Guide to Buying a Flat Screen TV – How To Decide on a Television
If you want a flat screen TV buying guide, but you don’t need a guide which is overly complicated or takes you too long to read, then this is for you. In this concise guide, we’re going to jump straight to the point and highlight the important key areas you need to consider. To begin with we’ll look at the main kinds of Television on the market, then look at the main manufacturers out there, after which we’ll check out the main features you need to look for.
What Are the Main Television Kinds?
Now, I assume you already know the sort of size Television you want, so here we can focus on more important factors. In terms of the screen technology available, you’ll find essentially three main styles of Television screen: LCD, LED, and Plasma.
LCD TVs
– Thin, light.
– Come in a range of sizes.
– Good for bright rooms.
– More brands and sizes to choose from than Plasma.
– Often times cost more than Plasma TVs of exactly the same size, however this really is becoming less so as time goes on.
LED
– A type of LCD display, but with different lighting.
– Uses LED to light the LCD particles, as opposed to Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps, as were used in older LCD TVs.
– More energy efficient.
– Durable – doesn’t degrade like the older type LCDs.
Plasma
– Great for very large TVs (42 inch or more).
– Can be viewed from more or less any angle.
– Great for high-speed action, for example games, sports or action videos.
The Best Makes
Samsung
– Innovator and market leader.
– Pioneer of LED technology in LCD TVs.
– Popular brand – probably the very best, if you ever had to name just one number 1 make. Certainly the best-selling in Great Britain, anyway.
– Excellent picture quality.
LG
– Another good make.
– Makes a variety of plasma TVs, but in addition makes LCD and LED.
– Makes some fully featured HDTVs named Infinia.
Panasonic
– Market leader for Plasma TVs.
– Produces LCD televisions too.
– Produces some very large screens.
– One of the first to offer 3D.
Toshiba
– Makes a wide range of TVs, from budget to fully featured TVs called the Cinema Series.
– Plan to start producing 3D sets soon.
VIZIO
– Younger brand (began in 2002).
– Makes LCD Models.
– Makes itself as “The USAs number one LCD TV make”
What Are the Most Important Features to Look For from a Television?
There are numerous features that TVs have these days, but here are a number of the major things to look out for.
Screen Refresh Rate (Frame Rate)
– For LCD, go for new 120Hz or 240Hz televisions.
– Plasma has exceedingly quick transition between frames, so copes better with quick digital action.
Internet
– PC input – some TVs have PC input, so you can surf the internet on your Television.
– Internet@TV – some Samsung TVs come with a function called Internet@TV, which provides access to the internet while you watch Television.
– Some other new TVs also allow internet access to services e.g. YouTube, Netflick, Facebook, etc.
Connections
– Wi-Fi – connect to your private network.
– HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface.
– PC input – as mentioned above.
Specific Modes & Easy Settings
– Game Mode – some TVs (e.g. Samsung) come with a unique mode for game playing, which optimizes the sound and image specifically for this purpose.
– Picture Wizard – this is a simple step-by-step wizard that is included with LG TVs and helps you to easily adjust your picture settings.
– Some TVs can even detect the lighting of the room and automatically optimize your screen settings.
It’s Your Choice
So, as you see, there are lots of different factors which could determine which type of TV you are going to buy. After you have decided on the size of the screen you then need to decide on the screen type, whether it’s Plasma or LCD. Once you have decided on that, it’s best to check out the brand that is the leader in that specific technology. For instance, if you’d like an LED style LCD TV, then Samsung is probably your best bet. However, if you decided on Plasma, then LG is a good choice. After you have made that decision, it’s really just a case of keeping an eye out for the features you would like, and reading reviews from existing customers, to see whether it’s a pretty good model to buy.
Still not decided which Television to buy? If not, then look at our recommendations for 42 inch plasma and samsung 46 lcd
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