Get Ready For TV Wars

Growing up back in the ’70s and ’80s the only thing I had to think about with regard to televisions was the screen size. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) was what powered televisions back then – a cumbersome technology, which although still around, has been surpassed by LCD and plasma.

What they have brought to the television marketplace are clean, crisp pictures, a cleaner refresh rate, and the ability to take up less space in your living room.

Now a couple of new players are about to put their mark on television land – LED (Light Emitting Diode), and its more expensive cousin OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

So what do these units offer up that you can’t get out of your plasma or LCD? Well, LED televisions are super-thin for a start because they use LED backlights instead of fluorescent lamps like LCDs. They also use less energy, offer deeper blacks, and therefore an even sharper picture.

The cousin, the OLED, offers even deeper blacks and faster refresh rate, which means you see the picture ‘quicker’. OLED is seen as the top dog as far as technology goes, but there are two prohibitive factors that come with it – the lifetime of the polymers that make up the lighting aspect of a screen is lower than traditional LCD and plasma screens, and the cost. Sony have an OLED TV out at the moment that is an 11-inch screen and sells for a huge $6,999.

Also thrown into the mix is the wireless television from the likes of Sony and Toshiba and other vendors, and suddenly consumers are spoiled for choice. The most obvious benefit of wireless technology is you can put your gigglebox anywhere in the house without having to run cords all over the place.

Of all the technologies available, I think the LED units will stand the test of time as it is the one being embraced by most