Buying a New TV: What You Need to Know

Photo by Jeffrey Coolidge/Getty Images

With television going all-digital in February, now seems like a good time to dump my clunky 18-year-old analog set and spring for a new flat-panel model. I won’t be alone. The Consumer Electronics Association predicts 32.6 million TVs will be sold this year, an 18 percent increase, triggered mostly by the switch to digital television and lower prices.

If only finding the right set were an easy decision. Even though all new models are digital, with four out of five capable of displaying high-definition (HD) pictures and 80 percent of them flat panels, once you get beyond this, the choices are complex and, to technophobes like me, confusing. Do I want LCD or plasma? Full-screen or widescreen? 480i, 780p or 1080i? And what do those letters and numbers mean, anyway?

After weeks of research, the best advice I heard was to “keep it simple.” That came from Bruce Berkoff, chairman of the LCD TV Association, who also says you should focus first on the size of the TV you want. “You will be living with it 24 hours a day, even when it’s off.”

So, which TV is right for you?

Consider the following options and the glossary below, which defines the technical terminology you’ll need to make decisions.

Size. Televisions generally range from five inches to 60-plus inches. To calculate the right size for you, consider your viewing distance. If you’re too close to a big TV, the picture may look grainy or fuzzy; too far away, some details may be missed. A good guide is that the TV screen, which is measured diagonally, should be one-third to one-half the size of your viewing distance. So, if you sit eight feet from the TV, the ideal size is between 32 and 48 inches.

Screen. You also need to choose the shape of the screen—full-screen or widescreen. Full-screen is a 4:3 ratio, or four inches of width for every three inches of height. Widescreen is 16:9. Widescreen is the preferred shape to display the very clear picture of an HDTV, which we’ll discuss more later.

Technology. The most popular television technologies today are plasma and LCD (liquid crystal display). The size you choose may help determine which technology you go with. For instance, few plasma TVs are made smaller than 42 inches, while LCD models rarely go above 52 inches.

In making this choice, also consider:

• How bright is your TV room? LCDs are better for brighter rooms; plasmas are best where lighting can be controlled.
• Will you be watching TV from an angle? Plasma screens are better for wider viewing angles; with LCDs, some brightness can be lost by sitting too far to one side.
• What kind of shows do you watch? Plasma is preferred by many for sports and action shows.
• Will the TV be used as a computer monitor or gaming console? If so, LCD may be a better option. Make sure the new TV has enough places to plug in cables to accommodate your needs.

Price. Prices are predicted to continue dropping for several months, according to a recent report by the NPD Group’s DisplaySearch, which tracks sales of electronics. Right now, the 32-inch TV—the most popular size and the one I’m considering—ranges from $600 to about $1,000, with the more expensive models offering more pixels and better resolution.

Are more pixels worth the money? Not necessarily, according to Paul Gagnon, of the market research firm DisplaySearch, who says that greater resolution may be hard to differentiate on screens smaller than 40 inches.

Prices for larger sizes vary from $700 to $2,000, but can go as high as $3,000 or more. Finally, if flat panels, LCDs and plasmas aren’t your thing and you want a basic television that will equip you for the new digital wave, many stores still carry the traditional, bulkier cathode ray-tube TVs for less than $300.

Reception. All newer models are digital; not all are HD. The difference is that HD provides a higher resolution, that is, a better picture. “For engrossing programs like movies and wildlife shows, it’s absolutely stunning,” says Gagnon of DisplaySearch, but “if you watch only nightly news,” HD may not be worth the extra cost, around $10 a month.

Also, he says, having an HD-ready TV doesn’t mean you’re getting a high-def picture or service. The easiest way to make sure is to go through your cable, satellite or fiber-optic provider (fiber-optic service is available only in select areas). Many providers offer installation and equipment for free or for a small fee. 

Sound. If you want to match a true theater experience, consider installing an additional multispeaker sound system. It’s expensive.

DVD players. Experts advise against buying a TV that includes a DVD player because the risks of something going wrong tend to increase. Players included in sets are generally not HD, while affordable HD-DVD players are becoming more available. The latest is a Blu-ray disc (BD) player, which costs around $200. Blu-ray discs deliver more content by using a shorter-wavelength blue laser, hence the name. This expanded capacity allows for a sharper picture.

Recording. For simplicity, experts say the best option is to sign up for the DVR (digital video recorder) service provided by your cable, satellite or fiber-optic provider. The service may cost about $15 extra a month, but it saves you the trouble of buying and recording onto discs.

Installation. Although a flat-panel TV may be thin, it is not lightweight and may need extra bracing and support to mount on a wall. Consider hiring an expert. (Setup and mounting for a TV and home theater can cost as much as $350, but many providers offer a discount.) “You’re spending a lot on a TV, so it’s worth paying to have the investment protected,” says David Berman, director of training and public relations for the Home Theater Specialists of America.

Warranty. Consumer Reports advises consumers to skip the extended warranty; its surveys show most TVs to be very well built and pretty reliable.

Do your homework, buy a reliable brand and take care of it, and you should get many years of service from your new TV. I’ve finally bought mine and hope to watch it for another 18 years, or until the next wave of technology replaces the digital era we begin in February.

GLOSSARY OF TV TERMS

FLAT PANEL: With screens only four inches thick, this is today’s TV of choice. Flat panels come in a wide variety of sizes, from five to 60-plus inches (measured diagonally) and in two different types of technology—LCD or plasma.

LCD: Liquid crystal display is used in laptop computer screens and digital cameras. Three grids of pixels—the smallest element of an image—are coated with a substance that lights up when electrically charged. The only choice for smaller flat panels, LCD is also best for rooms with a lot of light. LCD sets are good to use as computer monitors and for playing video games.

PLASMA: A layer of gas sandwiched between panes of glass receives electrical charges that cause the gas to produce light and images. Plasma TVS, mostly available in 42 inches and above, offer deep black and rich color, wider viewing angles and better fast-moving images than LCDs, but their screens may look washed-out in bright rooms.

CRT: The cathode ray tube is the traditional TV—bulky and limited in size, up to 36 inches. Although experts say CRTs provide great pictures, some predict their demise in a few years.

REAR PROJECTION: Wider and heavier than flat panels, these TVs are considered an affordable option for very large screen sizes, over 50 inches. They are ideal for home theaters where lighting can be controlled. Some manufacturers have stopped making rear projection TVs.

WIDESCREEN: TVs come in two rectangular sizes: 4:3—or four inches of width for every three inches of height—or 16:9, which is called widescreen. Widescreen is the preferred shape for HDTV.

PIXELS: The elements that make up the picture in a screen are called pixels. Typical counts are 1080, 720 or 480. The more pixels, the finer the detail and better the picture. Higher numbers are more important for larger TVs. On screens smaller than 40 inches, the difference between 720 and 1080 pixels may be too small to warrant the increased price.

P or I: These letters indicate the type of scanning technology. P is for progressive, where scanning is all at once. The I stands for interlaced, where scanning takes two passes. Progressive is considered smoother, more filmlike.

HD: High-definition means a TV with 720 or 1080 pixels.

Caroline E. Mayer is a consumer reporter and lives in Arlington, Va., in a house with three TVs.