The options compared

Your choice of television will depend on price, size, design and technology. Here are the pros and cons of each option. Note that prices are a moving target - they change all the time!

Liquid crystal display (LCD)

Price range: $350 to $6000
Common sizes: 17 to 55 inches

How it works:
LCD (liquid crystal display) is the technology used in slim-line computer screens. The image is made up of dots (pixels) which are tiny blinds that can be opened or closed to allow the light behind them to come through. LCD technology is also used in rear-projection TV sets.

Pros:

• Very good picture quality.
• Thin and light.
• Wall-mountable.
• Screen is not reflective.
• Very low risk of burn-in of static images compared to plasma.
• Reasonably low running costs in smaller sizes - similar to a CRT TV of the same size.
• Some can double as a computer display.

Cons:

• Images can dim as you angle away from the centre of the screen.
• Greater risk of motion blur than plasma (but not extreme).
• Contrast usually not as good as plasma.

Our verdict:
LCDs are the new benchmark TV. They're now much cheaper and have much better quality than earlier models.

For more information, see our full report on LCD and plasma televisions. 

Light emitting diode (LED)

Price range: $1200 to $4000
Common sizes: 32 to 60 inches

How it works:
Despite all the marketing hype surrounding LED TVs, they’re not a different "type" of TV technology. An LED TV is simply an LCD panel that uses different backlighting. Standard LCD TVs use lamps called cold-cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs). LED TVs use light emitting diodes (LEDs) for backlighting.

There are two types of LED backlighting. The usual one is “full array” where LEDs are lined behind the LCD panel. The other is "edge-lit", where the LEDs are positioned along the four edges of the screen and project light inwards. Edge-lit TVs can be thinner than full array models but can also have less consistent backlighting – for example, the edges of the screen can seem brighter than the middle.

The higher price tag and newer technology of LEDs doesn’t necessarily mean a better picture. Our recent TV tests found some LED models ranked at the top of the table while others were near the bottom, beaten by standard LCD models.

Pros

• Much thinner and lighter than standard LCD models.
• More energy efficient than standard LCD models and much more efficient than plasmas.
• Very good picture quality – some are superior to standard LCD models.
• Screen is not reflective.
• Very little risk of burn-in of static images compared with plasmas.

Cons

• Generally more expensive than standard LCDs of the same size.
• Images can dim as you angle away from the centre of the screen.
• The same risk of motion blur as standard LCDs and usually more than plasmas.
• Some (but not all) can have very poor sound quality.
   

Plasma

Price range: $650 to $5000
Common sizes: 42 to 60 inches

How it works:
Plasma is an array of very small dots called pixels, each of which is made up of a red, green and blue phosphor cell. The phosphor cells are filled with a gas - usually xenon, neon or argon. When an electric current passes through the gas, it's excited into a plasma state (hence the name) and the gas emits ultraviolet light which in turn causes the phosphor to glow.

Pros:

• Very good picture quality.
• Negligible risk of motion blur.
• Usually has the best contrast and brightness.
• Can be viewed from any angle without losing quality.

Cons:

• Not available in smaller sizes below about 37 inches.
• Usually use more power than LCD.
• Generates lots of heat and may have fan noise.
• Can suffer from burn-in of static images.
• Can be very costly to run, especially above 50 inches.
• Relatively heavy, and wall-mounting can be expensive.
• Shiny screen can be reflective.
• Has to be kept upright for transport.

Our verdict:
Large plasma screens are now as reliable as LCDs and match their picture quality. They're also similarly priced.

Cathode ray tube (CRT)

Common sizes: 14 to 32 inches

How it works:
CRT (cathode ray tube) is the old conventional TV screen. It creates an image by firing electrons at the screen, which is coated with a fluorescent material. This technology has been around for 75 years.

There are no new CRTs in stores any longer and they are extremely cheap second-hand. The price of  LCDs has come down to the point that CRTs are no longer a much cheaper option.

Pros:

• Reliable, proven technology.
• Generally very cheap.
• A wide range of sizes are available.
• Cheaper to run than plasma screens.
• The best have very good picture quality.

Cons:

• Larger sizes are bulky and heavy. No genuinely large screens (over 32 inches).
• Most have a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the newer 16:9 widescreen ratio.
• Not capable of displaying a high definition (HD) picture.

Our verdict:
New CRT TVs are no longer available in stores. If you're in the market for a new TV, we recommend purchasing a high definition set.

Rear projector

Common sizes: 42 to 60 inches

How it works:
The image is projected through lenses and mirrors from the back of the set onto a screen at the front. Available in four types: LCD, DLP, LCoS and CRT. There are no new rear projection TVs in stores nowadays as large LCD and plasma screens can be produced more cheaply.

Pros:

• Big screen.

Cons:

• Work best in darker rooms.
• Heavy and fragile (many need regular lamp realignment).

Our verdict:
Rear projection TVs have been made obsolete by large LCD and plasma TVs. Ongoing maintenance costs can be considerable. 

Front projector

Price range: $600 to $15,000
Common sizes: 60 to 150+ inches

How it works:
The machine beams an image onto any surface you point it at - a wall or screen. Available in three types: LCD, DLP and LCoS.

Pros:

• Biggest screen size of all.
• Many high definition models available.
• Light and portable.

Cons:

• Don't have a built-in TV tuner or built-in audio.
• Can be difficult to set up.
• Can have noisy fans.
• Cheaper models may not be ideal for watching in a lit room.
• Lamp replacement can be expensive.

Our verdict:
Not ideal as an everyday TV but magic for movies and sports - front projection's the nearest thing to a cinema experience at home. They usually work best in a dedicated, dark media room, and require additional sound equipment (like a home-theatre system). Ongoing maintenance costs can be considerable.