LED (LCD)

We have been talking about the demise of plasma for at least three years. But with each passing year manufacturers come out with plasma TVs that are simply the best TVs on the market. In a CNET article titled Best HDTVs Overall, the top 5 TVs were plasma, and that doesn�t even include the forthcoming Panasonic ZT60 which won best of show at CES. In the following paragraphs we�ll try to compare and contrast the plasma and LED LCDs and see if there is a real reason why LEDs are putting plasma out of business.

It was pretty clear that the OLED TVs demonstrated by LG and Samsung stole the show at the last Consumer Electronics Show we went to. We were really impressed by the color, contrast and sharpness of the picture. However, there are some issues that need to be resolved before we see mainstream OLED HDTVs in sizes that we would want in our living rooms.

Rather than go with an OLED TV, Sony displayed a technology called Crystal LED. Crystal LED takes six million tiny LEDs to create a picture that they hope will rival OLED technology. A 1080P TV has nearly 2 million pixels on screen. Crystal LEDs TVs take three LEDs, one for red, green, and blue, and combine them for each pixel. Each pixel is mounted directly in front of the display. This is not an LED based LCD but an actual LED TV.

The HT Guys have been JVC fans for quite some time, dating back to CRT tube TVs in years gone by. Braden has a JVC rear projection TV still in use in his home and Ara has a JVC projector in his theater. When we got the chance to talk to Tom Paterniti, VP of Sales for JVC BlackCrystal TVs and also check out a brand new 47� BlackCrystal LCD for ourselves, we jumped at the opportunity.

Back when we started this podcast (six years ago on Thursday) we never dreamt of being able to purchase a 42 inch LCD for around $460. And if you could would it be any good? Today that dream has come true with the Hannspree ST42DMSB 42 inch 120Hz LCD HDTV. As you would expect with a 42 inch TV at this price point there aren’t a ton of bells and whistles. What you get is a solid basic HDTV that can be used in your main or secondary room without breaking the bank.

With football season just around the corner you may be in the market for a new HDTV to watch your favorite team try and make it to the Superbowl. We’ve seen a few technologies come and go and each of them try to produce a picture that’s as good as plasma. The latest is LED. The Vizio XVT553SV will run you about $1900 for the 55 inch version and its loaded with all kinds of goodies that we can finally say that Plasma may have finally met its match.