Sharp Aquos LC-20S7U 20-inch LCD

LCD Display Technology

LCD televisions, like this one, are relatively thin, lightweight panels with a light source at the rear and a lattice of tiny cells filled with liquid crystals in the middle. They perform better than plasmas in brightly lit rooms and don't suffer image burn-in. But because the liquid crystal is never completely opaque, reproducing black or near-black color is harder for LCDs. Picture quality can deteriorate when viewing from far off to the side; and because liquid crystals respond relatively slowly to changes in applied voltage, fast-moving objects on the screen may appear to blur slightly. But LCD technology continues to improve, and these problems are less of an issue today (look for models that tout a 120-Hz refresh rate and a wide viewing angle). LCDs tend to be cheaper than comparable-size plasmas and are available in smaller screen sizes (37 inches and below).