Imagine the conversations you will have 20 years from now with your children or grandchildren. No matter what you tell them about the hardships of your youth—using a computer for e-mail, and controlling your video games with your hands, for heaven’s sake—I daresay the concept that will baffle them most is televisions that sat on the floor. Uncle Doggy, I can almost hear my niece say (and yes, it takes a lot for a man to admit that he is called Uncle Doggy), why didn’t you just hang them on the wall like normal people?

With new technologies catching their stride, 2004 will be TV’s most exciting year yet. Here’s a preview of this season’s most alluring flat-panel sets. (Click image to enlarge)

Love them or hate them, flat-panel displays are the future of television, and while many a video enthusiast has scoffed at the shortcomings of LCD (liquid-crystal display) and plasma TV, it is time to take another look. Today’s slim new sets enjoy a host of refinements that elevate them far above the flat-panel newborns of the late 1990s. The screens themselves—the plasma or LCD components that actually produce the picture—have improved dramatically. Advanced video-processing circuits that used to fill a sizable box have shrunk to slip inside a plasma TV’s slim chassis. Some flat-panel TV pictures now boast a palette of more than a billion colors, compared to the paltry 16 million or so produced by the best plasmas of just a few years ago. The bright parts of the picture look brighter. The dark parts look darker. And in the very best flat-panel sets, the colors look nearly as realistic as those of traditional tube TVs.

Enough fanfare. Let’s take our seats as this season’s standouts strut the catwalk.

LCD: Available in Plus Sizes
At first a mere plaything for the portable TV market, LCD is finally proving its worth. Screens are expanding to sizes worthy of a home theater, while LCD picture sharpness seems to stay one step ahead of plasma. And LCD retains its reputation as the most durable of flat-screen technologies. It may prove as hardy as the old, still-working tube radios you see at flea markets.

RCA’s Profile TVs caught the industry by surprise at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Because the sets use DLP projection instead of plasma panels, they can produce outstanding picture quality without the possibility of image burn-in, and without the problems that plasma TVs exhibit at high altitudes. Unlike past DLP rear-projection TVs, though, these measure a mere 7 inches deep. (Photos courtesy of RCA, click to enlarge)

But picture resolution is not the reason many video cognoscenti anxiously await the arrival of big-screen LCD TV. Their real motive is fear. They live in dread of a nasty phenomenon called burn-in, which is an occasional problem with older cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs but a plague for plasmas. Burn-in can occur when an image remains on screen for hours, as can the Fox News and CNN logos, for example, which take up near-permanent residence in the lower left corner of many news fanatics’ TVs. The unmoving image literally burns the phosphors that give a plasma or CRT set its color, so even when you switch to a different channel, the logo lingers. Burn-in is a particular problem for video-game enthusiasts, since so many games have score counters and other elements that never leave the screen. LCD TVs, though, are immune to burn-in.

Sharp predicts that when its 45-inch LC-45G1U appears on store shelves this spring, it will be the largest LCD TV actually available to consumers—at least for the moment. The LC-45G1U produces one of the sharpest pictures you can see today, thanks to its 1920-by-1080-pixel screen resolution, which is more than enough to capture all the detail of high-definition TV broadcasts.

Fujitsu, the first company to market a consumer plasma TV in the United States, offers six different models for the home market. They include the 42-inch P42HHA30WS (left), the 55-inch P55XHA30WS (center) and the 50-inch P50XHA10US (right). These models are high-definition-capable, with resolution of 1024 by 1024 pixels on the 42-inch model, and 1366 by 768 pixels on the other models. (Photos courtesy of Fujitsu, click to enlarge)

Sharp is also making its Aquos sets faster. (No, I do not mean that your television may show up on the radar gun of Buford T. Justice.) By increasing the rate at which the image refreshes—that is, the number of times a new image is displayed on the screen—Sharp and other manufacturers are decreasing the amount of smearing that LCD TVs tend to produce when displaying video from non-high-definition sources like DVD. And yes, for the record, smearing is bad.

Sony recently expanded its XBR brand to include two new LCD screens: the 42-inch KDL-42XBR950 and the 32-inch KDL-32XBR950. Both models feature high-definition tuners—an uncommon trait in flat-panel TVs—and are packed with bells and whistles. You can watch high-definition and standard-definition sources simultaneously, thanks to Sony’s Twin View Picture-and-Picture feature. You can also enjoy smoother, less blocky pictures from digital video sources like DVD, digital cable and satellite, thanks to Sony’s Block Noise Smoother technology. (Kudos to Sony for giving the process a simpler and more self-evident name than Digital Reality Creation, the company’s past technology push.) You can also hook your D-VHS deck directly to these TVs, thanks to Sony’s i.LINK digital interface—aka IEEE 1394 or FireWire—which most televisions lack. However, both models also include the industry standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connection, which should make Sony’s line flexible enough to avoid obsolescence for quite a few years to come.

