Different types of HDTV displays

What kind of a television set will you buy to watch HD on? Traditional bulky box sets are fast being replaced by flashier models offering larger screens in more stylish, space saving casing - but that doesn’t mean they give a better picture! Lets take a look at the different television models on offer in the high street today:

• Flat Panel LCD TV. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Which means that the screen is made up from millions of minuscule liquid crystal molecules, known as pixels. Voltage acts on them so they independently block light or let ir through to create a moving image. Three filters in red, green and blue apply colour to the pixels. Often the most affordable of the flat panels TVs and the most popular HDTV so far. Being flat mean you can literally hang them on your wall and they take up far less room than a traditional television set.

Cost: A 27 inch LCD TV can cost from £350 upwards and a 37 inch screen from £750 - £3000 depending on the quality and make.

• Flat Panel Plasma TV. Plasma screens produce very detailed pictures with natural, vibrant colours. Pixels on a Plasma TV are all lit simultaneously unlike regular TV where the image is scanned, resulting in a sharper and brighter picture especially with indoor lighting. Plasma screens are not affected by magnetic fields which means you can place your speakers as close to the TV set as you wish.

Cost: A flat panel plasma TV will cost from £900 for a 42 inch and from £1,650 to £15,000 for a high end 50 inch plasma!

• Rear projection TV. Not a flat panel TV and much bulkier. If you want a bigger picture than 50 inches this is your best bet. They take up a lot more space that a flat panel TV but the picture quality is markedly sharper at the larger sizes. Rear projection HDTVs come in a variety of formats. Digital Light Processing (DLP) gives a better quality picture than LCD due to its ability to reproduce deep blacks, while the LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) variety are thinner and lighter but do require maintenance in the form of lamp replacement.

Cost: A 42 inch Rear Projection HD ready TV starts from around £500.

• Front projection TV. Not actually television sets but projectors, these are for real home cinema enthusiasts only. You need a light controlled environment and for best results a dedicated screen to project onto. LCD front projection TVs are cheaper than the better performing DLP variety

Cost: Front projection TV prices start from around £450.