In choosing the best HDTV you could either choose according to, the HDTV format, HDTV comparison guide, or a HDTV Buying Guide. When choosing HDTV formats, the future trends in HDTV, looks very bright for consumers. On the HDTV scene, screen sizes have become larger, while the prices are becoming more affordable over time.

You can now buy flat screen TVs with screen sizes up to 103-inches. Also super-thin TVs are now the trend and there is a race among manufacturers to make the slimmest HDTV. These new ultra-slim models make the current flat panel TVs look fat.

Here are some latest slim-line HDTVs models from some of the manufacturers: Sony has a 11-inch OLED TV that is 3-millimetres thin; Samsung has a 40-inch TV that is .39-inch thin; LG/Philips has a 42-inch which is .78-inches thin; Hitachi has 1.37-inches thin models; and Sharp has a 1.1-inch thin, 52-inch TV.

Best HDTV Technology

HDTV uses different technologies to deliver the picture to your television. The two main types of high definition television are LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and Plasma. Other newer formats are OLED (Organic Light-emitting diode) TVs, and LED (Light-emitting diode) TVs.

LCD HDTV

LCD TVs are the best-selling format in televisions. Nowadays you can choose from a variety of sizes from under 20-inches to over 100-inches. The HD (high definition) models start at 26-inches and greater.

Some factors to consider:

• LCD televisions have a less reflective screen than plasma and also a brighter picture, making them a better choice for daytime viewing.
• LCDs do not run the risk of static image burn as with some of the earlier plasma sets. Static image burn occurs when an image from a video game or computer content is fixed on the screen for a long time.
• Also, LCDs have a tendency to consume less power than plasma TVs, but not by much.

Plasma HDTV

Some factors to consider about Plasma televisions:

• Plasma TVs tend to give you more screen area for a fixed amount of money.
• For watching movies, plasma TV sets have deeper blacks, higher contrasts, more natural looking colours, and pictures that are sharper looking than on LCD televisions.
• Also, plasma televisions have a wider viewing angle than LCD televisions. This is a big plus when watching television with a group of friends.

However, with improvements in display technology, the differences between LCD and plasma televisions are very slight as both have addressed the weaknesses found in their formats.

LED/LCD High Definition TV

LED HDTVs are actually LCD TVs. LED TVs differ from the standard LCD TVs in that they use LED technology for back-lighting. Standard LCD television sets use fluorescent-type back-lighting, while the LED-LCD sets use LED back-lighting.

In addition, the newer LED sets now use LED edge-lighting instead of the earlier LED back-lighting. This new upgrade technology results in (in my view) the best HDTV picture currently available. This upgrade also allows for LED HDTVs to be made ultra-slim. LG's SL90 LCD is a good example of a LED HDTV.

OLED HDTV

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) TVs have been available since last year, but they tend to be limited in numbers as well as size. Two reasons why they are not flying off the store shelves are because of size as well as price (about $2500).

OLED technology is fairly new, so it will be a number of years before we see more models and larger sizes appearing on the market. At present Sony's XEL-1, which has an 11-inch screen, is the only OLED available, although this will soon be joined by a 15-inch model from LG in Korea.

Choosing the best HDTV, with competing technology that offers similar outcomes, can be quite challenging. Check them out for yourself then make a decision based on your personal preferences or on your viewing preferences.

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