Buying a TV
So it's time to upgrade, is it? Time to get up-to-date and to take advantage of the fantastic picture quality of the new generation of TVs. Remember, though: this is a crucial machine in the home, a key source of entertainment. So it's definitely worth doing a bit of homework before you take the plunge.
Ask yourself…
When you go to a TV shop, or try to buy a TV online, you will be assailed by a blizzard of choices. It's quite easy to end up in a state of confused indecision. Step back for a moment, and think it through. There are four basic questions that you should ask yourself:
- How much do I want to spend?
- Where will the TV fit into the room?
- What size screen do I want?
- How concerned am I about picture and sound quality?
TV technologies in brief
Televisions these days are made in four different ways:
- Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). This is the old system, with heavy, box-like sets, which are certainly not 'flat-panel'. See below.
- Liquid crystal display (LCD). High-quality pictures on a flat-panel screen, good when small or large. See the separate article on LCD and Plasma TVs.
- Plasma. High-quality images, especially suited to large-screen, flat-panel TVs. See the separate article on LCD and Plasma TVs.
- Rear-Projection. Relatively hefty TVs that deliver the image to a large screen by internal mirrors. Suitable for extremely large TVs. See the separate article on Rear- and Front-Projection.
- Front-Projection. The images are projected from the back of the room onto a large screen, in the manner of a traditional slide or film projector. See the separate article on Rear- and Front-Projection.
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs
This is the old-fashioned kind of TV. It has been knocked off its perch by more recent technologies, but CRT still has its uses - so don't reject it out of hand. The picture quality of CRT TVs is generally very good, and they are relatively cheap. Cathode ray tube TV works by shooting electrons at phosphor dots on the back of the screen. This requires a tube that is about as deep as the screen is wide, so CRT TVs are fairly box-like and cumbersome (although some have 'slim-fit' tubes, which are flatter than the standard tube). They are particularly good as 15" portable TVs - useful for kitchens and bedrooms. These days, portables are often sold as 'combi sets', with built-in DVD players, which are useful if space is tight. Standard CRTs generally don't come any larger than 36". There are widescreen versions, which usually have 'flat screens', so called because they do not have the same curvature as traditional CRT screens; this kind of 'flat screen' should not be confused with 'flat-panel', used to describe LCD and plasma TVs, which are altogether much thinner. Despite rumours that High Definition TV would not work with CRT, this is not the case: HD-ready CRTs are available.
High Definition TV (HDTV)
High Definition is a new technology that brings really sharp images to your screen. It is still in its infancy, but some TV companies are already broadcasting in it, or beginning trials, and recording programmes in it. To receive transmissions in High Definition, you need a television that is 'HD-ready'. See the separate article on High Definition.
Screen-size
TVs now come in just about any size you could possibly want. Note that screens are measured diagonally, from one corner to the opposite corner, and the measurement - in inches - refers to the actual screen on which the image is seen ('visible screen size'), not including the housing around the screen. You can buy mini-TVs with screens about the size of a pack of cards, but these are relatively expensive and more a novelty than practical. The standard small TV has a 15" (15-inch) screen. A generous-sized screen may be 26"; 32" is getting pretty large, while 44" to 70" screens can look very large indeed. It is important that you take good note of the space you want to put your TV in. Measure it, and take the measurements to the shop, because in any large TV shop, where massive screens may be on display, it is all too easy to lose a sense of proportion, and you end up with a TV that is too large for your room. Also, the various kinds of TV have different depths. For instance, the conventional CRT TVs are generally as deep as they are wide. But the 'flat-panel' LCD and plasma TVs are only a few inches thick, and can even be wall-mounted, like a painting. As a general rule of thumb, CRT and LCD TVs are good for small to fairly large sizes; plasma TVs become a good option in the larger sizes; while rear-projection TVs go to the biggest sizes of all (70" or more).
Where would you like to sit?
You can come home triumphantly from the shop with a ginormous flat-panel TV which fills half the wall of your living room - but unless you have a ginormous living room, no one is going to be impressed. You need to get a certain distance away from a TV to see its picture clearly. For a 32" screen you need to be at least 8ft (2.4m) away; for a screen of 43", you need to be at least 12ft (3.6m) away. (But the higher resolution of HDTV will allow you to sit closer to the screen.) Think about where you want to sit to watch your TV. Traditionally, three-piece suites were placed around the fireplace in the living room; when the television came along, it was put to one side of the fireplace, on a small table, so was viewed at an angle. Now you can mount a flat-panel TV on the wall, like a picture, so the chairs can be turned to face the wall - but there might be a fireplace, a door or a window in the way. Work this out before you head for the shop.
Picture quality
There are three ways in which picture quality is rated:
- Resolution
- Brightness
- Contrast ratio
See below for what these terms mean, and how they are measured. Warning: don't be persuaded by the statistics alone. High figures for contrast and brightness can actually make the image look too pristine and glaring for some tastes. The best way to know what suits you is to go to a shop, and look at demonstration models.
Resolution
Resolution is a question of the number of pixels (short for picture elements) that make up the image on the screen: the more the better. Good quality screens will have 1,024x768 pixels; CRTs can have 1280x768 pixels; the higher figure of 1366x768 pixels is often found in LCD screens; HDTV goes up to 1920x1080 pixels.
Brightness
Brightness has an effect on the vibrancy of the image, and is measured in candela (cd) per square metre. Most new LCD TVs have a brightness factor of about 500cd/m².
Contrast ratio
The contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black, and is a measure of image clarity. Viewers used to be happy with a ratio of 500:1, but new LCD TVs commonly have a ratio of 1000:1, or even 3000:1.
Sound
Just as picture quality is improving all the time, so too is sound. Here again, you need to work out what you want. Good TV sets generally come with good basic sound systems, such as Nicam stereo. But you may want to go one step further with surround-sound and 'home-cinema', which sends the sound to a set of five or so speakers placed around the room. With subwoofers to boost the bass notes, you really will feel as though you are in a cinema - listen to those helicopters flying overhead! Surround-sound may come as part of the TV package; alternatively you can buy it as an add-on for £250 or so. A leading name in the field is Dolby, with five-channel surround-sound Dolby Digital 5.1 at the top of the range. High Definition TV will be broadcast with Dolby 5.1.
Scarts
DVD players, video-cassette players and games consoles can be hooked into new TVs by means of standard, multi-pronged Scart connectors (plugs) and Scart leads. Most new TVs come with two Scart connector sockets, sometimes more. If you really value your picture and sound quality, it is worth investing in high-quality Scart leads. Trivia: Scart (or SCART) is short for the French name Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs - but in France a Scart connector is called a 'Péritel'.
TVs and computers
At present, we tend to have one screen for the television and another for the computer. They are separated not only by usage but also by habit. Televisions are generally for entertainment, and watched from a distance, in comfy chairs, calling for only the limited interactive functions provided by the remote control. Computers are highly interactive: we sit close to the screen, often at a desk. But increasingly the functions are merging: television is becoming more interactive (shopping channels, sports channels); and you can watch some TV on your computer through broadband services on the internet, and through TV tuner cards installed in some PCs. (In fact, the recent 'Media Center' version of Windows makes this much easier, with an integrated TV guide and hard-disk recording). Games and DVDs can be played on both TVs and computers.
It is highly likely that the two will increasingly merge, and so too will the activities of the service providers. But we will also have to adapt our viewing habits, and the way we arrange our furniture - and that may prove a greater obstacle to change than the technology.
