Are you lost in the acronyms?

DLP, LCD, Plasma, CRT, LCOS, OLED and SED. The waters are definitely muddied with competing formats, and we are here to help.

 

Technologies

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Advantages Excellent color and contrast potential. Relatively inexpensive. Excellent life expectancy.

Disadvantages Heavy and
Very deep. Analogue connectivity. Potential for screen burn-in.

 

DLP (Digital Light Processing) Advantages
Incredible color reproduction.
Excellent contrast ratios.
Lightweight compared to CRT. Best screen size to cost ratio.
Fully digital displays. No screen burn-in.

Disadvantages
Most sets require a minimum of 12-14" depth for rear-projection lamp-based technology. Potential for "Rainbow Effect" in single chip systems.

 

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Advantages Good color reproduction and improving contrast.
Very thin, getting thinner.
Relatively lightweight with flexible mounting options
Perfect sharpness at native resolution. Excellent longevity
Among the brightest direct view displays. Silent with no moving parts or fans.

Disadvantages
Notorious "screen door" effect on cheaper displays. Very difficult to produce deep blacks (LED backlighting improving this)

 

Plasma (similar to neon lighting) Advantages Excellent contrast ratios and black levels. Excellent color reproduction. Excellent life expectancy. Excellent viewing angle with no real loss of color or contrast

Disadvantages Fairly heavy. Thicker than LCDs. Susceptible to screen burn-in. Lower real peak brightness. Uses a lot of power compared to LCD

 

Contact us today to set up your FREE consultation. Get ready to be blown away.

 

The SoundRoom

1650 N. Heather Dr.

Layton Utah, 84040.

801-502-6839

joejohnson@thesoundroom.biz

The Big Picture

Which Display Technology is Best?

LCD vs. Plasma Screen TVs: While refresh rates used to be better in plasma displays, LCD panels are now fast enough to really turn this into a non-issue. LCD displays continue to drop in price as they increase in terms of quality and black level reproduction and contrast. The technology as a whole will benefit from smarter, more efficient manufacturing processes. Add to this the entry of Korean manufacturers who are willing to lose money on panels in order to gain market share (being subsidized by your government is a good thing) and you've got a wild commodity environment for LCD. Prices will continue to drop and the LCD market will likely drive even larger flat panel display products into the homes of consumers. 50-inch LCD displays are now quite affordable whereas 30 inch versions were expensive just a couple years ago.

DLP vs. LCD Rear Projection Televisions
This is a battle between Texas Instruments and all of the LCD manufacturers (Sony, Philips, Samsung, Toshiba, Samsung manufactures all 3), however the real winner will be the one who can produce the best picture at the lowest cost. DLP is released its 1080p chips and has increased black levels and contrast ratios with its DC3 (Dark Chip 3) technology. LCOS which is essentially a densely-packed LCD - creating a finer picture without any of the "screen door" artifacts found in many LCD displays. 3LCD rear projection does have some advantages, however. It is being developed further and further and will benefit from rapid price drops as manufacturing ramps up and technologies improve. 3LCD front projection is fantastic at the proper viewing distances, however DLP seems to be quickly eating up the entry level projector market. The emerging LED backlight technology, replacing color wheels on DLP and bulbs on all of the rear projection sets will only enhance the color reproduction and shelf life of all three technologies.

LCOS, OLED and SED displays (newer tech on the horizon) LCOS or Liquid Crystal on Silicon, produces an excellent picture but has a weighty price. It's cost outweighs its performance gains. OLED, Organic Light-emitting Diode, is small and almost paper thin. With screen sizes toping out at 20" and a short lifetime its currently not suitable in a home theater. SED Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Displays. The supposed holy grail of display technologies. Vivid color, deep blacks, fast response times and almost limitless contrast. With no sets on the marked we are still waiting for the promises to pan out.

How Much Do I Spend?
Budget and intended use will determine the direction you take in what technology you choose. Those with the strictest budgets will want to break into HDTV via LCD rear-projection or DLP/LCD front projection. If you are desperate for a flat panel, it's going to be a question of size. LCDs cost more than Plasma TVs at the larger sizes (50-inches and up). Lower yields on larger display sizes due to burned out pixels and quality control create a demand situation which forces LCD prices way up for displays over 42-50". If you are made of money and want the biggest flat panel around, Samsung and LG have been battling it out for years. As always, the choice is up to you. Competition is always good and should do well to make all the technologies strive for better performance and lower costs to the consumer. Look for a set with good black levels, a high contrast ratio (100,000:1) is becoming the standard. Also keep in mind that the human eye can see millions of colors, the more colors that can be reproduced the better, requiring good source material.

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About The SoundRoom

HDAV is our promise to you that you will be seeing and hearing things you never experienced from your home theater before. We will calibrate your system to Hollywood audio and video standards, allowing your SoundRoom to outshine your neighbors and the Cineplex down the street. We are committed to customer satisfaction and take pride in building the ultimate in home theaters.