How does a television work? Explained in a simple and understandable way
Today's televisions are equipped with the latest technologies and have numerous additional functions. This practical tip explains how a television actually works.
TV: How does the display technology work?
Tube TVs are a thing of the past. Instead, it is flat screens that are very popular and that use new display technology to display the image on the monitor. In addition to plasma televisions, the best-selling products are LCD televisions. You can find out how the two work and what the differences are here:
- Plasma principle: The different colors on the screen are generated by cells that contain different noble gases. With the help of electricity, these gases are ionized and visible through various phosphors. Red, green and blue cells form a pixel and create any color by mixing the three primary colors.
- LCD principle: LCD televisions consist of liquid crystals that block or let the light pass depending on the orientation. The cells are illuminated by a backlight made of fluorescent tubes.
- Comparison: The contrast ratio for plasma televisions is significantly better than for LCD technology, since black areas can be displayed better using plasma technology. However, LCD TVs can show bright areas better. In addition, LCDs have a significantly lower power consumption than plasma technology. By the way: In our CHIP article you will find TVs with the best picture quality in the test.
Image optimization on TV
Objects that do not move are displayed in focus without any problems. However, moving images are often a challenge. Blurring of fast-moving objects can be reduced by certain refresh rates. The refresh rate indicates the number of frames per second.
- Refresh rate: Processors in the television calculate intermediate images for smooth and smooth movements. Often, no intermediate images are calculated on a 200 Hz television, but simply a black screen. When 200 frames per second are generated, 100 frames are displayed in black.
- 600 Hz technology: Plasma TV increases the frequency to 600 Hz by increasing the number of intermediate images to 12. The result: Images are displayed calmly while noise is reduced.
Resolution of a monitor
The resolution of a television set indicates the number of image pixels. The higher the resolution, the sharper the image.
- Full HD: "Completely high resolution" is the property of television sets that have an HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. In order to play HD-DVD or Blue-ray Disc optimally, the device should be able to display Full HD. The images shown are shown in more detail and sharper.
- 4K: 4K televisions are the latest development on the market. With 4096 x 2304 or 3840 x 2160 pixels, 4K televisions have twice the line width and height of a Full HD screen. The new Ultra HD technology has a much sharper picture due to the better resolution.
In the next practical tip, read something about the power consumption of LCD, LED and plasma TVs.