Television and home theater displays can be broken down into 4 major categories: tube, flat-panel, rear-projection, and front-projection.
Tube - Tube displays, also known as CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), are the most common type of television display. They offer bright, sharp, and colorful images and perform well in off-axis viewing and poor lighting conditions. CRT televisions generally have the largest 'footprint' and are by far the heaviest display type due to their large glass tubes.
* Pros: can deliver best picture quality (especially for non-HD signals); great bang for the buckUp to 36".
* Cons: screen size limited; cabinets are heavy and deep
Flat-Panel - Flat-panel displays are the current trend. Flat-panels are thin, light, and often wall-mountable. Early flat-panel TVs and monitors lacked the picture quality of tube TVs and were quite expensive. Recent advances in technology have changed this. Today's models feature bright, crisp, and well-saturated images and are becoming much more affordable. Flat-panel TVs come in two varieties: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and Plasma. LCD - * Pros: panels weigh less than plasma and use less energy; burn-in not an issue * Cons: picture slightly less natural than top plasmas
Plasma - # Pros: screen's phosphor coating creates lifelike color that is closest to conventional tube TVs # Cons: vulnerable to burn-in
LCD models come in sizes up to 46", Plasma up to 61".
Rear-Projection - These "big screen" TVs look great when viewed from straight ahead, but become dim and less sharp as you move off to the left or right (or up and down). The older CRT models use Red, Green, and Blue picture tubes that emit light beams to 'scan' the picture onto the screen. The newer digital models (LCD, DLP, LCoS) use digital imaging devices and sensitive optics, and create images using pixels. Digital big screens are smaller and weigh less than CRT models, and offer a picture that is brighter, sharper, and more consistent from corner to corner. Digital displays take full advantage of high-definition signals. Sizes from 42" to 70".
Front-Projection - Front-projection TV systems are comprised of two pieces: a projector and a screen. Front-projection systems boast the largest, most theater-like experience (with a price tag to match!). Sizes from 40" to 300".
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