Hotwired: Bedazzled for choice

Suddenly it seems that buying a TV set is no longer a straightforward brand-size-price decision. Digital technology has introduced a glut of entertainment alternatives. It's all very confusing and, unfortunately, we are back in the hands of the salesman.

So, a brief overview of the options.

PROJECTION SYSTEM

If you want a dedicated theatrette or need larger-than-life action, you'll be wanting a projection system. You will also need to have about zero ambient light in the room or the picture will be a washout. Projection is glamorous but an expensive and unlikely choice for most.

PLASMA TV

Plasma has become the cool option, giving you a genuine big screen, 37-inch to a giant 70-inch (that's a corner-to-corner measurement), with good contrast, colour reproduction and a wide viewing angle. In a decade plasma screens have come down from the price of a good new car to the price of a good Japanese import - although that's still a costly telly in my book.

Plasma screens are designed to be hung on a wall and are notoriously fragile and unrepairable. Although thin, they are heavy and professional installation is highly recommended. They are susceptible to screen burn-in, when a pattern, such as a channel logo, stays too long in the one place and leaves a permanent shadow. Early plasma screens had a limited life, so forget about picking up a secondhand bargain.

DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING

DLP televisions are a great home theatre option that has received little press. Using rear projection technology they look much like a traditional TV but can offer screen sizes up to 55-inch and growing. DLP picture quality is even better than plasma, yet comes at half the price if you have the floor space.

LCD

LCD panel televisions threaten to sweep all before them now that improved manufacturing technology can provide bigger liquid crystal display screen sizes. Already familiar as slim and lightweight computer screens, an LCD telly can be as much as 40 inches. LCDs provide good colours and look really sharp at the native resolution - the as-broadcast format. Narrow viewing angles and slow picture refresh rates are being improved.

LCD screens don't have burn-in problems and are generally very reliable. But you can get faulty or stuck pixels, a problem often not covered by the warranty. The LCD's flexibility for alternative use as a data or games screen makes it the fastest-growing TV option by far.

CRT

All of which brings us to our old familiar box telly, now commonly referred to as CRT. The big footprint apart, there's not much wrong with cathode ray tube TVs, and a top-end model will still outpoint any of the newer technologies while leaving money in your pocket. Unfortunately for home theatre aspirants that old analogue technology doesn't allow for screen sizes bigger than 36-inch, and you certainly can't hang them on the wall.

* New Hotwired columnist Richard Thorne is the editor of New Zealand Musician magazine, a music aficionado and latent small-screen addict. He will write on home entertainment matters fortnightly.