Televisions - 40" to 47" Buying Tips - ConsumerGuru
What to Look for When Buying Televisions - 40" to 47"
GURU says this about buying a TV!The TV market is constantly changing with new models, the latest technology and lower price points. The biggest choice in the TV market today seems to be LCD vs. Plasma. A newly emerging market is LED-backlight LCD TVs which some manufacturers are calling LED TVs. Since these models are relatively new, their price points are still high in comparison to a standard LCD TV. A market that is slowly fading away is the Rear Projection TV. The majority of manufacturers have left this market and Mitsubishi seems to one of the few contenders left here.
What to look for in a TV? The first decision is to decide what type of TV is desired: LCD, Plasma or Rear Projection TV. The next step is to decide on size since there are so many choices available and price does go up with size. Once a size and type is determined a budget should be set since prices can vary greatly within a size based on the TV’s features, options and brand name.
Plasma TVs offer great motion resolution for fast moving images, display deep blacks, have great color accuracy and a wide viewing angle. In general, the image quality is better than a LCD but that gap is quickly closing as LCD technology gets more sophisticated. Plasma TVs are less energy efficient than LCD TVs and tend to be bulkier. The glass screens can be reflective and don’t do well in bright rooms. Manufacturers have addressed this issue and there are now models available with anti-reflective filters. Burn-in seems to be a past issue with the latest models offering screensavers and pixel shifting to prevent it. In the large sized market, Plasmas tend to be less expensive than similarly sized LCDs. Otherwise, they seem to be competitively priced in the 40”-50” market.
LCD TVs come in a vast range of sizes from very small to super-sized and usually have a sleek, compact design. LCD TVs are energy efficient and consume less power than Plasma TVs. Most models have matte screens which mean they reflect less light and are better for bright rooms. The viewing angle is narrower on LCD TVs than on Plasma TVs and image fading at wide angles is common. Plasma TVs do a better job with displaying deep blacks but the new LED-backlight LCD TVs have emerged as a solution to address this issue. The latest LCD TVs feature 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates for non-blurring of fast moving images and for game mode. Again, this motion resolution technology is closing the gap with Plasma TVs. There are many brands to look at in the LCD market and it is best to shop around to see what is out there.
Rear Projection TVs offer the best value in terms of screen real estate and come up to 82”. They lack the flat panel design and therefore cannot be wall mounted. In terms of maintenance, the lamps in a rear projection TV eventually will need to be replaced and there is a delay in the picture start up with the lamps warming up. The image quality is great though and prices have dropped due to the lack of popularity in this market.
Prices can vary greatly among brands and features offered. TV features to look for are connectivity, settings and modes, Picture-in-Picture (PIP) capability, speaker system (invisible/visible/quality), integrated digital tuner, anti-reflective screen, motion resolution technology, and interactive content. The latest models commanding the highest prices come with interactive options offering Yahoo Widgets, Amazon Video on Demand, and other TV widgets for up to the date weather, sports and news information. These latest TV models (Plasma and LCD) come with an Ethernet port and require an Ethernet connection or are Wi-Fi capable. Another popular feature is a SD card slot for viewing photos directly on screen or downloading music.
Needless to say, the TV market is flooded with choices based on type, size, price, design, brand name and added extras. The best bet is to determine needs first and then make the plunge by exploring what is out there.