However, large LCD sets carry a substantial premium at retail compared with plasma sets. For example, Sony’s KDL-42XBR950 42-inch LCD TV lists for $12,999, while the company’s same-sized KDE-42XBR950 plasma set retails for a comparatively affordable $7,999. The products’ feature sets are essentially identical; the only major difference on Sony’s specification sheets is that the LCD set offers a resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels, while the plasma model, at 1024 by 768 pixels, offers slightly less.

Petite Powerhouses
Most LCD manufacturers are locked in a Darwinian struggle to hold the record for the World’s Largest LCD Screen—an honor that generally lasts all of 15 minutes. But Sharp and Sony are also focusing their energies on an entirely disparate slice of the market: Both companies recently introduced their own itty-bitty, but feature-packed, portable LCD TVs.

Pioneer’s 50-inch PDP-5040 (left) combines the sophistication of black lacquer with the style of silvered metal to create an especially versatile look. Panasonic’s 50-inch VIERA TX-50PX25U (center), is one of only a few plasma TV sets that incorporates a digital TV tuner. It is also compatible with high-definition cable TV, thanks to its integration of the new industry-standard CableCARD technology. Although many, if not most, people prefer to mount a plasma TV on the wall (right), the weight of the set and the complexity of the audio/video and AC power wiring make this a job best left to custom installers. (Photos courtesy of Pioneer and Panasonic, click to enlarge)

Blurring the line between TV and PC, Sharp’s Open Aquos Liquid Crystal 15- and 20-inch sets feature two laptop-style expansion slots that allow you to customize your experience to your own tastes. Options include recording up to four hours of programming with the personal video recorder card (think built-in TiVo), as well as enjoying photos, music and video from your computer via a wireless connection.

The Elite PRO-1110HD, which represents the pinnacle of Pioneer’s plasma technology, has an integral digital TV tuner and a special Imaging Science Foundation mode for professional color calibration. (Photo courtesy of Pioneer, click to enlarge)

Sony takes a slightly different approach with its LocationFree LCD TV. This 12-inch wünderkind sets itself apart with touchscreen functionality and Internet connectivity. You can send email using the set’s on-screen keyboard, shop at Amazon or listen to Internet radio anywhere and anytime you wish. Rather than include all the bits and pieces inside the TV, the company has created a smaller, more portable chassis by off-loading much of the TV’s inner workings to a separate base station, which talks to the LocationFree TV via any WiFi wireless network, anywhere in the world.

Both the Sharp and Sony units also include slots for digital camera memory cards so that you can view your digital photos instantly on screen. With one of these wireless video systems at home, you will never complain again that there is nothing worth your time on TV.

Super Models
Plasma TV, the granddaddy of big-screen flat television, still holds a strong share of the market—and with good reason. Plasma generally produces darker blacks and truer colors than LCD TV. Also, while LCDs struggle to make it past the 50-inch mark, plasmas are already available in Brobdingnagian proportions. LG’s 76-inch behemoth, for example, will soon be ready to test the structural stability of walls around the world. It also bears mentioning that this 6-foot-wide monster—which should hit the market late this year—features a full 1080-pixel vertical resolution, whereas most plasmas offer vertical resolutions of 768 or 480 lines. That means sharper pictures, especially on high-definition TV broadcasts. Most of these kinds of broadcasts use a 1080-line format that translates well to super-high-resolution TVs like the LG; converting these broadcasts down to 768 or 480 lines robs them of detail.

Sony’s large flat-panel TVs incorporate a striking design (left and right) in which the screen seems to float in space. Indicator lights form tiny islands in the glass bezel. For more portable entertainment, Sony offers its Location-Free TVs (center), which receive video, audio, photos and Internet via a WiFi wireless network. They can access your home entertainment from any WiFi-equipped location. (Photos courtesy of Sony, click to enlarge)

Rather than focus on bulking up, though, many plasma makers are working to overcome flaws in the technology. Runco, a leading provider of video projectors, has begun integrating its Vivix video-processing technology into flat-panel displays. Vivix should ensure that owners of Runco plasmas enjoy the smooth, nearly flicker-free performance that has earned the company’s projectors the affection of videophiles.

