Shopping for and choosing the right TV for your home is never an easy task, as with so many models and manufacturers releasing new updated models every 5 minutes and this being a major budget purchase, you don’t want to make a huge mistake. There are many questions to consider that further confuse the issue, for example, what screen size? What input and output jacks are needed? What are LCD, LED and Plasma? Can I play old devices? What is the processing platform? So many variables, but looking at each one at a time can simplify the task.
Obviously, the size of the screen will depend on how far you are from the TV. In this article, research suggests that as a rough estimate, measure the distance from the screen and multiply by 0.21 cm and see what the best screen fit is, for example, sitting 2m from the TV, a screen size 200 x 0.21 cm will give you the screen that best fits 42″. Assuming all TVs are now HD ready, i.e. 1080p x 720p, to cope with modern HD broadcasts and the Blu-ray quality DVDs, most will still have one or two SCART sockets for older devices, so you can still connect to watch older formats, though most will have plug and play HDMI and USB connectivity.
Technologies have advanced tremendously in recent years and where the trend was for LED to replace LCD which replaced plasma, this is no longer true. Advances in all 3 technologies have advantages and disadvantages, and depending on size, usage, and budget, all 3 may be appropriate. While LED/LCDs tend to provide sharper, brighter, and more detailed images, plasmas have better black reproduction and display richer, more natural color images. Manufacturer’s proprietary platforms have different ways of processing source signals to improve results, typically with 100 Hz playback and a minimum of 24 frames per second; the higher they are, the smoother the movement, especially for fast-action content.
If you want a TV as a stand-alone device without the home theater surround sound system, it might be worth paying for decent-sounding built-in speakers, but otherwise it’s not worth doing, get a better quality monitor display and let the AV do the work . Some TVs will have exceptional sound and tweet and bass sounds clearly separated for clear audio.
Most modern televisions will now have built-in tuners for Freeview TV that will catch free-to-air broadcast television and radio stations, they will also have a host of features to enhance the viewing experience and even web connectivity. Effectively, the TV can now become the medium through which you can watch videos, photos, stream TV shows and movies, and play games. You can use the Skype, Twitter and YouTube apps, to name a few, and all of this on the web.
The major manufacturers are Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, LG, Philips and Toshiba, they all have multiple ranges and models, so go to the store and compare your options before making a decision. Another shopping tip is to shop online, look at comparison sites like the ones below, and get the best prices online.