Two new imaging technologies are out that are vying to be the next TV of the of the future. These technologies are Plasma flat panel TVs, and a projection technology called DLP.

Both technologies are purely "digital" in that they display an image digitally using pixels. Being relative newcomers both of these technologies have their shortcomings, but Plasma and DLP have only come out within the last 5 years and these "shortcomings" are quickly disappearing.

Plasma uses gases contained within each pixel which are "excited" with an electric charge to produce a specific color. DLP uses millions of tiny mirrors which refract the light emitted from one bulb to produce an image. Both are "digital" formats, wherein the picture is displayed using thousands of pixels (squares) to create an image.

These "digital" technologies are slugging it out to replace the current mainstay of TV technology... the analog CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). CRTs have been in standard direct view TV, rear projection TV, and front projectors since the beginning. And while there has been a great push for these new "digital" technologies to replace the old hat analog CRT in the guise of "digital superiority"; the truth is that neither Plasma nor DLP can beat the quality of the analog CRT... yet.

Why Replace The CRT
With consumers generally happy with the current CRT type TV, one has to question why a new technology would even need to come out. With CRTs virtually perfect image quality, it would almost be foolhardy to think anyone would dare try to replace the current CRT TV format. What could there possibly be to improve upon...

CRTs Lifespan
CRTs have three things going against them that determines their lifespan: age, use and size. As both age and use go on, CRTs become dimmer and dimmer. Rear and front projectors use three CRTs (red, green and blue), and the tubes can each age at different levels causing the overall image to shift towards a specific color as age sets in.

Size is the biggest hindrance on a CRTs lifespan. The bigger the image, the brighter the CRTs have to burn. Thus, decreasing their lifespan.

Good quality rear and front projection TVs generally have a lifespan of 10-15 years, while direct view TVs can last 10-20 years. With the leaps technology takes, and the desires of consumers to replace their old TVs with the latest and greatest technology, the best bet is that most TVs are replaced before their life ends within 5-8 years.

Plasma And DLPs Lifespan
Plasma and DLP use a constant light, meaning one or two lights burn at their brightest level all the time so there is no dimming of the picture with age. The idea behind this is that the TVs image will be just as good 30 years from now, as it was the day you brought the TV home.

While the light usage of DLP and Plasma may seem like their strongest feature, it is actually the weakest link in both of these new technologies. Plasmas lifespan of their light bulbs is unknown. You could look at the LCD display used for computers which plasma is based off as a possible close estimate, but Plasma displays are much bigger than any laptop display. Light replacement within a Plasma display can be no easy chore, and may not be possible.

With DLP the light bulb is easy to replace, relatively speaking. Many DLP makers require an A/V professional to replace the bulb, and the worst of it is that the light bulbs can run $500 each and have a lifespan between 2500-3500 hours (That's roughly every 2-3 years).

Both Plasma / DLP manufacturers and salespeople need to be more up front with the life expectancy / maintenance of these TVs with general consumers. But the technological advantages that DLP and Plasma offer far outweigh their shortcomings.

Correct Geometry
Digital technology does offer geometry that CRTs can't remotely touch. There's no calibration needed. With a "digital" display technology, a square is a square and a circle is circle. While many consumers don't notice this right away, it's when they go back to CRTs that they realize how geometrically incorrect CRT TVs can be.

Light Output and Evenness
Anyone who has looked at a rear projection TV notices that the center of the TV is usually brighter than the top and bottom. This is because the screen is concave as to increase light output, thus making the TV brighter.

Even when using the concave screen to increase brightness, CRTs are generally dim when viewed in a brightly lit room. Both Plasma and DLP offer much brighter images that don't require the aid of a concave screen to increase brightness. The result is a large, bright picture, with the brightness uniformity that direct view TVs offer with none of the brightness and uniformity issues rear and front projection TVs suffer from.

Flat Panel Mismarketing
With the huge consumer appeal of flat panel TVs, many manufacturers are making smaller versions of their Plasma flat panel line with LCD technology. LCD technology has been around in laptops for years, and it is not a good enough technology for use at the centerpiece of a home theater.

LCD has been replaced by Plasma for that very reason. The only place LCD panels belong is in leisurely viewing locations such as minivans and kitchens... not as the main TV where high quality is expected.

Plasma Will Reign Supreme
Plasma is the hottest technology out, and as it matures to finally equal or surpass the image quality of CRTs, Direct View And Rear projection TVs will become a thing of the past. You've roughly got around three more years before affordable, high quality Plasma TVs will hit big, and will finally be the only TV technology available in the 13-65 inch category.

DLPs Future
DLP won't be able to touch Plasma in the future, and DLP rear projection TVs are simply the wrong way to go. DLP rear projection TVs offer all of the disadvantages of both DLP and CRTs, combined in a product that shouldn't even be considered.

DLPs future market lies in the front projection market. Right now, DLP front projectors already equal the image CRTs offer. If you allow for the money savings, features, and lifespan that DLP front projectors offer, you can pretty much bet that CRT front projectors will soon be a thing of the past.

Beyond Plasma And DLP
Ten years down the road when almost everyone you know will own some type of plasma display, be it for the bedroom or as their main TV, a new technology will be emerging that'll simply revolutionize the way we use TVs and computers.

This new technology is nothing less than a fabric display device. Imagine a TV that can wrap around corners, be displayed underneath a table, or possibly worn. This technology will turn bare walls into TVs at any size or shape imaginable, with a resolution greater than HDTV. And that's just a short peak at the potential fabric displays will offer.

The future of TV is just as exiting as what's out there today. Too bad we have to wait.