Television and Monitors Buyer's Guide

The number one rule to keep in mind when shopping for any type of audio or visual gear is this: consider your needs and projected use of the device before jumping into a purchase. This is especially true when you're in the market for a monitor or television.

• Televisions vs. Monitors
• Display Type
• Display Specs

Televisions vs. MonitorsˆBack to top

Televisions

The first thing you need to do is decide whether you want a television or monitor. The two are similar in that they're both used to display images, but they have some very different features and capabilities.

Television systems transmit still and moving images by radiowaves, displaying a view of them on a receiving screen. Shopping for a television can be an overwhelming experience, with so many sizes and types available on the market.

TVs can broadcast analog or digital waves, but these days, digital rules the roost.

Analog signals are continually varying radio waves that translate into a picture on the screen. These signals reach your TV by cable or satellite.

Digital signals, which offer a higher resolution than analog, transmit images and sounds as 1s and 0s rather than waves. They can also convert to analog signals, though it lowers their quality, when broadcast on traditional TV sets; analog, however, can't be converted to digital. Digital sets also support high definition (HDTV) broadcasts, which play movies in their original widescreen format, offer superior image resolution, and immerse the viewer in digital surround sound. More modern TVs can also easily hook up to your gaming console or computer system.

Monitors

Monitors display computer-generated video and graphics through the use of a video card. They also offer a much higher resolution than a TV, which is excellent for displaying the subtle details of graphics. They connect to your computer hard drive case via a cable to either a VGA or DVI port on the video card.

• Quick tip: Before purchasing a monitor, you need to ensure it supports your video card's connection.

There are two main types of monitors - LCD and CRT. The bulky CRT monitors are now mostly obsolete, overshadowed by the popularity and crisp video quality of the thinner LCD monitors. Measured diagonally from one corner to another, monitors usually range from about 15" to 21", though they can come in a larger size. Televisions typically are much larger.

Monitors are used for all your computing needs - both data processing and entertainment in a home or professional setting - and are excellent for watching videos, presentations, gaming and more. However, you also can also use your LCD monitor as a television when you hook it up to your cable box.

Display TypeˆBack to top

Once you've decided whether a monitor or television is best for you, you next need to consider the type of displays available:

• Projection
• LCD
• Plasma

Projection

Projection screens utilize an overhead projector for displaying an image in front of an audience. Projection displays are great for generating large, high resolution images. Whether used commercially or for personal use, these kinds of screens are perfect for movie theaters, sports arenas, home theaters, conference rooms, and other places where you need to produce high quality images on a larger display.

There are several types of these displays available. There are wall-mounted screens, for more permanent installations; pull-down screens that are pulled down manually and electric screens that are raised or lowered with a remote; switchable projection screens, which switch between clear and opaque and can be seen from both sides - making them great for store windows advertisements; and mobile displays for impermanent installations.

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LCD

Liquid Crystal Displays, commonly referred to as LCDs, utilize two sheets of polarizing material. In between the sheets is a liquid crystal solution array in front of a light source, known as a back light or reflector. The crystals act like a shutter, aligning to either allow light to pass through or blocking it when an electric current passes through the liquid. This creates the pixels you see on your screen.

Great for home use, LCD displays are light, take up less desk or wall space, and require less power than the larger, deeper cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors of the past. Known for their slim, flat panels, LCDs offer high quality, sharp images, making them great for gamers as well as hooking your PC to your home theater. They're especially suited for viewing in a bright room. These days, many sets, especially those above 40", use LED backlighting rather than fluorescent backlights, and offer an extremely high 1080p resolution.

These kinds of displays usually come between 15" and 60", though some can range between 65" and 70". Some brands even offer LCD displays in the 100" range. There's a size out there for everyone.

One disadvantage is that LCD displays are susceptible to extreme temperature and are prone to overheating. Their screen size is also often limited and sometimes suffers from uneven back lighting, which leads to distortion in brightness. They also have an extremely narrow viewing angle, so depending where you're seated the images can dim and lose contrast.

Plasma

Plasma displays use small cells of electrically charged ionized gases to create the images you see on the screens. These chambers are also referred to as fluorescent lamps.

Plasmas offer outstanding picture quality, with deeper blacks and a superior contrast ratio. Plasma displays boast incredibly bright images, 1,000 lux or higher, their low-luminance black levels yield black blacks that may appear grey on LCDs. The power consumption of plasmas varies depending on the images - brighter scenes use more power.

Plasmas also offer a wider viewing angle than LCD displays. This means the images don't degrade as you angle away from the display's center. Plasmas also have very high refresh rates and fast response times. More manufacturers are trying to compete with LCD displays. More and more you'll find plasmas with 1080p resolutions.

These types of flat panel displays don't offer the range in sizes that LCD displays do, generally coming in 30" up to 150", and are slightly thicker than LCDs.

While you might want such a large display in your home, they're perfect for sports bars, office presentations, and other arenas where you have a large group gathered. Because the glass screen can sometimes look too bright, generally these are better in rooms that aren't brightly lit.

Display specsˆBack to top

Here are the most common specs to consider when purchasing a monitor or TV:

• Screen size
• Pixel resolution
• Aspect ratio
• Contrast ratio

Screen size

Display sizes are conveyed in inches, measured diagonally from one corner to another. Monitors are typically on the smaller side, from about 5" to 21" - much smaller than televisions. While some televisions are that small, others are as large 100" or greater. LCD displays offer a wide range of sizes, while plasma displays tend to be on the larger side, ranging from 30" to about 150". Projection displays, meant for larger audiences, offer the largest sizes. The important thing to remember is to size your display to the audience it's intended for.

Pixel resolution

Pixel is short for picture element, which is the smallest component of a displayed image. Your display's pixel resolution is the number of pixels that can be displayed. They're typically expressed as width by height, for example 1024x768.

Projectors, which are meant for larger audiences, tend to have the largest resolution. For television displays in the home, resolution ranges from 720x57 to high-definition displays, which generally offer a 1920x1080 resolution. Computer monitors operate within the same range, but tend to offer resolutions on the higher end.

Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of your display is the fractional ratio of the image's width to its height. The most common aspect ratio is the standard 4:3 - the standard, boxy TV and computer screens you grew up using -- or widescreen 16:9, which are typical for HDTV displays.

Contrast ratio

This is the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color your display can produce to the darkest color it can produce. In short, it's the whitest white compared to the blackest black. A higher contrast ratio is most desirable when choosing a display, because they can broadcast a wider range of high quality colors. Plasma displays generally have the highest contrast ratios.

Keep in mind a display with a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 isn't necessarily five times better than one with a 2,000:1 ratio. The contrast ratio does not account for the display of all the shades of grey in between the blackest black and whitest white.