So your old picture tube or rear projection TV has finally bit the dus” and you are looking to replace it with one of the new thin flat screen TVs.You’ve heard the expression “it’s a jungle out there” and this applies equally to the flat screen TV market. Not only are there three competing technologies in the flat screen line up, there are a myriad of brands to choose from. In order to make sense of it all, let’s first look at the differences between the technologies behind flat screen TVs.The HDTV market currently offers three distinct choices in display technologies: plasma, traditional CCFL-backlit LCD and LED-backlit LCD TVs. There are several factors to consider when choosing an HDTV display, the most important of which are screen thickness, brightness, darkness, energy efficiency, and of course, price.In flat screen TVs, white and black levels determine how detailed a picture appears on a screen. Poor white levels mean fine details can get washed out in bright scenes.Conversely, poor black levels mean shadows swallow up parts of the picture in dark scenes. The ratio between these two factors is the contrast ratio and is one of the most important factors in overall picture quality. A display with a high contrast ratio is going to seem more realistic. Another factor to consider is the viewing angle of a TV, which is how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected.In the early days of HDTVs, plasma TVs were the pioneers of the flat screen technology and offered deep blacks and crisp picture reproduction. In a plasma TV, the phosphors that create the image on the screen light themselves up when electricity is applied to them. Initial sets were not only quite thick and heavy, but also generated a lot of heat. The technology has come a long way since then and the current plasma TVs have become thinner and lighter and on a bang-for-your-buck basis offer the best value for money. The image quality of a plasma TV rivals that of the new LED TVs but at the expense of physical size and energy efficiency.In LCD TVs the liquid crystal screen does not illuminate, but requires a separate light source behind the LCD panel that shines through the display to create the picture. This light source is traditionally a cold cathode fluorescent light (CCFLs). LCD TVs consume less power than plasma TVs with some of the newer "eco-friendly" LCD models consuming half of the power of equivalent plasmas, at the expense of lower brightness.Additionally, LCD TVs are generally lighter than similar-sized plasma TVs, making it easier to move around or wall-mount. On the down side, LCD TVs generally tend to have lower contrast than either plasma or LED TVs and their viewing angles are somewhat limited in comparison to competing technologies.An LED TV uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the display and in addition to being super thin, they offer stunning black and white levels and are by far the most energy efficient technology. LED backlit TVs are commonly known as giving better contrast than both LCD and plasma TVs as well as a cleaner viewing experience. In addition, a comparison of any given LCD or Plasma TV with it’s LED TV counterpart would show a distinct increase in quality especially when it comes to viewing angles.Although LED TVs seem to offer the best of both worlds, beauty has its price and the new LED TVs are by far the most expensive option available.The final and most important choice a consumer needs to make in selecting a flat screen TV is after sales support and parts availability. It is always a good idea to inquire about warranty terms before laying out money for a major purchase and it is equally important to understand how the vendor supports it’s product once the initial warranty has expired.Another factor to consider is manufacturer parts availability in the unfortunate event that something fails once the set is out of warranty. Major names like LG, Toshiba, Panasonic and Samsung offer very good parts support for years after a model is released as opposed to “no name” or bargain priced sets that can often be impossible to repair due to a lack of spare parts.Given the competition between the three major flat screen technologies and the effects of the economic recession on the consumer electronics market in the United States, prices have never been lower on flat screen TVs and now is a great time to upgrade to the new technology.Kevin Davies is the owner of Audio Visual Electronics.