About 4 years ago we upgraded from a 32″ TV to a mammoth 65″ smart TV. What a difference it made. Just for fun we added a Bose speaker system. While 4 years old, we still watch in awe. These days, TV technology continues to move forward with some incredible different types of TVs. Read the latest TV tech here.
Thinking about updating your television viewing experience? Feel like your TV is outdated after a few years?
You’re not alone. The average household gets a new TV every 6.9 years, and that timeframe is expected to decrease as the pace of technological advances continues to increase.
These days, buying a TV can be a frustrating experience because there are so many choices and understanding the differences to make a decision can be tough. Here, we’ll go through each type of television available on the market today, explain the technology behind the model, and address the pros and cons of that particular approach for TV viewing.
To understand our model choices today, it’s helpful to understand the first technological mechanisms of televisions to see how our current choices have evolved.
Table of Contents
1. Direct View
Direct View TVs are a rebranding of the classic, century-long dominance of the cathode-ray tube TVs. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to buy a new direct-view TV you’re probably out of luck. Most TV manufacturers have ceased production on these models in most countries in favor of newer technologies. However, don’t completely disregard the cathode-ray tube TV as an option to keep around. If you’re into gaming, especially older gaming, having a direct view TV may be important. Many classic video games were developed specifically for the cathode-ray tube technology. Older games played on newer TVs can look torn or lag in ways that aren’t a problem with direct view TVs. Nintendo’s Zapper light gun used with Duck Hunt works by detecting the modulating electrons on the projected ducks to determine a hit or miss. These can be modified to work with other technologies, but require extensive modifications. Cathode-ray tube TV technology may feel outdated now, but in the future may be reclassified as vintage and enjoy a resurgence. And while you can’t get new direct-view TVs anymore, there are still plenty of used options around for super cheap.
2. Plasma Display PanelsBeginning in the 1990s, plasma display panel TVs became the first flat screen alternative to cathode-ray tube technology. Plasma displays are designed as a cellular grid with pixels that contain plasma, an ionized gas that responds to electric fields. The plasma layer is flanked by electrodes, with glass panels in the front and rear. Plasma TVs use similar phosphor screens as cathode-ray tube TVs, making the color depth similar in both technologies. However, plasma screen technology has considerable faster frame response over cathode-ray tubes, refreshing up to 600 times a second (600 Hz). Plasma TVs are also easily scalable — the first flat, big screen systems were all plasma displays.
3. Digital Light Processing (DLP)
Digital Light Processing (DLP) TVs were invented by Texas Instruments in the 1980s, using a completely novel technological approach. DLPs use an optical semiconductor chip with over 1 million mirrors that process digital signals by tilting to varying degrees, reflecting light in deferent directions to create an image. The resulting smooth viewing experience has several advantages over cathode-ray tube and plasma TVs, including longer lifespans, lighter weight, and 3D projection compatibility. However, newer technologies that are thinner, quieter, have faster response rates, and use less energy have also caused the shutdown of DLP TV production as of 2012. Used and refurbished models are available, with costs comparable to similarly dated plasma TV models.
4. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
Liquid Crystal Display TVs are by far the most common TV type available today. First conceived in the 1960s, LCD technology uses a unique state of matter called liquid crystals. In this state, molecules are fluid but retain a specific crystal structure such that they are all oriented the same way. For LCDs, each pixel of the display contains several precisely oriented liquid crystal molecules that are aligned between two electrodes and two polarizing filters. When the screen is inert, no light can pass through. But when an electric field is applied, the liquid crystals rotate to a degree dependent on the voltage applied, which lets a corresponding amount of light pass through the screen at that pixel. So, by applying different voltages to different pixels across the screen, an image can be viewed. Most LCD TVs today are backlit with LED lights, and are sometimes just referred to as LED TVs.
5. Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Display
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display contains an organic compound that emits light in response to electricity. The organic compound, which can be small molecules or polymers, is situated between two electrodes, at least one of which is transparent for viewing the fluorescent compound clearly. Unlike LCDs, no backlighting is required since the compound itself is light-emitting, so OLEDs can display deeper blacks than LCD screens and generally display greater contrast ratios in ambient light. They can also be even thinner and lighter than LCDs because filter layers are not required.
6. Quantum Light-Emitting Diode (QLED)
Just a few years old, quantum light-emitting diode (QLED) displays are the next generation of LCD displays. Tiny nanoparticles called quantum dots are emended in the LCD display, which dramatically improves color and brightness. OLEDs still have better contrast ratios over QLEDs, but QLED screens can be larger, last longer, and are not susceptible to burn-in. Plus, QLED TVs are more affordable than OLED TVs, ranging between LCDs and OLEDs in price.
