What is a Wide Screen TV
Before finally setting up your home theatre systems, it would undeniably be good if you would know some valuable items of information about televisions. On this page, you would get acquainted with the basic characteristics of wide screen televisions. Also by reading the reviews below, you would be able to determine the most ideal size and type of television for your house. Lastly, knowing the difference between LED TV and LCD TV would also aid you as you decide which one to purchase.
We refer to a TV oder computer monitor as a wide screen TV when it is wider than the classice 4:3 format of old CRT-TV (Cathode ray tube)
Most widescreen TV are either LCD or Plasma screens.
In some countries was also made available for analogue TV. It was then called PALPlus.
Most common ist 16:9 although some manufacturers chose their own formats. This is less than ideal if you thing about that most TV and cable stations broadcast in a standard format. This is either 4:3 or 16:9. If your television does not meet the standard the picture has to be stretched or cropped to make it fit. There will be massive black bars on either side or bits are cut off at the top. Both affect your viewing experience.
At the end it is therfore up to you as a consumer to chose wisely. If you watch mainly DVD and Blue Ray an ultra wide Philips is for you. TV watchers are probably better off with a regular 16:9 format.
Size matters
Another thing that matters is size. Back with your old CRT-TV anything bigger than 22" screen size would have been considered big. In fact CRTs were only avaialble up to about 40" and they were mosnters that would weigh a ton.
With widescreen LED and
Plasmas 40" is more or less where it starts getting interesting. The sizes are simply a completly different story. For your living room a 32" would
be considered small if not tiny. DA decent size is 37" but that is assuming your living roomis small. Most common is 42".
On paper that is massive but is it really? You have to consider that with
16:9 the diagonal is per se longer. A 32" CRT with an aspect ratio of 4:3 is obviously much bigger than its 16:9 counterpart.
LED and Plasmas are also a lot lighter. You won't have any problem carrying a 42"
LCD from the shop to your car, for a CRT you'd need a forklift. That doesn't mean CRTs are all bad. They do have a few advantages which we will discuss in the chapter: CRT TV - yesterdays news or unsung heroe.