TV Buying Guide
The latest, greatest TVs are available on Reevoo.com, but choosing which TV is right
for you can be confusing. Here’s our run-down on what you might be looking for.
Screen Size
First of all, let’s talk about screen size – TVs range from tiny 7 inch portables
right up to a whopping 65 inches of cinematic glory. More important than the size of
the TV, though, is the size of the room you’re going to watch it in.
As a general guideline for widescreen digital TVs, the manufacturers reckon that you
should look at a TV that has at most 12 inches of diagonal screen size for every 2
feet you’re going to sit away from it. So, if you’re sitting 6 feet from the TV
you’ll want a 36 inch TV size. (For all you metric kids out there, that’s 50cm of
screen size for every metre of viewing distance).
Of course, these are just guidelines: no-one’s going to stop you buying that 62 inch
monster for your closet-sized bedroom!
h4. Screen Size:
Screen Types
Now let’s take a look at budgets. The prices for flatter-than-pancake TVs have
dropped dramatically over the last year, but your budget will determine the type of
TV you can get.
Up to £300, you’ll be able to get a standard widescreen TV at sizes up to 28", or
an LCD TV at sizes up to 17"
Up to £600, you’ll find 32" standard widescreens, and LCD TVs up to 20". The first
HDTV-ready TVs start in this bracket
Up to £900, you’ll start to see some 32" HDTV-ready LCD TVs
Up to £1300, sizes up to 37" for LCD TVs and the first Plasma TVs come in at 42"
Up to £2000, you’ll find LCD TVs at sizes up to 40in. and the higher-quality 42"
plasma displays.
Above £2000, you can get Plasma TVs up to 65" diagonal size and LCDs up to 46" -
but be warned, if you’re in this bracket, your house is likely become very popular
with your friends during the World Cup.
Form Factors:
Screen Types:
TV Technologies
Each of these TV types have pros and cons:
Standard TVs tend to have the best picture quality, can be viewed from any angle,
and have long working lives. However, they’re bulky and are only available in sizes
up to 36 inches diagonal. A 30 inch widescreen TV is typically 22 inches deep and
can weigh up to 200 pounds. Most standard TVs now have flat screens which can help
reduce glare and give a clearer picture – smaller TVs though can still have curved
tubes.
LCD TVs have good resolution – usually better than equivalent-sized plasmas – and
are flat-panel. Unlike plasma TVs, they’re available at sizes below 37 inches. The
picture quality of LCD TVs is improving, but compared to plasma TVs they have lower
colour saturation and are unable to display a true black color, which can affect
contrast. They also have a narrower viewing angle – looking at an LCD TV from the
side can cause brightness and colours to change.
Plasma TVs are better value than LCDs for larger screen sizes. They can be as little
as three inches thick. Life span of plasma TVs used to be an issue, but most
manufacturers have taken steps to solve this and most plasma TVs now have lifespans
equivalent to that of standard TVS. Plasmas have good colour and wide viewing
angles, but resolution is lower than with LCDs – which can give poorer detail when
using with a computer or high-definition source.
Screen Size:
HDTV
HDTV is on its way, and this year the BBC will trial HDTV broadcasts of Wimbledon
and the World Cup. Sky is also launching an HDTV broadcast and some cable providers
are already able to provide HDTV signals.
So, what’s the big deal? Standard broadcast TV puts 576 horizontal lines of detail
on the screen. HDTV uses either 720 or 1080 giving a sharper clearer picture. Almost
all HDTVs also use a technology called progressive-scan display which can make any
picture almost flicker-free.
Most HDTV-ready TVs today, though, can’t display the full resolution of HDTV -
1920×1080. However, even those that can’t will benefit from the improved picture
quality. Some people though, find themselves disappointed with HDTV sets when
showing regular TV programmes since the higher-quality display shows up some flaws
that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. This will, of course, become less of a
problem over time as more programmes are transmitted in HDTV.
With the right HDTV set, DVD playback can look superb, especially with a DVD player
that supports progressive-scan.