TV Information

HDTV Buying Guide

So you’re ready to name your price for a television.  Great news.  It’s time to get rid of the old Zenith from 1954 and move onto the 21st century.  Awesome, but now you have to decide what type of television to bid on.  How hard can it be though, right?  The answer is very hard.  Gone are the days where your only options are between the medium size TV and the TV that is slightly bigger.  Now there are tons of options.  LCD or plasma, 2D or 3D, resolution quality and more!  It’s enough to give anyone a headache but do not fret!  Greentoe has a great resource to help you through these trying moments.  Before you name your price, here’s a helpful guide for what features are available nowadays.

LCD or PLASMA, what’s the difference?

The main difference between an LCD and plasma is they use different technology to essentially deliver the same result.  I don’t need to get into the different technologies employed, but both have certain advantages over the other.  A plasma will give you deeper blacks and offers superior contrast.  Plasma offers wider viewing angles and better color accuracy.  LCD, on the other hand, doesn’t ever give off that ‘burn-in’ image.  They are usually lighter, and the screen surface tends to be less reflective.  LCDs also run cooler and have increased brightness over a plasma.

SIZE

There’s a few different practices in determining what is the best way to figure out how big of a television to get.  The first and most important is by price.  If you need a cheap television, you probably shouldn’t be looking at a 90 inch behemoth.  If price is not as much a factor, you can use the size of your room as a good determination.  Generally, you want your television to be about half the size of the viewing distance to your sofa.  For example, if your sofa is 10 ft away, look for a 50 inch screen television, give or take.

RESOLUTION

The difference in screen resolution comes to 720p, 1080i or 1080p.  1080p is where all the HD channels are heading, so if you can, spring for this option.  720p will soon be a thing of the past, as most channels and games are heading towards 1080.  You won’t be sorry either, the difference in quality is ridiculous.

2D versus 3D

If you don’t know, 3D is a television that will give depth perception to the viewer, giving a more dynamic way of viewing entertainment.  3D definitely has the cool factor, which sometimes can help seal the deal when making a decision.  However, the price will almost certainly be increased if you opt for 3D over 2D.  Another issue is that you’ll need specialized glasses to watch in 3D.  If you have 5 people over to watch the latest action movie you bought on Blu-Ray, but only 2 pairs of 3D glasses, you won’t be able to utilize the technology.

CONNECTIVITY

Nowadays, computers and televisions are beginning to merge together to create one awesome super device.  If you opt for a network connected television feature, you can get an internet ready TV that is wi-fi capable.  Now you can watch youtube videos directly from your television screen, rather than from your laptop.  The practical implications of a ‘connected’ television are just starting to be felt.  Eventually, all televisions will have the ability to connect to the internet, so it may be worth considering now.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Make sure that if you are ready to name your price, you are doing good comparison shopping.  You can use sites like amazon, consumer reports, or (most preferably) Greentoe to make your determinations.