| Let's clear up a couple of misconceptions about HDTV | | | | models, are in the 15 to 19 inch thick range and weight |
| (High Definition Television) as it applies to the rapidly | | | | around 100 pounds. Front projecting LCD's are small, |
| emerging LCD technologies. The acronym LCD stands | | | | lightweight and very portable. One model weighs four |
| for Liquid Crystal Display. Occasionally, you will run | | | | pounds, but you will need a place to project the image. |
| across someone who defines it as Liquid Crystal | | | | Toshiba makes all three types of LCD televisions! |
| Diode. This is incorrect. They are most certainly | | | | The terms "liquid" and "crystal" in LCD refer to the |
| confusing LCD with LED. LED stands for Light Emitting | | | | medium that the current is applied. Tiny magnetic |
| Diode, and is perhaps best known as the red lights that | | | | molecules twist and bend, depending on how much |
| we have seen on clock radios for years. (today, LED's | | | | electrical current is sent through them. The twisting and |
| are able to produce many other cool colors.) A diode, | | | | bending is a matter of degree, and the change in |
| by the way, is an electronic check valve, that stops | | | | shape allows for more or less light to pass, which |
| current from going in an undesirable direction, and has | | | | allows for up to 1024 shades of gray in television |
| nothing to do with the transmittance or projection of | | | | displays. The common wall clock or digital watch is |
| light for televisions. | | | | another example of LCD in our daily lives. |
| The other interesting thing about LCD technology that | | | | Interestingly, mathematicians use the term LCD for |
| results in confusion is that there are three distinct types | | | | Least or Lowest Common Denominator and the |
| of LCD televisions! First, there is the Flat Panel LCD, | | | | Atkins Diet people use LCD for Low Carbohydrate |
| which competes with Plasma televisions, secondly, | | | | diet, but let us stick with LCD and the most important |
| Rear Projection LCD which competes mainly with DLP | | | | use -Liquid Crystal Display. The rear projection HDTV's |
| (Digital Light Projection) TV's, and finally, front projection | | | | are usually DLP, LCD, or LCoS (Liquid Crystal on |
| LCD, which projects onto a screen and can be as big | | | | Silicon) and are slowly replacing the Cathode Ray |
| as 200 inches in a home theater. (300 inches, if you | | | | Tube (CRT) models. They also stack up well against |
| have a really big room!) The lightest, thinnest televisions | | | | their plasma rivals. They do offer excellent picture |
| anywhere are the flat panel LCD TV's. LCD rear | | | | quality and large sizes of screens, but don't expect the |
| projectors are much thicker than their LCD Flat Panel | | | | deepest blacks, or the extremely wide viewing angle |
| siblings. The LCD rear projection sets, which compete | | | | of Plasma. The sets are bulkier than plasmas as well, |
| with the microdisplay DLP (Digital Light Processing) | | | | but are still less than 19 inches deep. |