At the moment with all the current upgrades in televisions, it’s hard to know which one is going to be the right purchase for the future.  With not knowing the difference between plasma, LCD, and LED it makes it hard on where to start to determine what to purchase.  Even worse you have to decide on which resoultion will work best for your entertainment, choosing between the three top resolutions of 1080i, 720p,  and 1080p.   Making your choice all determines on two factors:  preferred resolution and cost.  We have broken down in detail the information you need to know to figure out which resolution will work for you.

Plasma

Plasma television technology is based loosely on the fluorescent light bulb. The display itself consists of cells. Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel (picture element).

Although Plasma television technology eliminate the need for the bulky picture tube and electron beam scanning of traditional televisions, because it still employs the burning of phosphors to generate an image.  Plasma televisions still suffer from some of the drawbacks of traditional televisions, such as heat generation and screen-burn of static images.  Plasma televisions have a lifespan of 60,000 hours, with some manufacturers reporting their plasmas last up to 100,000 hours.

LCD

LCD televisions, on the other hand, use a different technology.  LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are polarized, and are “glued” together. One of the layers is coated with a special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their own light, so an external light source, such as a fluorescent bulb is needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the viewer. This backlight is defined as a CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp).

Unlike standard CRT and Plasma televisions, since there are no phosphors that light up, less power is needed for operation and the light source in an LCD television generates less heat than a Plasma or traditional television.  LCD televisions report having a lifespan of 60,000 hours.

LED

As a LED television is the same as a LCD, the only difference is the backlighting format.  Instead of the CCFL-lit LCD television, LED (light-emitting diode) gives an uniform light source throughout the panel.  Just think of it like a big “Lite Brite” with all clear pegs.  This process allows for local dimming feature to turn off portions of the backlight when the picture needs to be dimmed for contrast.  This process is an advancement from the traditional LCD. LED televisions report having a lifespan of 100,000 hours.

1080p

The 1080p television offers a progressive scan of 1920×1080 pixels giving it the sharpest resolution in televisions.  The “p” means that it is a progressive, meaning each frame is shown at once.  The 1080p is the “King” in televisions right now, but it is the most expensive.  The only downside is that 1080p resolution is only offered in Blu-ray and some video games.  Current broadcasting through cable and satellite is only available in 1080i and 720p.

1080i

The “i” stands for the interlaced format images that are conveyed on the television at 1920×1080 pixels.  Images are brought to you in two different sections of odd and even lines being broadcasted at thirty frames per second at typically 60 Hz (Hertz).  This is directly compatible with CRT-based HDTV sets and older CRT resolution models like 480i/480p.

720p

The 720p resolution television offers a progressive scan of 1280×720 pixels giving it a sharper image to project.  The “p” means that it is a progressive, meaning each frame is shown at once.  The 720p resolution is a native in broadcasting of the video game system Wii.

Television invention is not even close to slowing down.  With reports showing that manufacturers like Sony, Nvidia, and JVC will be introducing “3D” televisions and monitors by the end of 2010.  That’s right…you will be able to watch your movies and video games in a real-like three dimensional format.  The manufacturers have not set an exact date, but FireFold is going to be keeping up-to-date with this new electronic and bringing you the information.