The Quest for Higher-Def TV

All the flat-panel TV technologies on the market—whether liquid-crystal or plasma—have picture-quality issues, the Wall Street Journal reports, but TV makers think they can do something about that, and use those tweaks to distinguish themselves in a crowded market. Improving picture quality has emerged as one of the hottest topics at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Journal says.

Look for breakthroughs that sharpen blurry action sequences in LCD sets  by doubling the "refresh rate," and the use of light-emitting diodes to increase contrast. Also in the works: programs that automatically switch between widescreen and standard aspect ratios without requiring consumers to make complicated adjustments. (More television stories.)