufacturers. Even major manufacturers like Panasonic and Sony sometimes use other peoples LCD panels in their TV’s.

Warranty
Try and get extended warranties with your LCD or plasma. They aren’t the sort of thing that your average TV repair man can fix and a lot of it can’t be attempted at home. If something goes wrong with your screen it is usually expensive to have it repaired, so bear that in mind when making a purchase .

Inputs
Your going to want as a minimum, the following connections

• HDMI
• SCART
• Component

Flat panels tend to amplify flaws in your signal, thats why making the right connection between your equipment is extremely important. Try and avoid using scart connections for things like DVD, opt for its digital successor HDMI instead. For older devices such as VHS recorders you can use scart, the quality and resolution of these devices are so low that it usually doesnt matter to much what connection you use.

Bear in mind that the only way to recieve HD images on a flat planel is by using HDMI, DVI or component. You cant do it any other way!

Tuner
If your in the UK then make sure it has a freeview digital tuner built in, also make sure it has a CAM slot to allow you to insert a viewing card for extra services.

Hope that clears a lot of things up, if anyone has any suggestions or amendments then feel free to leave a comment or email us at hack247@googlemail.com