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Q.
What is an LCD Television?
A. An LCD TV is a flat panel television that
utilizes the same basic Liquid Crystal Display technology
that has been in used for some time in cell phones, camcorder
viewfinders, and computer monitors.
LCD panels are made of two layers
of a glass-like material, which are polarized, and are "glued"
together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer
that holds the individual liquid crystals. Electric current
is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the
crystals to pass or block light to create images.
LCD crystals do not produce their
own light, so an external light source, such as florescent
bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become
visible to the viewer.
Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions,
there are no phosphors that light up, and, thus LCD panels
are thin and require less power to operate.
Because of the nature of LCD technology,
there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself, unlike
traditional televisions.
Also, without the need for a picture
tube, LCD televisions can be made very thin, thus allowing
them to hung on a wall or placed on small stand on top of
a table, desk, dresser, or cabinet very easily.
Combining the above technology with
the features of a traditional television, such as, AV input/output
connectivity, side or bottom mounted loudspeakers, TV tuner,
and traditional television adjustment controls, bring to life
a concept that is becoming a popular option for TV and home
theater viewing.
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Q.
Do LCD TVs Come in Larger Screen Sizes, Like Plasma TVs?
A. The answer to this question comes down
to two points, technology and price.
Plasma Televisions were designed for the purpose of replacing
large screen televisions and their production and marketing
emphasis reflects that goal. However, in larger screen sizes,
LCD televisions are more expensive to produce than Plasma
televisions, and, as a result, must command higher prices
in the marketplace. Although you are seeing affordable 32-inch
LCD televisions saturating the market, the prices of larger
LCD televisions (42-inches and higher) can be more expensive
than their Plasma counterparts, although the price difference
is evening out quickly.
As the flat panel television market
stands now, Plasma televisions currently dominate the 42-inch
and above sizes, while LCD dominates the 40-inch and below
sizes.
However, LCD has recently been making
strides in the 42-inch and larger size range and is beginning
to catch up to Plasma in the 42-inch size range and larger.
Currently, the largest LCD televisions available to the general
consumer are in the 65-inch screen size, while some plasma
screen sizes have reached 70-plus inches.
As technology development, increased
production efficiency, supply, and demand continue to grow
for LCD, you will see an increase in availability of larger
screen LCD televisions (42-inches and larger), as well as
more affordable price ranges for even larger sized LCD televisions.
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Q.
Can I Also use an LCD Television as a Computer Monitor?
A. The presence and growth of LCD television
certainly has its roots in the development and success of
LCD computer monitors, and, thus share a great deal of characteristics
with them. Most LCD televisions have VGA connections that
allow then to be used as a computer monitor.
However, if your main purpose is to
use an LCD display as computer monitor, the additional cost
of the features of an LCD television, such as a built-in analog
or HDTV tuner, analog AV and HDMI inputs, and other features
needed for television-like performance, may be extra things
you may not need.
In addition, if you are a gamer or
have your PC integrated into your home theater system, and
want the largest possible monitor to play on and show off
to your friends, a 30-inch LCD television can be a very impressive
computer monitor.
If you are planning to use your LCD
TV as both a television and computer monitor, make sure the
unit you are considering does have VGA or other connection
options designed for PC use.
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Q.
Are All LCD Televisions Also HDTVs?
A. Most LCD Televisions are HDTV compatible,
however, some of the smaller screen sets may not be. The following
is an explanation on how to determine this.
In order for a Television to be classified
as an HDTV or HDTV-ready the television must be able to display
a vertical resolution of at least 720 lines, represented as
a 1280x720 pixel field (1280 pixels across the screen and
720 pixels down the screen). Some smaller LCD TVs sets are
referred to as EDTVs (Extended or Enhanced Definition televisions)
as they only display a resolution lower than that of 720 lines.
EDTVs typically have a native pixel
resolution of 852x480 or less. 852x480 represents 852 pixels
across (left to right) and 480 pixels down (top to bottom)
on the screen surface. The 480 pixels down also represent
the number of lines from the top to the bottom of the screen.
This is higher than standard television,
but not HDTV resolution.
The images on these sets can look good, especially for DVDs
and standard digital cable, but it is not HDTV. LCD TVs that
are capable of displaying HDTV signals directly have a native
pixel resolution of 1280x720 (where 720 also represents the
number of lines from the top to bottom of the screen) or higher.
Since LCD televisions have a finite
number of pixels (referred to as a fixed-pixel display), signal
inputs that have higher resolutions must be scaled to fit
the pixel field count of the particular LCD display. For example,
a typical HDTV input format of 1080i needs a native display
of 1920x1080 pixels for a one-to-one point display of the
HDTV image.
However, if your LCD television only
has a pixel field of 852x480 or 1024x768, the original HDTV
signal must be scaled to fit the 852x480 or 1024x768 pixel
count on LCD screen surface. HDTV signal inputs have to be
scaled down to fit the LCD Television's native pixel field.
In conclusion, when making your choice
for a LCD Television, make sure you check to see if it is
an EDTV or and HDTV-ready unit. Currently, just about all
LCD Televisions, 23-inches and larger, are indeed HDTV compatible,
with most having a 1280x720, 1366x768, or higher (1080p) native
pixel resolution, but some of the smaller (20-inch and less)
units may not be.
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Q.
Will an LCD Television Work With My Old VCR?
A. An LCD television made for consumer use
will work with any existing video component with standard
AV, S-Video, or component video outputs. In addition, most
LCD TVs have DVI or HDMI connections for use with high definition
sources. Also, because of their thin, flat panel design, many
LCD televisions have side-mounted connections, making the
attachment your other components and cable or satellite TV
box much easier.
The only cautionary note about using
an LCD television with a VCR is that since VHS is of such
low resolution and has poor color consistency, it may not
look as good on a larger LCD screen TV as it does on a smaller
27-inch television. In addition, if the VHS source is especially
poor (such recordings made in the EP mode or in poor lighting
conditions), the LCD TV make exhibit more motion lag artifacts
than it would with high quality video input sources.
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