Widescreen TV

With 3D HDTV still very much a developing technology there are quite a few myths circulating around cyber space in regards to 3D HDTVs and the technology that is associated with these TVs.  Many of these myths are not true or are based on incorrect information about the technology or about the 3D HDTVs.  The following are some of the more common myths that have been circulating about 3D TV.

The first myth is that the viewers of 3D TVs need to always wear the 3D glasses when watching the TV.  This is incorrect as a 3D TV can also pick 2D content which can be viewed without the use of 3D glasses just like a normal 2D TV.  The 3D glasses need only to be worn while viewing 3D enabled content.

The next myth surrounding 3D HDTV is that this technology will dramatically increase the price of new televisions.  This has so far proven to be untrue as most of the 3D HDTVs on the market have the 3D part as a feature and it is not a dedicated 3D TV.  The price of the current 3D HDTVs is high as the technology is being included on TVs that are in the high price range already due to other features such as having a thin design, high refresh rate or faster processor.

The third myth involves the 3D glasses that need to be worn to enjoy the 3D features of the television and that they are all the same.  This is also not correct as different manufacturers have chosen to create the 3D images on the screen in different ways which means that the glasses are different for each of different TV brands.  Some of the manufacturers have chosen to include 3D glasses with their TVs while others require that you purchase them separately (at some expense as they are generally between $100 – $150 each).  The main down fall of this is if you have a different brand 3D HDTV than your mate you won’t be able to use your 3D glasses to watch 3D content on his or her  3DTV.

The last of these myths is that 3D TV technology is a brand new feature.  This is also untrue as 3D effects where first created over 50 years ago and have long been available at the theatre when you use to wear the cardboard 3D glasses.  The 3D concept is not new however the technology used on currently available 3D HDTVs has been vastly improved.

There is a lot for the consumer to know when it comes to choosing between the different types of widescreen TVs that are currently available on the market.  Recent advances in technology have made the choice more complicated especially for those who consider themselves as technology challenged.  Widescreen TVs are currently available as Plasma screens, LCD screens and also LED screens.  To help you decide which of these televisions is the best choice for your place below are a few tips and some information which may make this decision easier.

Plasma TVs have been a favourite with the consumer mainly because these TVs were the first on the market when LCD was still catching up.  Choosing a plasma screen TV gives the viewer a few advantages especially when it comes to things such as contrast ratio and refresh times.  Plasma screens have excellent depth and contrast ratio with brilliant dark black colours as well as white contrasts.  This makes these TVs great for watching movies that have dark scenes and the fast refresh times make these televisions suitable for content with fast moving scenes such as a car chase or fast moving sports such as football or motor racing.

LCD TVs have developed a lot since the first of these TVs was released on the market.  These TVs were first widely used for things such as computer monitors as the LCD screen is excellent for still pictures which appear sharp and clear on these TV screens.  These TVs will still give you a great picture while watching sports or fast moving movie scenes it just won’t be as good as the plasma.  One area that the LCD TV wins is with the power consumption.  The cost of electricity is one of those topics which seems to get discussed a lot and some of these widescreen TVs use quite a lot of electricity.  When comparing the two plasma and LCD it is the LCD TV that is the cheaper to run as it requires almost half the power of the plasma screen.

The third type of widescreen TV available on the market is the LED which is basically a step up from the LCD TVs.  This technology is still very much in development however you can purchase LED TVs but they are quite expensive.  The best option currently is to determine what content you will mostly be viewing on the TV and then decide between a Plasma or LCD TV.