What's the difference between HDTV, flat panel TVs and plasma TVs?

HDTV provides sharper images and clearer pictures, it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, providing viewers a home theatre viewing experience. Flat panel TVs do not use traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) technology, but use either liquid crystal or plasma technology instead. Plasma, one of the newer types of flat panel technology, uses millions of small gas bubbles to create a spectrum of colour. The result is a sharper picture with fewer distortions.

New digital display technologies, including Liquid Crystal and Digital Processing. While many flat panel TVs are able to display HD pictures, this is not true for all of them.

In fact, many plasma televisions sold today are Enhanced Definition models, meaning they display everything in the 480p format. So before any purchase, be sure to check with your retailer to confirm that your TV of choice is HDTV-ready. Most outlets selling HDTV monitors will display information about their capabilities to show 720p or 1080i picture resolution.