The granddaddy of fixed-pixel technologies, LCDs first appeared in pocket calculators in the early 1970s. LCD technology is amazingly versatile, able to power front projectors, rear-projection TVs, and flat-panel displays.
The screen at your local movie theater is obviously a lot larger than the specialty screens used in home theaters, but they actually have a lot in common. The main difference is perforation. The screens in almost every movie theater have the front left, center, and right speakers behind them, along with a few subwoofers.
As anyone who has ever fallen asleep in front of Leno can tell you, watching a small, bright television from across a dark room can cause headaches. One of the best ways to alleviate this is to reduce the brightness difference between the screen and the rest of your field of vision.
Unlike an iPod or a cellphone, an HDTV includes numerous and sometimes very advanced adjustments that can directly improve its performance. Using those controls properly can have more impact on picture quality than any other factor.
When a plasma TV isn't displaying an image, the stuff behind the name is just an inert gas - usually a mixture of neon and xenon - but it's a big part of what allows these TVs to measure just 3 to 6 inches thick.