Also, Runco’s sleek CW-42i plasma manages to go where few plasmas have gone before. At altitudes above about 5,500 feet, most plasmas emit annoying crackling sounds that may leave you wondering if your new TV can double as a bug zapper. But the 42-inch CW-42i is designed to operate at altitudes up to 9,000 feet. When contacted for his reaction, the legendary Yeti said that he is already saving his pennies and clearing wall space inside his Himalayan retreat.

Fujitsu also swooped in to fill a gap left by other plasma makers when it introduced the 50-inch P50XHA30WS, which includes the company’s proprietary E-ALIS (extended alternating lighting of surfaces) technology. The meaning behind the technical jargon is that Fujitsu can create an extraordinarily bright and color-saturated plasma picture. The company says its new sets can achieve a lifespan of more than 60,000 hours, compared to the 25,000 to 30,000 hours promised by most plasma TV companies.

Sharp remains the leader in LCD TV. Highlights for 2004 include the LC-45G1U, which Sharp says will be the first 45-inch LCD TV available. Its 1920-by-1080-pixel resolution faithfully reproduces every video format available to consumers (left). The company’s Open-Aquos TVs (center) include expansion slots for PVR and WiFi capability. The 37-inch LV-37HV4U (right) offers 1366-by-768-pixel resolution. (Photos courtesy of Sharp, click to enlarge)

More plasma sets are starting to incorporate broadcast tuners, so you can watch TV shows without the aid of a satellite receiver or cable box. But the introduction of high-definition cable means that those unattractive black converter boxes have begun to invade our homes yet again. Panasonic has nipped this problem in the bud with its VIERA line of plasma TVs, which range in size from 37 to 50 inches. Each of the sets will tune HDTV broadcasts and video-on-demand. They can even manage your bank account through your cable company without the clutter of a set-top box, via an ingenious little CableCARD slot.

Pioneer had its own CableCARD-enabled plasmas on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but the company’s strongest contenders continue to be its Elite line of TVs. The PRO-1110HD plasma TV represents the commitment to quality for which Elite is known. Pioneer touts its technology with such trade names as Advanced PureCinema processing, Advanced Continuous Emission Display Technology II and Pure Drive. Unfortunately, Pioneer is not sponsoring engineering scholarships to help its customers understand its technologies, so an executive summary seems in order: Pioneer is trying really hard to make its plasma TV pictures look better, and a perusal of the TVs at CES indicates it is succeeding.

DLP Technology Meets Dr. Atkins
This year’s most innovative flat-panel technology, though, is produced by RCA and InFocus, manufacturers that offer the world’s thinnest DLP (Digital Light Processing) television. Why should you care? Simply put, DLP is the crème de la crème of digital display technology. Wave goodbye to the sometimes-unnatural look of plasma, bon voyage to the motion blur of LCD and farewell to burn-in worries. DLP promises nearly perfect reproduction of all your DVDs, D-VHS tapes and HDTV broadcasts.

Runco’s plasma TVs (left) aim for picture perfectionists; they use the same video-processing technology as the company’s outstanding video projectors. For now, the 60-inch MZ-60PZ12B (center) is LG’s largest plasma TV, but the company plans a 76-inch model in the coming months. Some plasma TVs do not include speakers, but this Pioneer (right) does, in the form of the silver panels on the sides of the screen. (Photos courtesy of Runco, LG, and Pioneer, click to enlarge)

Until now, though, DLP technology was available only in video projectors or bulky rear-projection TVs that are too large to hang on a wall. Of course, neither option shares plasma’s incredible aesthetic appeal. But through a miracle of engineering, the two companies have slimmed their DLP rear-projection sets down to 6.85 inches thick, only a couple of inches thicker than a typical plasma set. These TVs are slender and light enough to hang on a wall. However, they do have an extended lower section that makes them look a bit less svelte than a typical plasma set.

This new product family includes RCA’s sexy 50- and 61-inch Profiles brand sets, which feature fully integrated, cable-ready high-definition tuners. But wait, he says in his best Don Pardo voice, there’s more! RCA also has a “mural-sized” 70-inch model waiting in the wings; it is expected to go into production next year. InFocus’ new models will include the ScreenPlay 61-inch, which comes complete with an integral digital TV tuner, Internet browser and CableCARD digital cable capability.

While this might not mean the death of LCD and plasma displays, look for more manufacturers to follow suit with wall-hanging DLPs of their very own in the not-too-distant future.