A Look At Todays Innovative Lcd Tv

Writen by John Dulaney

LCD, or liquid crystal display, televisions use a unique form of technology to produce their display, and although early models had a number of technological issues, those issues have largely been overcome, and these days there are excellent quality LCD TVs available from virtually every manufacturer of electronics in the world.

The earliest models of LCD televisions often had problems with "ghosting", especially when displaying fast action or fast moving imaging, and these early televisions were best viewed straight on or from a slight angle. These early problems have been overcome by advances in technology, and LCD and plasma TVs are making serious inroads on the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) television market.

The prices of LCD televisions have come down quite a bit as well, even as the technology they use has continued to improve. These days the least expensive, small screen LCD TVs can often be purchased for a couple hundred dollars, while the largest displays sell for several thousand dollars. There are even larger LCD displays on the market, as large as 65" and even more, that may sell for $10,000 or more. If price is no object it is possible to find an LCD TV for virtually any taste.

The advent of these large screen LCD TVs is another indication of how much the technology has improved in a short period of time. When LCD technology was first being developed, the conventional wisdom was that it would be suitable only for small size televisions, and that the LCD technology would not be able to compete with plasma screens for larger sets. These days, however, ever larger LCD TVs are being developed and introduced, by the likes of Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Phillips and others.

The modern LCD TV is good for much more than watching TV, and the best sets on the market come with a multisystem tuner, which allows the machine to display not only the NTSC format common throughout North America, but the PAL and SECAM signals that are common in other parts of the world. In addition, many LCD TVs include a step down and step up transformer which can automatically use either 110 or 250 volt AC current, as well as universal grounded adapter plugs for added versatility.

In addition, virtually all modern LCD TVs on the market today are capable of displaying the latest HDTV (high definition television) and DTV (digital television) signals, and most can also be used as a computer monitor, by connecting them to a VGA or DVI signal. Those TV shoppers planning to use their new LCD TV as a monitor should be cautious, however, since the quality of the resolution can vary widely between brands and models.

LCD TV Considerations

Those in the market for an LCD TV to replace a traditional CRT TV should be aware of the differences in the technology, and what those differences mean in terms of viewing pleasure and lasting value. LCD televisions based on the PVA and S-PVA LCD panel are able to deliver a very good viewing angle at up to 140 degrees, and they also can provide a good contract ratio for viewing both light scenes and dark ones. The downside of the PVA and S-PVA technology is that they often have problems with "ghosting" when the scene moves between different shades of dark.

Traditional CRT televisions to not have this problem with "ghosting" since the phosphor contained in the CRT is charged by the strike of a beam of electrons, and it emits most of the light in a fast period of time, generally less than 1 millisecond, compared to a refresh period of about 20 milliseconds. For an LCD TV, each pixel emits light of a set intensity for a period of about 20 milliseconds, in addition to the time it takes to switch to the next state, which is typically between 12 and 25 milliseconds.

This response time, also known as the response time, can be shortened by the design of the panel, and by using overdriving technology, but the response time can only be cut down to the length of the refresh period.

Getting the response time equal to the refresh period is generally sufficient for watching films and television programs, but for videos shot at 50 or 60 frames a second there can still be some ghosting issues with some LCD TVs.

Fortunately, there are a number of emerging technologies within the world of the LCD TV, and these technologies promise to eliminate some of the ghosting and other issues that have been encountered by owners of these TVs. The first solution on the horizon is to make the backlight of the LCD panel fire during a period of time that is shorter than the refresh period. The goal is to make this period of time as short as possible, and to time it for when the pixel has already settled to its intended level of brightness. This technique, however, also introduces the problem of flicker that is so familiar to users of CRT computer monitors. This flicker problem occurs because the human eye is able to see flicker at the typical 50 or 60Hz refresh rates used in this technology.

Another emerging response to the problem is to double the refresh rate of the LCD TV, and then to reconstruct the intermediate frames using a variety of motion compensation techniques. This second method is being extensively studied on the new high end televisions currently being designed in Europe.

