ResearchIs An LCD Screen For You?
While LCD screens are commonly associated with computers, they are being used for television viewing and movie watching more and more all the time. LCD is not for everyone, but many people are finding that this technology offers all that they are looking for in a great television. As television screens get bigger and better all of the time, LCD is continuing to hold its own, even against plasmas and other such television technologies. So, is an LCD screen for you?
Sizes Galore
LCD screens offer all of the variety that rear projected and plasma televisions do as screen sizes range from around 15 inches up to a massive 65-inch wide design! Of course, the smaller sizes are usually used for computer screens and such, but they almost all come complete with their own speakers and television tuners, making this a very good buy. If you look at the market today you may be surprised to see that LCD screen sizes up to about 42 inches or so are very competitive price wise with direct view CRT sets, though they can get quite costly.
The Cost
While LCD screens are often said to be affordable, exactly what does that mean? This is a fair question, as the term affordable is always relative and in the television market affordable isn’t always that affordable to your average Joe. When you are talking about a 32-inch HD LCD television you will be looking in the price range of about $1000 to $3000, the exact price will be based on the manufacturer as well as the features that are loaded onto the television. When you talk about a 32-inch LCD screen you will be looking at something that has the same screen height as a 27-inch television. Of course, when you compare LCD’s and plasmas in the same size you will almost always find that the LCD is always more expensive, but as you go up over 42 inches you’ll find that the LCD screen becomes much more expensive than the plasma in the same screen size. Prices vary on LCD televisions from market to market, but you should also comparison shop between electronics retailers, as well so that you can get the best deal on the best TV.
The Look
LCD’s are great to view in very bright rooms and unlike plasma televisions they often include all of the standard features one would expect from a television. Another great feature of an LCD is that it is immune to burn in, so you don’t have to worry about odd spots forming on the screen over time. LCD’s also do not get as hot when they are running as plasma televisions do, so they do away with the need for a noisy fan that is often necessary with plasma. While LCD’s offer almost everything that a plasma offers, they tend to be at least one inch thicker than a plasma, if not several inches thicker and they may also have a more limited viewing angle, whereas plasma televisions have a very wide viewing angle.
As you can see, and LCD and plasma really are comparable, but neither is really better than the other. One simply has to determine what they expect from a television as far as what they want it to be capable of, what sort of viewing angles are important to them, where they may want to mount or display their television screen. While one may originally want a plasma television, an LCD is a great option when a plasma is simply too large for a home or a room, but having the screen double as a television and computer screen makes sense. There are pros and cons to an LCD screen as there is for every type of television, but overall LCD televisions make a great addition to just about every home and can easily fulfill the needs of those that are in the market for a new television.