It used to be easy to buy a television.
A few years ago, you just walked into a store, selected a familiar brand and screen size, and depending on the size of the television, you would likely take it home, plug it into a cable box and you were done.
Televisions today have bigger screens are more sophisticated. When you walk into an electronics store, eager salespeople start using words like plasma, Lcd, 720p, 1080p, Hdmi, Blu-Ray, refresh-rate, and Hdtv. It can sound intimidating.
Not to worry. This short guide will contribute the basic data that you'll need to buy a flat screen Tv.
Perhaps, the biggest decision is what size flat screen do you need to buy?
If you plan to sit more than five feet away from the screen, you'll need to buy at least a 32 inch screen to take benefit of high definition Tv, also known as Hdtv. Hdtv's run at much higher screen resolutions than old, analog Tvs and require larger screens.
The second option that you'll make when buying a flat screen Tv is either to buy a plasma or Lcd screen. Plasma screens are based on a technology similar to neon lighting. A gas flows through the glass panels and this allows for best petition detection and viewing angles than an Lcd television.
Lcd screens use the same technology as flat screen computer monitors and display in finer information than plasma.
Until recently, the rule was if you plan to watch lots of sports, get a plasma, and if you plan to plug a computer and/or gaming console into your Tv, get an Lcd.
But the rules have changed. Refresh rates, the speed at which an image can change on an Lcd screen have improved. Early Lcd Tvs had 50- to 60 megahertz (Mhz) refresh rates, the same as a computer monitor. Slow refresh rates are fine for watching Cnn, but lousy for viewing basketball. To get rid of the choppiness, Lcd screens are now available with 120Mhz and 240Mhz refresh rates, which makes watching fast performance on Lcd Tvs as smooth as plasma screens.
Not to be outdone, plasma screens have gotten sharper, but the biggest change in plasma Tvs has been price. A 47- to 50-inch plasma screen Tv costs any hundred dollars less than an Lcd screen with a 120Mhz to 240Mhz refresh rate.
You will also need to decide either to buy the Tv with 720p or 1080p. These numbers refer to horizontal pixel counts. The higher the pixel count, the sharper the picture. Although based on a modern visit to Best Buy, both looked great and I had a hard time telling the difference. If you plan to just watch broadcast Tv, a 720p screen is fine, but if you plan on viewing high definition and Blu-Ray Dvds, you will want 1080p to take benefit of the higher pixel count.
So which is best Lcd or plasma?
I propose visiting a big electronics store, like Best Buy or J&R, and plan to look at both Lcd and plasma and decide for yourself. Ask the salesperson to show different types of programming, like a football game and a news someone on Cnn. If you plan on watching Dvds, ask them to play a Blu-Ray disc and see how it looks. Also, look at the screen from different angles. Lcd screens are supposed to distort images if they are not viewed from straight on. But I personally didn't see any distortion on an Lcd screen when I viewed it at a 45 degree angle.
Here are some other terms that you should understand before shopping for a Tv.
Q. What is Hdtv and how it is different?
A. Hdtv is more than twice as detailed as the old, bulky analog tube television that it replaces. Analog Tv has a resolution that is equal to about 640 by 480 pixels. Hdtv has a maximum 1920 by 1080 resolution. This provides for a photograph that is six-times sharper than analog Tv.
Q. What is an Hdmi cable and port?
A. Hdmi means High-Definition Multimedia Interface. It is used to connect flat screen Tvs with other devices, like Dvd players, sound systems, computers and gaming consoles.
Q. What is Blu-Ray?
A. Blu-Ray is a format used to create high definition movie and video game Dvds. Like Hdtv, it shows movies in much greater detail.
How to Shop For A Flat Screen Tv