No matter what type of LCD TV technology you decide to buy, however, it is important to shop around for the best possible price. These days even discount retailers often sell some very good LCD TVs, and of course many electronics stores are virtually replacing their existing stock of CRT TVs with the newest in LCD and plasma screen technology. As with any major purchase, it is vital to shop around for the best deal, and to read the reviews of each model carefully. As with any piece of electronic equipment, the quality of an LCD TV can vary quite widely from model to model and brand to brand. For more information see: http://www.planetomni.com

110-220 Volt Electronics - A multisystem TV is a TV capable of receiving and displaying different video systems like PAL, SECAM and NTSC. You'll be able to operate a multisystem TV in 99% of the world. Their dual voltage design allows them to be plugged into either a 110 voltage source or a 220 voltage source. In some cases, the plug on the television will not fit your country's outlet, so an inexpensive plug-adapter will be needed. They can generally be picked up at an electronics store such as http://www.planetomni.com for $1.95. With a multisystem TV, such as a plasma, CRT tube type, LCD or DLP, you'll likely need a codefree (sometimes called region free) DVD player. These exist in many forms. When used with a PAL-NTSC TV you'll be able to see the full 625 lines of resolution available in the PAL system and the full 525 lines used in the USA NTSC system. There exists a converting type of DVD player which is codefree in that it can read all of the world's 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. 140,000 other products are available here: http://www.planetomni.com Tel. # 800-514-2984

Five Tips For Buying A Home Entertainment System

Writen by Hans Dekker

Looking for a new home entertainment system? Here are five tips for choosing the best model for your home environment.

1. Choose a system that can be expanded. Most of your music collection may be on CDs, but with the growing popularity of DVD audio you don't want to be left behind. Even if you are only interested in stereo sound make sure you buy a system that can be adapted to new technologies. This includes video as well as audio mediums. Buy a stereo system for now, but make sure it has surround sound capabilities.

Also consider whether you want your home entertainment system accessible in different parts of the house. An expandable system allows you to place speaker systems and playback modules in different rooms so that you can enjoy home entertainment throughout the house.

2. Buy a system with enough power. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip. Don't buy a unit which has just enough power for your current needs, but rather, think about how you will be expand it in the future. Surround sound speaker systems require more power than stereo, and satellite speakers systems installed in other rooms also require extra power.

Dedicated power amps for different parts of your home entertainment system can make a vast difference in the quality of sound. For example, a subwoofer amp can take the load off the rest of your system will providing massively deep bass sounds.

3. Choose a system that matches your entertainment preferences. If you are mainly interested in DVD video a surround sound speaker system can add amazing authenticity to your viewing experience. On the other hand, if you mostly listen to classical music, divide your budget so that you can get a good set of stereo speakers. If you like rap or hip-hop you should choose speakers designed for bass heavy music -- a subwoofer is a necessity.

4. Make it backwards compatible. Many people still have a sizable collection of VHS tapes and vinyl records. Rather than throwing out these valuable sources of entertainment, make sure your new entertainment system can handle them.

5. Buy the best you can afford. It's a waste of money to buy inferior components for your home entertainment system. You will quickly become dissatisfied with them and end up ditching them. If you have a limited budget, divide it up wisely. Rather than starting with a full-featured audio and video home entertainment system, concentrate on a few components. As long as your system is expandable, you can continue adding new features as your budget allows.

Hans is an audio enthusiast and author of the Audio How To Section of the http://www.selected-audio-reviews.com/

The Ultimate Hd Dvd Home Entertainment Setup

Writen by John Dulaney

The home entertainment market was created when the VHS was invented; it brought entertainment to people's living rooms and bedrooms. The VHS progressed to VCDs and DVDs which became the latest in the home entertainment. The cinema theaters, meanwhile, still had their hold on audiences due to certain unique characteristics such as a big screen, digital sound effects, high amplified sounds, and the entire theater experience. There has been a constant effort to bridge this gap between the theater movie experience and that of the home entertainment system. There have been great technological advancements in this field, and the present home theater systems have brought theater quality of entertainment into people's home with the invention of high definition technology.

High Definition Technology

The HD or High Definition technology comprises of HD Televisions, HD DVD players, and HD DVDs, which when combined with accessories like high quality amplifiers and speaker systems, provide for an exceptional quality of home theater system. The HD technology is relatively new, but has become very popular among consumers. HD equipment may seem to be expensive to the average consumer at first, but with time, as is true with all other types of technologies, these prices will come down as the usage becomes widespread and more advanced technologies emerge.

