Anyone who has been watching TV for a few decades now tends to feel that flat panel television is the best thing to have happened to television viewers. The market is now flooded with advanced television technology in the form of plasma televisions, LCD televisions, DLP televisions and projection TV.

It's The Difference:

Flat panel televisions comprise of Plasma, LCD, rear projection, and DLP TV. These terms can appear confusing to someone who is trying to decide on which of these is best. Here is a quick look at what goes behind each of these technologies to bring those fantastically real images to the viewer:

Plasma Television: In the flat panel category, in plasma televisions, a variety of gases like neon argon and xenon emit light and color to the TV screen when they are stimulated by electrical impulses. There is a matrix of miniature phosphor coated gas plasma bubbles, which are powered through electrical impulses that result in the formation of the picture. There are some really wide plasma screens available, exceeding thirty inches, with stunning images with the sharp contrast. Plasma televisions are better than liquid crystal displays because they are faster in terms of response, offer a more wide viewing angle. The picture display quality appears far better. LCD Television: Also called liquid crystal display TV, these are also flat panel TVs. The technology works when a solution of liquid crystals is sandwiched between two glass panes. This solution carries electrical charges. A florescent bulb emits white light, which the crystals block and reflect, which results in the picture the viewer sees on the screen.

LCD TVs are very popular with an ever-increasing market. They last long, are slim and energy efficient.

DLP TV - DLP or Digital Lighting Processing technology has come in recently. These projection TVs use a computer chip equipped with innumerable mirrors, which project and then reflect the picture. The picture quality is superior. Today, many home theater systems and entertainment projectors use this technology.

HDTV or High Definition Television is basically a digital format. A viewer can really enjoy the experience of HDTV when the show is made using high definition technology and broadcast through an HDTV signal via an HDTV TV channel to an HDTV television. There are HD ready TV sets in the market today. These have a screen that can display the HDTV signal. It requires an HDTV receiver/decoder to broadcast the signals.

Rear Projection TVs - These are large-screen TVs that are more reasonably priced than the others, giving the viewer a great option that combines size with price. Most of these support the HDTV format. Rear Projection TVs use different technologies to produce their pictures and this can be CRT, DLP or LCD. They can be thin and light and have to be viewed straight on to get the best effect.

The great thing about these TVs is their amazing color clarity and life like visuals, making the viewer feel as if she or he is a part of the scene. Market leaders in this field are Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung, Philips, etc. There is no such thing as the best TV; what really matters is what features matter most to the viewer and consequently what might be a pro for one viewer might well be a con for the other.