Home Remodeling Blog

Plasma, DLP or LCD? Oh my!

If creating a home theater is the next project on your home remodeling list you have some critical decisions to make. The first of which revolves around the centerpiece of your new space: Hi-Def TV or HDTV.
Currently, there are three main types of Hi-Def TV or HDTV available: plasma, LCD and DLP.

DLP
Let’s start with the most easily affordable, the DLP. DLP is an abbreviation for Digital Light Processing, and is actually a rear projection TV. In DLP projectors, the image is created by a matrix of tiny mirrors, with each mirror representing one pixel on the screen. Though priced lower than other hi-def offerings, this technology can still deliver 1080p resolution - the highest currently available.
While DLP televisions are similar in weight to the other hi-def choices, they are quite a bit thicker (about 15-20 inches) and are not designed to be wall-mounted as of yet, though that may change in the near future.

DLP users occasionally complain about annoying fan noise in some models, and since the technology is more “mechanical” than plasma and LCD, there could be a risk of a higher incidence of breakdowns. Projection televisions of any type also exhibit poorer viewing angles than the direct view options, and color resolution may not be as sharp.

LCD
Next on our list as we climb the price ladder: Liquid Crystal Diode televisions, also known as LCD.
LCD televisions use opposing “polarized” panels that sandwich a thin liquid-crystal gel. That gel is divided into individual pixels, each of which can be darkened or lightened according to how much actual voltage is passed through it - the more voltage, the darker the pixel. Since a small amount of light always leaks through the gel, a true black screen is extremely hard for an LCD television to accomplish, but advances in LCD technology have put these TVs nearly at the same level as plasma.
Weighing much less and having a much smaller footprint than the old CRT monitors, LCD technology quickly became the technology of choice for computer screens. The smaller screen sizes created sharp LCD images, so small-screen TVs became LCD’s niche. But with recent technological advances screen size has increased considerably while maintaining sharpness, and the previously poor viewing angles have become as good as plasma televisions can offer. Liquid Crystal Diode technology is now a viable competitor to plasma televisions on the home entertainment field.

Plasma
Similar to an LCD TV, in that a sandwich is created by two panels of glass, the material between the two panels is not a liquid gel, but rather a gas.
Despite advances in LCD technology, plasma TVs generally exhibit greater brightness and sharper contrast then their competitors - especially as the screen size increases. Plasma monitors can be get as narrow as 4 inches, and have conveniently wide viewing angles.
The usable lifespan of a plasma TV is 60,000 hours - which is the equivalent of watching for 6 hours a day for 27 years. Hi-Def plasma televisions exhibit contrast ratios of 30,000:1, a significant advantage over LCD or DLP. Although screen “burn-in” has been an issue in the past, the latest in screen technology has reduced this potential drawback to a minimum.

How to Choose
As with most of the features of your new home entertainment center, in the long run the amount of money at your disposal will be the biggest factor in which television you ultimately choose. You would need to itemize the things you must buy, and prioritize it.
Consumers who value high fidelity sound could choose to spend more money on a hi-tech surround sound system; others might decide to turn over the lion’s share of the budget to the decorator. In any event, you can, be comfortable knowing that any of the choices open to you are far better than to what was available even in the recent past.

Frank Sarntarpia
Home Theater Audio Systems
Hi-Def Television

Renovating your Kitchen Can Create a Warm Family Gathering area
Selling your residence is not the only reason to think about remodeling your kitchen. Since the kitchen has become the “beating heart” of the household, it is no wonder that creating a space that’s cozy, functional, comfortable and versatile is the goal of so many homeowners.

The Kitchen Has Taken On a New Role
The man of the house might be at the oven preparing supper, while Mom is sitting at the family computer perusing her email or paying bills online.
Maybe the kids are sitting at a granite-topped island having a late-afternoon snack, or at the kitchen table doing their homework.
The hi-def TV set may be on, tuned in to a learning channel, a sporting event or a cooking show.
The whole scene might be warmed by radiant heat beneath a porcelain tile or hardwood floor, and the latest stainless steel appliances are operating efficiently in the background.

Kitchen Renovating Costs Can Vary Greatly
Think about the floor; what will your budget permit you to install? Countertops, too, can range a great deal in expenditure, depending upon whether or not your budget calls for a simple laminate or an exotic, high-tech material like granite.
Are the cabinets good enough to stay, or do they need to be resurfaced or replaced?
Are your appliances nearing the end of their serviceable life - are new and more efficient ones called for?

Renovating Your Kitchen : Well Worth the Cost and Effort
Remodeling a kitchen, under the best of circumstances, will be a major job.
There will often be a certain amount of inconvenience, of course, and the expenditure of a meaningful sum of money. But at the end of the job, done with the proper research and planning, you can be ecstatic about the beauty and functionality you have created.
A true “family room” in every sense of the words, it is no mystery why remodeling your kitchen should be a high priority project.

Frank Sarntarpia
Home Remodeling