High definition televisions have already been around in the markets for some time. HD DVD players were rolled-out in Japan in March 2006 by the Japanese electronics giant, Toshiba Corp. This was followed by their inauguration in the U.S. a few days later, and they are scheduled to hit the UK market by the end of April. There is a lot of excitement regarding this technology, and people are expecting to see a revolution in home theater quality.

HD DVD Players and DVDs

The HD DVD or High Definition DVD was introduced in 2005 and was an adaptation of the existing basic structure of the DVD. The HD DVD has a greater storage capacity and can provide better audio and video quality as compared to a DVD. The HD DVDs are integrated with a state-of-the-art content protection technology which is unique to this medium. The storage capacity is 15 GB for a single layer, 30GB for a dual layer, and 45GB for a triple layer HD DVD. It uses the highly sophisticated compression techniques of MPEG-4 for increased capacity. At the core of the DVD format is a blue laser, having a shorter wavelength (405nm) that allows discs to store data at higher densities that are needed for high-definition movies and television. Toshiba has brought into the market two models of HD DVD players, the HD-XA1 and HD-A1, in the United States, priced at $799 and $499 respectively. The new machines are expected to breathe new life into the home video market and change the way people perceive home theater.

HD TV

The large screen plasma TVs and the LCD TVs have already been in the markets for some time and are widely acclaimed to have achieved high levels of quality. These are TVs that have a wide, flat screen that minimizes visual distortions dramatically. A large variety of screen sizes are available in display sizes ranging from 20" to 65". They come with very high resolutions varying from 1024x768 pixels, 1280x768 pixels, 1366x768 pixels, and 1024x1024 pixels. The HD TVs are equipped to provide higher levels of brightness and contrast ratios. Brightness can vary from 450cd/m2 to 1,200cd/m2, while contrast ratios are 400:1 to as high as and 10,000:1. All these attributes provide for a greater picture resolution and result in very clear and well defined visual quality.

The audio quality is as important in the audio-visual medium as the picture quality. There are a lot of options available in the market that can constantly cater to high quality listening experience. There are three main systems used in the surround sound system; Virtual Surround, Dolby Digital, and the DTS system. For televisions that are not HD compatible, provisions can be made to make them HD-compliant by minor modifications.

The major brands selling HD TVs in the market are Sharp, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Toshiba, and several others. HD TVs are available in a wide price range of $2000 to $5000, depending on the technology, brand, and features available.

Amplifiers or Home Theater Receivers

The amplifiers or home theater receivers are the hub of a home entertainment system and provide high quality digital-to-analog conversions. They decode and process any type of program material or surround mode of audio. They are capable of passing HD signals by converting all S-video and composite video inputs to the component video. Certain receivers also provide features like digital video recorders that enable viewers to watch and record programs in HD picture quality. The price range of digital amplifiers can vary from $300 to $750.

The Dolby system and the DTS (Digital Theater System) are currently very popular in both the home theater and the movie recordings. The first Dolby digital format (AC-1) was used in 1984, followed by the AC-2 improvement that was used for cinema. The latest, Dolby Digital (AC3) arrived in the cinemas in the year 1992. With the advancements made in the digital technologies, Dolby was later introduced in home theatre systems.

At present there are Dolby 5.1, 6.1 and the latest Dolby 7.1. These names are based on the number of channels provided. These also come with a great variety of speaker systems that include home theater subwoofers, speaker kits, in ceiling, in wall, book shelf speakers, center channel speakers, and floor standing speakers. They are available in a price range of $350 to $1500.

The overall effect of a home theater system is greatly influenced by the type and placement of speakers and the acoustic quality of the room in use. The right equipment combined with the right type of room make for the ultimate home entertainment theater.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders and High Definition, HD DVD players, Blu-ray,Advanced Optical players/recorders in Blu-Ray DVD players/recorders. A multi region (aka codefree) DVD player or recorders is capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere in the world, that is all 8 regions and both PAL and NTSC standards. That's every DVD movie on earth! Many can not only play them but convert from one standard to the other for showing movies on any TV on earth. There are also PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. They also carry PAL-SECAM-NTSC TVs, PAL plasma, PAL LCD and PAL DLP multisystem TVs and multisystem converting and non-converting VCRs, voltage transformers, video standards converters and more than 140,000 products. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945