How To Pick Your Best TV Type?

Several important factors determine the quality of your HDTV picture. So how do you find a picture you like?

* TV TECHNOLOGY
As you probably already know, there are several TV technologies available. LCD televisions are thin and lightweight with a high-quality picture, even in brightly lit rooms. Plasma screens are heavier than LCDs but may deliver a slightly picture in dark rooms with more intense colors. DLP TVs offer brilliant screens, but are thicker than LCDs or Plasma.
* RESOLUTION
Think about TV resolution as the number of pixels contained in one "frame" of a television show or movie. More pixels in each frame will give you better picture detail. 720P and 1080P are the two most common resolution standards for HDTV now. With about 1 million pixels in each frame, 720P provides a vivid, high definition picture. 1080P offers the highest level of HDTV quality with over 2 million pixels in each frame, creating even greater picture details. While broadcast is mostly limited to 720P, 1080P is the standard for high definition disc players like Blu-Ray.
* CONTRAST RATIO
Contrast ratio is a number that measures the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black on the screen. In general the higher the contrast ratio number, the better the image quality. Most times, you will find Dynamic Contrast Ratio specified, but be sure you are comparing the same type of contrast ratio.
* CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT
Another way to improve contrast ratio is with contrast enhancement technology. Most of the time, this uses back lighting to improve apparent contrast. This is especially helpful in dark rooms, as it helps your eyes adjust to the best light levels. This dynamically improves contrast, resulting in deep blacks in darker scenes without losing fine details in shadows and other dark areas of the picture.
* BIT COLOR
Another important contributor to picture quality is what is called "bit depth". This is the size of the number that is used to assign colors on the screen. The higher the number, the more displayable colors will appear (see the image below). Of course this is only true if both the display processor and the panel support that number of bits!