How to buy a big-screen television
By Jonathan Schlaffer
There are a number of choices when it comes to buying a high-def TV, what size is right, which technology, how much resolution, what kind(s) of inputs/outputs and most importantly, price. Most people know what they are willing to spend on a TV but sometimes the budget isn’t realistic for the features being pursued, either adjust the budget or lower expectations but generally basic high-def TVs lack the features and/or refinement of higher priced TVs. Sometimes a basic TV is good enough, sometimes it’s not. I’ll try to sort it all out for you.
Let’s start with resolution/size of the TV. In some cases one is dependant on the other, you may not be able to buy the highest resolution TV possible in a smaller size but it’s possible to buy a lower resolution TV in a larger size, the last situation is hardly ideal though people with basic cable won’t care, those of you with a digital subscription will (provided you watch the high-def content).
There are basically three resolution choices when it comes to a big screen TV, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, each one is progressively better than the last and there is a large difference between 720p and the 1080i/1080p TVs but only when watching high-def content. You will notice in online weekly specials and even from the big box retailers, that they are trying to rid themselves of the 720p sets by offering “insane” prices on large TVs with the 720p resolution, the reason is no one wants 720p as today it’s all about getting 1080p.
It mostly comes down to 720p or 1080p, I have yet to see a set that proudly advertises “1080i.” If you watch DVDs, a lot of high-def content which would include high-def digital cable or HD-DVD/Blu-Ray movies then you will be best served by any TV offering up 1080p. Don’t get cheap if that’s what you do, I promise nothing but disappointment and heartache if you buy a 720p set for those purposes.
Size of the set is also important but not so much as the resolution. Just be sure to watch it with the larger “cheaper” TVs, the cheaper ones usually only offer 720p and are not 1080p capable, read the fine print, look up the specs online and never ever listen to the salespeople on the floor, if you buy from a store. Right now you will be paying a premium for large 1080p sets but it will be worth it, just keep the above in mind.
You should also consider how much space you have for the TV, mostly distance from the TV. For example you should be sitting about 15 feet away from a 42″ set.
Then there is the technology that is the TV itself, do you get LCD, DLP or Plasma, this is a fairly easy question to answer. First, rule out plasma completely, this used to be the standard for “flat” TVs but as LCD technology improved (and believe me, it’s improved GREATLY over the last seven years), plasma is all but buried in the back yard pushing up daises. So that leaves LCD or DLP, which are the two most reliable technologies on the market.
The advantages of LCD are thin TVs that you can hang on your wall and the availability of higher resolutions in smaller sets, for example, a 42″ 1080p set can be had on the LCD side but is hard to locate on the DLP side, with DLP you may have to get something slightly larger.
DLP is super reliable, I would say more reliable than LCD and many of the critical components can be user replaced, the one most likely to fail at least once is the lamp that projects light on the color wheel. The lamp will cost about $150 and can be installed yourself, it’s as easy as removing the mount from the back of your TV, placing the new lamp in the mount and screwing it back in the TV. Though, someone may have to show you how to do this once, you’ll be able to do it again. Even if a repair person does it for you, it won’t cost more than $300. Consider the LCD end where if something fails and its under warranty back to the manufacturer it goes for who knows how long and if it’s out of warranty then you may as well buy a new one.
Personally, I prefer DLP, you just won’t be able to hang it on your wall.
Most TVs will have a host of inputs/outputs which should include, DVI, HDMI, component, S-Video (people still use that?), audio in and out jacks and those will come in several combinations. The more of the above, the better, get as many as you can or as many as the sets you are looking at in your price range will afford you.
There is no one right answer, it depends on what the TV will be used for and that is the one that will be right for you. As far as brand, well, it’s very hard to go wrong with Samsung, at least on the DLP side of the market (Samsung pioneered DLP technology in association with Texas Instruments).
Related:
January 1st, 2008
One failing of the “How to buy a big screen Television” There is no mention of the power consumption of the TV. this is probably the most important feature than all the rest.
Regards,
Laurence Lim