Things You Should Know About Mounting Your Plasma or Lcd Tv

So you've decided to jump on board the technology revolution and bought yourself a flat panel television. That's great and I'm sure you are very excited to see what it can do. But there are a few things that you need to consider after buying one of these televisions that you might not know about. I am here to explain what these are so that you are a more educated consumer.

The first thing you should realize is that while these televisions produce a beautiful picture, it is never as good as it looks in the stores. Why is this you ask??? Well, when the manufacturers make these tvs, they turn the contrast and brightness of the tvs way up so that when they are on display in a store, the picture looks the best that it can possibly be. The problem with this is that displaying the tvs like this will eventually damage your screen and force you to buy a replacement. For this reason I suggest never buying a floor model and checking the brightness and contrast of your tv when you get home.

Second, after buying you lcd tv, you are going to need all the proper cables to hook up all of your components to the tv. If you want HD(High Definition) you will need to buy component cables to hook them up. Component cables provide the best picture quality outside of an HDMI cable. But 9 times out of 10 the salesman will try and get you to buy the most expensive component cables they carry(for more commission) claiming that they will provide the best picture quality. This is simply not true. A component cable is a component cable. No need to break the bank on that one.

Third, you will need to buy a mounting bracket if you plan on hanging the tv on your wall. There are essentially 3 different types of brackets to choose from.

The first is called a Flush Mount Bracket. These simply hang your tv flat against the wall. Stationary. The next is a tilting Flush Mount Bracket. These are the same as the first except they allow your tv to tilt up or down for better viewing. The last is what is called a Cantilever Bracket. These allow your tv to hang stationary, tilt up or down, or move left or right. If you use this bracket, many times your tv will need an adaptor plate in order to properly screw the bracket to the back of your tv. Make sure to ask your salesman to check that out for you. If you need one, be aware that these adaptor plates cost almost as much as the bracket itself, so be prepared to shell out some dough. Between buying the bracket of your choice, cables and an adaptor plate(if you need one) be prepared to spend another $200-$400.

Finally, once you do all of this, you will need to have your Lcd or Plasma Tv mounted to your wall. There are two options for you here.

One, you hire an experienced A/V installer to come and hang it for you. If you choose this option, make sure you find a reputable installer. There are many fly-by-night installers that will make this experience a nightmare for you. Check some references of theirs and maybe prepare a couple of questions for them to make sure they know what they are doing. Using a professional, experienced installer is the easiest way to go, but be prepared to pay up to $600 for their services.

Two, you can mount it yourself. If you choose this option you will save yourself a nice chunk of money, but you can be trading the money for lots of headaches if you are not properly prepared. Make sure you have all of the tools you will need including a cordless drill, at least 14v, fishtape(to snake your wires through the wall),a nutdriver,drill bits,a level,tape measure, stud finder, and in most cases a friend to help you lift the tv.

www.LcdTvInstallationGuide.googlepages.com

Mike Ferrara began A/V installations about 3 years ago. He is passionate about his work and has learned a lot about the A/V business. He currently works as a lead technician for one of the biggest A/V companies in the country.

Plasma TV Be Aware When Buying Online

A plasma TV may very well be the next step in your home entertainment future and the potential sources for the purchase of a plasma TV have never been better. Because a handful of retailers have jumped on the plasma TV bandwagon and started offering these televisions as part of their home electronics line, the cost of a plasma TV has never been lower. The fact that the technology has become well-established has also helped lower the cost of the plasma TV. So where do you go to find great deals on plasma TV sets?

Any retailer or wholesaler that offers a good array of home electronics likely has plasma TV sets in stock or has a source for them. For many people, purchasing from a local retailer is literally the only option they'll consider because they want to check out the set in person. While the cost has started dropping, a plasma TV still represents a major investment among your home entertainment components and you may be playing it safe to shop where you can actually see the set you are about to buy.

For other people, shopping online is a great way to do comparison shopping. You can find several online sources of home electronics that will allow you to conduct side-by-side comparisons of various plasma TV models. While you can do almost the same comparison by shopping retail stores in person, you might find that a side-by-side comparison makes your shopping easier.

