The Facts

• There are many types of digital television that contain digital tuners include cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), rear projection and plasma televisions. A digital tuner can receive digital standard definition television (SDTV) and digital high definition television (HDTV) signals. However, HDTV and digital television (DTV) are not the same thing. You must have an HDTV to watch HDTV broadcasts in full definition.
  
  

Features

• A digital CRT television has a digital tuner installed internally. However, the digital signal is converted to an analog signal before it is displayed on the screen. LCD televisions are typically backlit with a fluorescent lamp. However, there are more efficient LCD television models, often called "LED" televisions because they are backlit with LED lights. Rear projection TVs use lenses and mirrors to reflect red, green and blue light onto a screen from behind. Plasma TVs use ionized gases such as xenon or neon produce an image on the screen.
  
  

Function

• A CRT television with a digital tuner functions essentially the same way as an analog CRT set with a digital TV converter box. By contrast, LCD, rear-projection and plasma televisions offer better picture quality over CRT. LCD TVs are best for brightly lit rooms, since they have very bright display and a less reflective screen than CRT or plasma televisions. Plasma TVs display deep blacks well and can be viewed from any angle without affecting the image quality. Newer rear-projection televisions use microdisplays that use a microchip to produce an image on a very large screen. However, rear-projection TVs that use digital light processing (DLP) technology may experience a "rainbow effect" in which the colors separate within the image.
  
  

Benefits

• Lower-priced LCD televisions are often available in smaller sizes. However, LCD and plasma televisions are comparable in price when comparing the same size sets. However, LCD televisions, especially those backlit with an LED light, use less electricity than plasma TVs. Rear-projection TVs are available in much larger sizes than flat panel TVs such as LCD or plasma. The only real benefit of digital CRT televisions is a low price.
  
  

Considerations

• Rear-projection TVs are more expensive than flat panel LCD or plasma TVs. Therefore it's best to buy a rear-projection set only if you want an extremely large screen. LCD televisions don't display blacks as well as plasma, and may blur fast moving images on the screen. You may also experience problems when viewing an LCD TV from an angle. In some situations, plasma TVs may suffer from burn-in, an effect in which a image that has been on the screen for long periods becomes permanent.