They're all expensive to operate. Today's LCD and DLP sets use a projection lamp that draws on the average of 120 watts to light, plus there are several fans that operate in all three types, not to mention all the support electronics. In general, you can expect them to use more energy than a CRT model. It also depends on how much TV you watch.
Another expense to consider is the additional air conditioner usage to compensate for the heat coming off the projection lamp type sets, unless
you drop the money for a LCD set that uses backlighting by flourescent tubes.
As you can gather, I'm not a big fan of today's TV models for more reasons that I can discuss here. Personally, I'm waiting for the next generation or two before making a commitment to buy a new TV. In the meanwhile, I'm sticking with my CRT TV until I absolutely have to replace it.
On February 17, 2009, all off air signals are supposed to be digital. What that means is that you'll have to have a set top box to convert the TV signals back to the analog type unless you already have a cable box or satellite system to do the conversion for you.
TV manufacturers are working to replace the projection lamp systems, but I personally want to wait to see if they're going to be more dependable than what's on the market today.
DLP stands for "Digital Light Processing." DLPs are usually cheaper than LCD or Plasma televisions of the same size. Check out http://hometheater.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/aatp60inchtv.htm for some DLP reviews.
The types of TVs are LCD, Plasma, DLP, rear projection, front projection, and the older CVT. Plasma TVs are the best :)
DLP is digital light processing and LCD is liquid crystal display.
LCD projectors are by far the best
Plasma, plasma can have the "burn in screen" but so can lcd, lcd is actually more likely to burn in that a plasma, now the whole picture wont burn in but each individual pixel will, For Plasma TVs, the advantages over LCD, are: Better contrast ratio, better ability to render deep blacks, more color depth, better motion tracking (response time), and more availability in very large screen sizes.
The DLP technology has traditionally had more issues than it's Plasma or LCD counterparts. The reasoning behind it was more moving parts (color wheel) and maintenance (bulb replacement). That being said the Mitsubishi brand did have a very good track record among DLP manufacturers.
LCD bulbs last longer.
There are frequent maintenance problems with almost all of the new TV's. Each and every one of them has their own specific `little quirks' and it depends on the manufacturer what they are. doesn't matter if it's LCD, plasma or DLP.
LED TV is similar to plasma TV. Unlike a LCD TV, it is a new technology that targets energy-efficiency and has a more complete color palette. LCD TV, on the other hand, is generally cheaper and more developed.
All about Rear Projection television: Plasma and LCD TVs are the main choice of consumers these days, but rear-projection TVs can be good alternative, ...
A DLP is a digital light projection tv. Sometimes it's a projector and sometimes it's a rear projection tv, The advantage lies in the price advantage gained at very large screen sizes. For example a 72 inch DLP TV or projector would cost significantly less than other types. However it can be expensive to replace the lamps, which all have a limited lifetime. You should research the subject carefully before buying one.
The best companies for 42" televisions are Samsung and Sony. Plasma televisions are cheaper than LED but more expensive than LCD.