LCD leads the digital revolution
Monday, August 20th, 2007Flatscreen proves to be a greener choice
Sales figures indicate that most of you are choosing to get HD Ready by shelling out for LCD flatscreen sets. The LCD and Plasma sales battle was one of the first format wars of the digital age, and like the old VHS/Betamax tussle of the past, it seems that the more affordable format is set to win out.
From day one, it was clear that Plasma screens certainly had the edge over LCDs in terms of colour fidelity and the sharpness of images – LCD screens with an interlaced scan function suffered from a visual effect known as ‘ghosting’ which looked particularly bad on live broadcasts, especially on football matches. Plasmas were always more expensive than their Liquid Crystal counterparts, and for a while it seemed that these were set to be the number one choice for UK homes.
Recent advances in design and technology mean that the old display problems of LCD screens have been corrected and most LCDs these days can rival similarly sized Plasma screens in terms of quality. This, coupled with the fact that an LCD is substantially cheaper and notably less power-hungry than your average Plasma has seen shoppers voting with their wallets over the last quarter.
Plasmas were also notorious for kicking out an immense amount of heat, and although recent Plasma screen models don’t suffer as much as their sweatier ancestors, they still make a bit of a dent on the utility bill, making the LCD the choice for both the environmentally and economically conscious – LCD screens also use much less power than the older CRT models.
So the good news is that more and more UK homes can afford an HD Ready set in time for the switchover without contributing to a greater carbon footprint.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:48 am
It’s not quite as great as it sounds though with Setanta only being free with the XL TV package. I’d have to upgrade, pay extra, and get loads of channels I don’t want just to get Setanta, so I’d probably be better off subscribing to Setanta separately still.
It’s a good ploy though as I’ve already come across loads of football fans looking into getting Virgin for the free Setanta Sports.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:56 am
I’m interested in Setanta and it sounds like a good deal. But I ask you, will Setanta insist on disguising the voice and pixellating the offensive face of Gary ‘Red Nev’ Neville? You know, like they used to with Gerry Adams. I won’t get it if they don’t do that.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Also, you only get the Setanta games, if you want all the football, you’d have to get Sky plus the Setanta package.