Tuesday, April 27, 2010

So You Need a New TV?

So You Need a New TV?

Buying a new TV is a lot harder than it used to be. There are so many types and brands to choose from and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. For the most part, new TVs aren't cheap, so before you go out and spend a small fortune on one for your home, there are a few things to take into consideration.

There are three types of TVs to choose from: LCD, LED, and Plasma. Each one has its small differences from the other, but it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your home and your family.

Plasmas

Plasma TVs are flat-panel TVs that once ruled the TV market. They are heavy, which means wall mounting needs to be more secure and they're also very fragile. You'll most likely want to have it installed professionally. If your wall doesn't have easily located studs, you'll need reinforcements. But of course, you can always place it on a TV stand or other type of furniture.

Plasmas rule the TV market when it comes to contrast ratio (making your whites white and your darks dark) and are great for watching moving images. If you're a movie-watcher, you won't see a lag in the big chase scene. Also, you can see your plasma well from various angles, which is great for living room set-ups where chairs and sofas are positioned around the TV.

On the downside, if glare bothers you, plasmas do reflect light, but you can purchase anti-glare screens for your TV. Image retention and burn-in can also be a problem with your plasma. Also, if you live in an altitude over 6,500 feet, your plasma could experience a buzz.

LCD

LCD TVs are also flat-panel TVs and they aren't quite as heavy as plasmas. Contrast quality isn't as great as the plasma, but it's close. LCDs are great for viewing still images. Many computer monitors use LCD technology for this reason. They're also catching up to plasmas when it comes to color. The highest quality plasma will have the most rich color, but a high quality LCD is a much better option than an average or low-quality plasma.

If you're worried about using energy and being "green," then an LCD might be for you. They use half the power of a plasma. Plasmas use neon gas the requires more energy to light up. On the downside, LCDs are known for having stuck pixels, which appear on your screen as tiny pinpoints of light. Sometimes, a manufacturer will replace your set if this happens early on in the TVs life, bu tnot always.

LED

LED TVs are a newer technology. While the competition between LCD and plasma has lowered prices, LEDs are still relatively expensive. They are lighter an thinner than plasmas and LCDs and the quality is outstanding. Instead of fluorescent bulbs, LEDs use backlighting, which makes your blacks darker and your color more saturated. They also use less power than their plasma and LCD counterparts.

These guys have been on the market for only about two years, and are technically just LCD TVs with the LED lighting inside. They are sure to become more popular in the future as more competition enters the market, driving down prices.



Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

2009 Sees Growth in Flat-Panel Market

2009 Sees Growth in Flat-Panel Market

Let's face it, 2009 won't exactly go down as a positive year for business, growth, or prosperity. Foreclosures were widespread, businesses were forced to close their doors, people lost their life savings, and many industries saw little or no profit. But believe it or not, one industry saw growth and sales: the flat-panel TV industry.

According to DisplaySearch, "a leading provider of reliable information, highly insightful analysis, and industry events specifically focused on the display supply chain and display-related industries," the flat-panel TV market saw a growth in excess of 32%. The growth rate is similarly to that of 2008 and that type of growth is expected to continue in 2010. Due to new technology such as LED backlights, internet connection, and 3-D, will grow 10 million to 228 million units this year.

DisplaySearch believes LCD TVs will see the strongest growth this year with a 24% increase from 2009. Plasmas are expected to increase around 6% this year, shipping more than 15 million units. DisplaySearch also says that CRT TVs will eventually fade from the market all together. In 2009, they saw a 40% decrease and this year, a 36% decrease is expected.

One reason for last year's dramatic increase is thought to be price. The average LCD TV price fell about 24% last year and this year, they are expected to fall another 5% (10% for plasmas).





Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

3D TV Plans from Verizon

3d tv from verizonOn Friday, Verizon announced that they plan to start down the 3D path and release a 3DTV package that would be launched before the 2010 holiday shopping season. Shawn Strickland, vice president of FiOS product management for Verizon, said on Friday, "We're monitoring the early sales of 3D TVs and expect to announce a 3D offering well in advance of the holiday TV-shopping season, when 3D television sales will expand."

Verizon already offers standard definition and HDTV services along their FiOs network that now have over three million subscribers. This new 3DTV package will be offered in the same manner as these other services.

Verizon has also begun the chase to discuss broadcast rights to certain channels. Networks like ESPN have said that they plan to launch their 3D experience this summer with the soccer World Cup. Verizon has been trying to negotiate things with ESPN but Strickland said that they have set “ridiculously” high prices for the rights.

Strickland said, "There are content distribution companies that own content and that are simply running demonstration events early in the evolution of 3D.” He also said, “These early events seem to be aimed at the viewers who just went through the challenge of getting the best HD sets. Some content owners have elected to specifically exclude Verizon and other competitive distributors from carriage of these 3D events in an effort to advantage their distribution businesses. Others have fixed ridiculously high prices for the content. Verizon's position is that integrated operators should not withhold programming options from the marketplace, and that consumers should have the freedom to choose the distributor that best meets their needs."

It will be interesting to see where Verizon goes with all of this. They have not stated exactly what content or networks they plan to go after, but I guess we will know all of that information in due time. Until then, we will just have to watch and wait patiently to see where all of this will go.



Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!