All you need to know about flatscreen TVs Part 2.
What to consider when buying a flatscreen TV
With so many manufacturers in the flatscreen market there seems to be a new product coming out every five minutes past the hour. To differentiate themselves from one another, they come up with ingenious ways to improve the image and sound quality that comes out of their screen. What’s also ingenious is all the different names they make up to explain the technologies behind their products. From Philips’ “Pixel Plus” to Pioneer’s “Advanced Super Clear Drive”, choosing a flatscreen can be quite confusing. The purpose of this article is to bring things back to basics so you can make a well informed decision instead of being dazzled by whatever creative name the marketing team can conjure up.
Resolution & HD
The higher the resolution the sharper the image is. So on this basis you want as many pixels for the pounds you spend. On a separate issue, HD TV is being launched this year courtesy of Sky and HD DVD’s are definitely on the way. It makes sense to buy equipment that will be able to support future technologies even if you don’t intend on subscribing to the service immediately. On the other hand, the fact that there is this differentiation between HD ready screens and those that are not, this is obviously reflected in the price. If you really are sure you’re not that bothered about HD and won’t be in the future either, there’s no reason not to go out and pick up a perfectly good, ‘HD not-ready’, bargain.
Look for good blacks
When you're comparison shopping, bring along a DVD of a movie containing some dimly lit night scenes. Use it to check for good black reproduction and ability to render detail in near-darkness.
The right size for the right space
The distance between you and the screen should determine the size that you buy. Surprisingly, bigger is not always better in the world of flatscreen TVs, weird I know. If the distance between the screen and your eyes is over 4m the ideal screen size is 42in – 50in with 16:9 aspect ratio. If:
3-4m, 36-42in, 16:9
2.5-3m, 28-32in, 16:9
Less than 2.5m, 13-20in 4:3 or 17-26in in 16:9
Display or TV
Remember there are plenty of screens which do not have sound or a tuner built-in as they are primarily for business applications, e.g shop windows etc. Then again, if you aren’t going to incorporate the screen into a home cinema with surround sound and are getting Sky, then you won’t really need on-board sound or a tuner.
Built-in Digital TV
You may want to get one with a Freeview tuner included as its neater, more convenient, it gives a better picture and also simplifies the connection path between the tuner and screen itself. Then again, if you’re planning on subscribing to Sky or Homechoice then it really doesn’t matter.
Stand
Stands can be very expensive! Some as bona fide, exquisite furniture are priced accordingly. If you are not wall-mounting your screen you may want to find one that comes with a stand, they usually look great and are good value.
Input sockets
Input sockets are the gateway to linking your flatscreen to all your peripherals like DVD player, Xbox etc. Some screens can be quite short on socketry but you should aim for several Scart sockets, at least one component video and one digital video input, either DVI-D or HDMI.
