• Your big screen television could have some minor problems.tropical landscape on flat screen tv image by javarman from Fotolia.com
  
  If it seems like everyone except you has invested in a big screen television, you may think it's time you got one, too. But before you purchase this expensive piece of technology, think about the things you may not like about it. There are some inherent problems with getting a big screen television that you should consider before the purchase. It may turn out that you prefer to keep the television you already have.
  
  

Viewing at an Angle

• Think about where you'll hang your big screen television or what it will sit on. Unfortunately for some types of big screens, whether projection, LCD or plasma televisions, watching them from an angle sometimes makes the image fade. In older models, the screen would look black, but newer flat panel televisions simply fade the image in some cases, making the picture undesirable. However, the pictures on these televisions are great when you face them squarely.
  
  

Aspect Ratio

• Big screen high definition televisions today typically show movies and other high definition images in 16:9 aspect ratio. This means that the image fills the screen without distortion. Unfortunately, many television shows are displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio, which is more of a square than a rectangle. Watching 4:3 on a 16:9 unit will mean the picture is either stretched to fit, distorting the image, or two black lines appear at the top and bottom of the screen. This option is typically the more attractive and maintains the picture quality.
  
  

Front Projection

• Front projection televisions had their share of image quality problems when they were popular. These types of televisions are increasingly rare. The colors from front projection televisions were often faded and could easily get misaligned, causing the appearance of three colored images on the screen.
  
  

Light

• Big screen televisions need optimum lighting conditions to display their pictures in the quality you want to watch it in. The optimum lighting conditions are dark, with no outside light pollution to reflect off the large screen and dull the image. Keeping your living room dark may not be practical.