HDTV Ready LCD TV

Televisions have traditionally used a cathode ray tube system, in which the illusion of a moving image is created by dispensing light though glass tubes, illuminating thousands of specific individual pixels against a screen, creating a rapid succession of still images. While this analog process has been the standard since TV was created, technology developed over the last several years has made digital broadcasting. Digital television allows for a much higher image quality then the analog process of cathode ray tube imaging, and also enables programming to be easily broadcast in the widescreen, rectangular format associated with movie theaters. As the FCC moves towards a planned 2006 goal for the complete conversion to a digital broadcast system, digital compatible, high definition ready televisions are becoming more popular.

High definition television, or HDTV, is a digital broadcast medium that can provide a much better image than traditional analog sets. For example, traditional analog TVs can only provide up to 480 lines of picture information from the top of the screen to the bottom. This format, known as NTSC, has been the standard ever since being developed by the National Television System Committee in the 1940s. However, HDTV is capable of providing anywhere from 780 to 1,020 lines of picture information, allowing for much more detailed images.

How HDTV Ready LCD TV Works

Liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs feature screens that are capable of presenting HDTV images in their true quality. Televisions have traditionally used cathode ray tube (CRT) imaging, which was based on projecting light through charged glass tubes in order to illuminate the specific pixels that form a TVs onscreen picture. LCD TV is not only capable of displaying better quality images than CRT TV, but the technology it uses to render images is far more compact and efficient. As a result, many consumers are choosing LCD TVs, not only for the quality, but also for the impressive design and convenience made possible by the technology.

LCD images are formed when fluorescent light is projected through a thin film of liquid crystals encased between two clear panels. The light illuminates specific liquid crystals, highlighting various pixels on the screen. Pixels are the tiny dots that combine to form an onscreen image. LCD affords many more lines of image information than CRT, allowing for much more crisp, detailed images. In addition, the glass tubes required by CRT TVs require additional space, adding bulk to the unit. The compact nature of LCD can provide lightweight, thin televisions with large screens, making HDTV-ready LCD an attractive option for the consumer looking to upgrade their home entertainment system.