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Whether you are looking for a new bedroom television or a full-on home-theatre system, we will guide you through the key questions and considerations when shopping for a new TV.
Screen Size - Bigger isn't always better
Probably the first thing you need to decide even before budget or manufacturer is how large a screen you want...or need. As you would expect, the largest screens tend to be more expensive but it's important to note that the TV should deliver the right-size picture or where you'll be sitting relative to the screen. Confused? Allow us to explain. If you are sitting closer to the TV it means you won't have to spend as much money on a big screen. If you sit too close, the picture quality be poor.
The key size factors are - regular TV-viewing distances and the screen size and your room.
Most viewers feel comfortable sitting away from the TV set at a distance of around three and six times the width of the screen. We have put together a chart to give you a rough estimate of the minimum and maximum viewing distances for your regular 4:3 televisions.
4:3 TV diagonal screen size
(in centimetres) |
Min. viewing distance
(in centimetres) |
Max. viewing distance
(in centimetres) |
| 33 |
79 |
158 |
| 48 |
116 |
232 |
| 51 |
122 |
244 |
| 61 |
146 |
293 |
| 69 |
165 |
329 |
| 81 |
195 |
390 |
| 91 |
219 |
451 |
| 102 |
244 |
488 |
Generally speaking, 61 cm / 24 inch and smaller sets are recommended for bedrooms and guest rooms but are usually too small for the main living area or media lounge. Whereas sets with bigger screens are large enough for all the family to enjoy and will probably be too big for most small bedrooms.
A note about wide-screen TV-viewing distance: Wide-screen televisions showing high-resolution digital TV look better than standard sets, allowing you to sit closer and experience a more cinema-like picture. You can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's diagonal measurement with wide-screen sets showing DVD or digital, and you will hardly notice any loss in quality. However, sitting farther away than three times the screen size means you're likely to miss out!
LCD or Plasma? Which is right for you
Firstly let's get all technical for a moment and look briefly at the difference between the two.
What's the Difference?
Plasma and LCD panels might look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. Plasma uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create the picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) on the other hand are made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount electrical charge applied to the crystals. As you'll now find out, each technology has its strengths and weaknesses.
Which one has the best picture quality?
Both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures. For a home cinema-like experience, plasma screens have traditionally had a slight edge over LCDs, simply because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs (this is true of most manufacturers but not all), which means much better contrast and detail especially in night time movie scenes. LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, is steadily improving in this respect and the latest models produce plasma-like quality with thise dark-coloured pictures. You can see some brightness when you're viewing LCDs at too far of an angle, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. This is steadily changing with more and more LCDs coming to the market with viewing angles equal to or even greater than some plasmas.
Main advantages of Plasma over LCD
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Better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks |
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Typically have better viewing angles than LCD. (viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of the screen before the quality of picture is affected). |
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Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour. |
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Traditionally, plasmas were cheaper in price, especially with the large screens, however latest LCDs are matching & in some cases beating plasmas in both resolution and cost. |
Main advantages of LCD over Plasma
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LCDs are now price competitive with plasmas |
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LCDs more often than not have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which essentially means more pixels on a screen. |
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LCDs generally consume less power than plasma screens. Some reports suggest a power saving at up to 30% less than plasma. |
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LCDs are also lighter than similar sized plasmas, making it easier to move around the house or when wall mounting. |
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LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. LCDs are now guaranteed for 60,000 hours of viewing time. |
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Be sure to check the "pixel response time" with LCDs, measured in ms. The lower it is, the better the image quality in fast moving scenes, especially important for watching sport. Traditionally plasmas were the only real choice for avid armchair sports fans but times have changed and the latest LCDs produce excellent quality in this department. |
The Verdict - Which is the best option for me?
If you are looking for a big screen television of 50-inches and above then we'd recommend plasma as a safer bet mainly because Plasmas give you more "bang for your buck" when it comes to the 50" plus range. In a few months from now though this may change as the most recent 52" LCDs are of a similarly high quality at this end of the market.
At the smaller end of the scale (say 15" to 42" screen size, the latter of which is hardly small), LCD really is the only way to go if you want something slim and beautifully designed. Aside from that, LCDs are getting cheaper by the day whilst their picture quality and standard features continue to improve greatly.
And finally, a word about HD...
What is High-Definition Television (HDTV)?
High-Definition Television (HDTV) is either already available or coming soon in many parts of the world. Next generation video discs (HD DVD and Blu-ray...the latter of which is likely to lose out on the battle with HD DVD...think VHS versus Betamax!) offering high definition video have been available since early 06. To enjoy the new high definition video formats and the new digital satellite HD channels, you will obviously need to buy a new high definition TV. High definition means that the resolution is higher than the previous generation of TVs and videos. There are 2 high-definition resolutions in use, 1280 x 720(720p) and 1920 x 1080(1080i and 1080p). Not all digital TVs are high-definition. There are many digital TVs that only have standard definition resolution. In order to know if the HD-TV has true high definition display you need to check the "native resolution" of the display. If it has a resolution of at least 1280 x 720 or larger, then it is a true high-definition display. In other words, it is an HD-TV! Terms like "HDTV compatible" or "HDTV ready" only have native resolution that's standard, like 720 x 480. They are said to be "HDTV compatible" or "HDTV ready" because they can merely accept a high definition signal.
Do you really need a Full HD 1080p display?
The question of whether you really need a Full HD display (native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels) depends on a few things. If you are serious about finding the highest quality of picture, with the very latest technology and money is no object to you.... then you should get a Full HD display without question.
However, if you are simply looking to buy a new HDTV with a budget in mind then you may wish to heed the following advice. 1080p HDTVs are more
expensive than 720p HDTVs. But is the jump in price really worth it? Can you truly see the difference between 720p and 1080p?
There are many ways to look at this question but think of it like this, will you actually see an increase in the details with a higher resolution (1080p) display compared to a 720p displa? It depends how far you plan to sit in front of your new HDTV. If, like most people, you tend to sit far away from the "large" flat panel TV, normally around 8 to 12 feet away, then the human eye really can't tell the difference between a 720p and 1080p display.
Take a 42" display for example, you have to sit five and a half feet or closer before you can see the difference in resolution between 720p and 1080p. With a 50 inch display you will have to sit 6.5 feet or closer before and so on. To appreciate the full glory of high definition TV at 1080p you do need to sit this close.
Viewing distances are dependant on many factors including home decor and layout of your room. If you can sit at the recommended distances and have money to spend, then a Full HD display is the way to go. If you cannot sit at the recommended viewing distances, you really only want a 720p display. You'll barely notice the difference in quality and will save yourself a fair bit of money in the process.
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