- Most of the 6 million people that bought HDTVs on the first 5 years of the transition (98-03) did so NOT to view HD, but rather to enjoy playing widescreen DVDs at 480p. Even now in 2008, after Hi-Def DVD has been already introduced in early 2006, regular DVDs are still a favorite content for DTV, because they certainly display quite well as progressive 480p, or upscaled to 720p or 1080i/p to the native resolution of the digital set (by either the DVD player or the TV set). The same DVD played on an analog TV would only show the image as a 480i interlaced scanning. In addition, an HDTV has the capability to show widescreen DVDs in anamorphic format displaying all the original vertical resolution stored on the disc, while 4x3 analog TVs would show the same DVD letterboxing the image between larger top/bottom bars in order to maintain the wider aspect ratio of the movie, and with less vertical resolution for the image itself.
- Plasma TV's have a wide viewing angle. This means that the person sitting to the side of the television can enjoy the same picture quality as the person sitting in front of the television. With an LCD, the picture quality diminishes if viewed from an angle. If you plan on mounting your TV high on a wall or above a fireplace, a plasma is your best bet, since the picture will remain clear when viewed from the ground. Plasma TV's are known for having high contrast and deep black levels. This is most evident in nighttime scenes in movies and shows; the colors appear lifelike and every detail shows, even in dark scenes. Plasma TV's are also less expensive than LCD's. When the price per inch is compared, plasma TV's are a budget's best friend.
- Most of the glass TV stands out there have metal frames. The frames themselves come in a variety of finishes. An always popular choice is black glass with a chrome frame. It tends to have a modern futuristic look to it. You can even find styles that have a wood look. Combined with gold or brass accents, these glass TV stands have a very elegant look. The most popular units use colored glass, most commonly beautiful black tempered glass. It has a smokey look that is very clean and sharp looking, yet transparent enough so that you can still see your other home theater components. I have a chrome and black glass TV stand in my main viewing room and couldn't be happier with it. It greatly accentuates the look of my plasma TV which in turn, enhances the whole decor of the room. It really acts as a wonderful centerpiece for my living room.
- "HDTV will catch on when people see that they can buy movies and games in the new format," says Parsons. Movie discs using the Blu-ray format are expected to appear in stores beginning in June. Shoppers can expect to find favorite titles such as "Crash" and the "Terminator" series available, with more and more high-definition discs coming to stores throughout the summer. The improvement in quality, Parsons says, is comparable to what viewers noticed when they switched from VHS tapes to DVDs. "When you watch a video tape today, you really notice how poor the picture is compared to your DVDs-and you don't have the menus and all of the added features that you do with DVDs," he explains. "The shift to HDTV and high-definition discs will be just as dramatic."
- If you are sick and tired of looking at your old blurry screen, the one where nothing is ever clear and crisp, then now is the time to get yourself a brand new plasma TV. These televisions are fabulous, it is like being right there on the field or in the movie! You will find that watching TV is a real experience again, just like when you were young.
- Plasma TVs have recently been introduced to the market. They are extremely flat television panels which make them very easy to mount on either a wall, in a cabinet or on other specially designed furniture. Plasma TVs are known for their wonderful quality and almost all of them come already equipped with an HDTV (high definition television) tuner which will allow you to watch all the HDTV channels that have been so widely discussed lately. The quality is amazingly realistic.
- As opposed to the liquid crystal type display technology, plasmas create their stunningly life-like pictures through a complicated gas-based system. The plasma display idea has been around since 1964, but is only now coming into its own for practicality.
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