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So now you know a little bit about how TV technologies work, look at the pros and cons as you Compare TV Technologies.

Technology Detail Pages

Learn How the TV Technologies Work

LCD TV

LCD TVs create images on their flat-panel displays by passing light through a layer of liquid crystal sandwiched between two panes of polarized glass.

Plasma TV

Images on plasma displays result when electrically charged gases (or plasma) illuminate colored phosphors

 Photograph of LCD TV next to CRT TV

CRT

Referred to as "traditional TVs," CRTs (cathode ray tube) create pictures by shooting an electronic beam at a phosphor-coated glass screen.

CRT Rear-Projection

Large and heavy, many CRT rear-projection TVs use three cathode ray tubes to create images for their large, wide-screen displays.

DLP Rear-Projection

DLP (Digital Light Processing) from Texas Instruments projects light from microscopic mirrors onto big, widescreen rear-projection TVs (or microdisplays).

LCD Rear-Projection

Liquid crystal display microdisplays house not one but three LCDs in order to create HDTV-quality pictures.

LCOS Rear-Projection

A more recent technology, LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) differs from DLP and LCD in that it is both reflective and transmissive.