Online shopping for the plasma TV of your dreams could net you a great deal, but don't overlook the fact that you're likely going to be paying shipping on top of the cost of the plasma TV. That cost might or might not be sufficient to kill the savings of purchasing online over that from a retailer in your area.

Tom Ace is the founder of Plasma tv Resources a website providing information on plasma televisions

Whats the Difference Between Plasma TVs and LCD TVs?

Plasma and LCD TVs are the latest trend in home entertainment. Both offer unrivalled picture quality and resolution, while doing away with the bulkiness of the older rear-projection technologies. But with all of the hype surrounding these two types of televisions, what is the difference between them? Although they look- and are virtually priced- the same, they are not.

There differences are found in the way in which they display their pictures. Plasma TV technology is made up of hundreds of thousands of little pixels, each capable of displaying red, green, and blue colors. A plasma monitor often consists of two panels, which are filled with an inert gas, such as xenon or neon. When the pixels are excited by pulses of electricity, the gas becomes liquid, thus generating light. This light in turn then illuminates the pixels, causing them to display the appropriate color to form a picture.

LCD panels function in a very similar manner. A panel of thin-film-transmitters, or TFT, sends electricity to cells filled with liquid crystal. When the cells are struck by the electricity, the liquid crystals allow light to filter through. Unlike the pixels found in plasma TVs, LCD monitors create color by blocking out the appropriate wavelengths from white light.

So which is better? The answer to this question depends upon what you plan to use TV for. Do you just want to use it to watch movies and television? If so, then a plasma TV might be best, because they are capable of a higher better color saturation and contrast than their LCD counterparts and for displaying moving images. If you plan in spending a lot of time showing digital photography or plan on using the monitor with your computer, then a LCD display might be better suited to these purposes.

Both plasma and LCD technologies each have their advantages and disadvantages and your decision should ultimately be based on your monitor's application.

Tom Ace is the founder of Plasma tv Resources a website providing information on plasma televisions

This Is Big. Monster Big. 103 Inch Panasonic Plasma Television

The new Panasonic 103 inch plasma television is out. The TH-103PZ600U with 1080p capability will have an expected SRP of $69,999.95 and is expected to be available for delivery in time for Christmas 2006. It will also offer a three-year in-home limited warranty, unprecedented in the industry.

In flat panel displays, plasma has technical advantages over other technologies, including LCD, when it comes to making larger size panels. Nevertheless, there are numerous technical challenges in making plasma panels that are larger than 100 inches measured diagonally while maintaining stable discharge and high picture quality across the entire surface of the panel.

Panasonic has overcome these technical hurdles by developing a new rib and phosphor for these super large panels. A "rib" divides each gas cell and prevents interference between adjacent cells to produce clear images. The 103-inch 1080p plasma panel, equivalent to four 50-inch panels in size, features consistent and uniform discharge, delivering the same accurate images from the center to every corner of the screen and brightness as the current 50-inch HD model (TH-50PX500). The panel incorporates Panasonic's 1080p HD high-speed pixel drive. The same high-speed pixel drive is used in the TH-65PX500 65-inch 1080p Plasma TV, which has been well received in Japan since its introduction last November, and the 50-inch 1080p Plasma unveiled at CEATEC JAPAN 2005 in October 2005.

The TH-103PZ600U provides stunning widescreen progressive display featuring full HD pixel resolution of 1,920 horizontal x 1,080 vertical, a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, and 4,096 equivalent steps of gradation. Its effective display area is more than 89.3? wide by over 50.2? high. The super-size 103? 1080p panel is equivalent in size to four 50-inch Panasonic plasma displays.

?Until now, the market for 100-plus-inch screens was dominated by front projection TVs. Panasonic now realizes another option in this sector. Our 103-inch 1080p PDP promises high quality images with high brightness, dynamic contrast, high resolution and excellent color reproduction that projection displays cannot match. We believe it will create strong demand as a multipurpose display for business, educational and medical applications as well as home theater use,? said Mr. Nagano, Director, PDP Device Business Unit of Panasonic AVC Networks Company.

William Coit is an expert on plasma televisions and he makes it easy to find the perfect solution for your home or business at http://www.williamcoit.com