TVs and Displays
Again, see AVS forum for details on specific models.
Display Technologies In general:
No video technology is inherently superior to any other in all categories. They all have their own merits and demerits.
CRT
An electron beam hits phosphors on a screen to create a lit image.
pro: mature, inexpensive, generally best blacks
con: heavy, large physical depth, and projection CRT is particularly succeptible to burn-in
Plasma
A gas is energized in little cells on the panel to create an image.
pro: flat and large, while still being thin.
con: expensive, succeptible to burn-in, some screens look coarse.
DLP:
It uses panel(s) of micromirrors that flash on and off to display an image.
pro: good digital display type, with good fill ratio
con: rainbows, bulb cost
LCOS:
Also known as D-ILA, which is JVC's brand. LCOS is short for liquid crystal on silicon. Light is reflected off of these panels to create an image.
pro: high resolution, very little pixelization due to it having the best fill ratio
con: can be noisier because it needs better cooling, somewhat grey blacks, there aren't any low resolution versions, so the starting cost is currently higher, bulb cost
LCD:
For projection, light is usually shined through tiny panels, often around 0.7" to 1.3" / 2cm to 4cm in panel size.
pro: common and often least expensive digital display type for the resolution
con: screen door, somewhat grey blacks, for projection, bulb cost
Projection
Front projection - a reasonably small box shines an image on a wall or screen. This kind needs good light control to work well, preferably nearly no light in many cases.
Projector Central - guides to front projection devices and supplies.
Rear projection - a large box with a built-in screen large, inexpensive screen that can be used in a lighted room.
Adjustment & Tuning
For best results with
any kind of display, it should be tuned up. If you see a display review that doesn't mention tuning as part of the review procedure,
ignore the video quality part of the review if not the entire review. The best tuning happens with a particular display
in the environment it will be used. No disply can be optimally tuned from the factory. while digital displays often don't need geometry adjustments, they still need color adjustments. For other kinds of displays, you will often need to get into service mode or possibly manual adjustments to correct geometry problems.
Generally the best is getting an ISF certified tuner to adjust the set, but it can be expensive. You can get special tuning DVDs to show you how to dial in a TV:
Avia
Digital Video Essentials
Video Essentials
THX optimode is available on nearly any THX certified DVD made in the last few years, requires separate purchase of the blue gel from the THX site. I think similar could be bought at a professional camera or stage supply store, but I don't know the specifics of the material.
Terms:
Burn-In: A situation where an old image appears in the display. It is so named because on CRTs, the phosphors are "burned" from over exposure to one static image. Calibrating a display to limit the white brightness is a recommended way to reduce the risk of burn in. Often displays are set to be overly bright so they look good on the showroom floor, but this ruins the screen quicker and makes the image inaccurate.
Fill ratio: the ratio of lit and unlit area of a pixel. The higher the fill ratio, the smoother the image is. A low fill ratio results in a "screen door" effect.
Screen door: Where the image looks like as if you are looking at something through a screen door. It is often an easily visible grid of dark lines on an image.
Antennas & TV
CEA Antenna Selector
Titan TV
Screen "Lines of Resolution" (italicised textis a quote from a post by Skywise)
"Yes, what they're talking about isn't really resolution, it's detail. What confuses the issue even more is that it's not even the actual information being shown on screen that they're discussing. It's a perfect square adjusted for the aspect ratio. However, since you're interested in the horizontal resolution you can't adjust that - the result is you adjust the frame to 720x540, and then make a square in the center of that frame. The result is a 540x540 square, which is then the max "resolution" according to traditional TV math."
Beware that the claimed screen "lines of resolution" may be just a measurement of the phosphors and not necessarily what the electronics can drive. But higher phosphor density can have an upside of a less-grainy looking picture even if the electronics or signal isn't that high resolution.