What is an LCD TV?

An LCD TV is a television that uses a liquid crystal display screen. Liquid crystal displays are made up of sub-pixels, but unlike plasma screens the LCD sub-pixels don't emit light, they act like a blind allowing light through from a backlight in varying degrees. Colour is produced by filters in front of each sub-pixel to produce red, green or blue.

LCD TV Pros

The reasons why an LCD TV might be the right choice for you!

> LCD TV Size and Weight

LCD TVs are slim and lightweight compared to CRTs. Some LCD TVs can be mounted on a wall, occupying less space and keeping them out of toddler reach. You may need to buy a wall-mounting kit though.

> Sharper picture from an LCD TV

As the resolution is higher than a CRT, the picture quality is generally much sharper. You're likely to appreciate this even more if you get one with a digital tuner in-built that lets you receive higher-resolution digital broadcasts, or buy a set-top box.

> LCD TVs don't flicker

A plus for people who find a flickering screen strains their eyes or gives them headaches.

> LCD TVs Widescreen format

LCD TVs come in widescreen (16:9 or 15:9) format, which is claimed to be more akin to the field of human vision than the box-shaped (4:3) pictures that a standard CRT TV produces.

More and more TV programs, such as sporting events, news, major soaps and MTV are being filmed using widescreen these days, as are most movies.

The width-to-height format is referred to as the ‘aspect ratio' of the screen. However, many of these TVs still have an analogue tuner, and any analogue broadcast in the traditional 4:3 format will be displayed in that format (unless you use the ‘stretch' function, which distorts the picture to make it fit across the full screen width, or zoom the picture, but you'll lose some of the edges of the image). The only way around this is to buy a set-top box to receive the digital broadcast of the same programs, which is always in 16:9 format.

> LCD TV Brightness

LCD TVs can be quite bright which makes them suitable for well lit rooms.

LCD TV Cons

Some cons to consider before buying an LCD TV!

> Black is black?

LCDs don't have as good blacks as plasma or CRT because the backlight tends to leak through somewhat. However, this problem is being addressed and is generally less apparent with newer models.

> LCD TV Blurred Action 

Fast moving objects may leave temporary trails on LCD screens. The best models have largely removed this problem, but it's worth looking out for.

> Dead Pixels 

Pixels aren't repairable. If one or more cells stop working and you find it noticeable, you may have to have the whole thing replaced.

Check the manufacturer warranty prior to purchase as some manufacturers will only replace the LCD TV as a result of multiple (not just one) dead pixels or a cluster of dead pixels.

Plasma versus LCD TV?

The decision to buy a Plasma or LCD TV should be based on your particular requirements. LCD TVs are now outselling Plasma TVs due to significant improvements in quality and price.

Before you go out to buy, compare the pros and cons of Plasma TVs from Choice. For more information on the latest tests by Choice on LCD TVs go to the Choice TV Buyers Guide.