Your jargon-busting guide to buying a TV

Buying a TV

You’d think that buying a new telly would be easy, wouldn’t you? But as the goggle box has become flatter, thinner and wider with a dazzling range of multi-media and digital entertainment features to boot, choosing between models and understanding what you actually get for your money can be so baffling that you leave the shop empty handed.

The latest flat screen LCD and Plasma TVs have complex technical specifications that are tricky to compare. It’s essential to choose one with the right features and performance characteristics that will not become obsolete too quickly.

If you've just bought a new TV, insurance is a must - don’t forget to update your home contents insurance policy to ensure you’re covered for theft or damage.

TV technology made simple

• 1. High Definition (HD)
  The EICTA (European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association) has set a minimum standard for High Definition (HD) televisions: they must have a widescreen format with at least 720 lines, and suitable input connectors and colour support to work correctly with today's HD receivers. Any TV marked as "HD Ready" in Europe must meet this standard.



• 2. Size and resolution
  The size of LCD and Plasma TVs are now measured by the actual size of the picture. This means that a 32 inch flat screen TV has a slightly bigger picture than your old 32 inch telly. Before you get carried away, consider the size of your living room, as well as the size of your wallet.
  
  
  • Screen resolution is the size of the array of pixels on the screen. The most common figure is 1366x768, however, 1920x1080 is needed for Full HD.
  
  
  
  • Static contrast ratio is the ratio in brightness of the lightest to darkest levels that can be shown on the screen at different points of one frame. A higher static contrast ratio usually means better levels of black.
  
  
  
  • Dynamic contrast ratio is the ratio in brightness of the lightest to darkest levels that can be shown on the screen in different frames. Having a high dynamic contrast ratio is not as good as having a high static contrast ratio but it is still an important indicator of video quality because film frames often vary widely in overall brightness.
  
  


• 3. LCD or Plasma?
  The two main competing technologies for flat screen TVs are LCD and Plasma. LCD panels use a backlight which shines through a liquid crystal pixel matrix. In Plasma screens, each pixel of the image is generated from a plasma cell which emits its own light.
  
  
  • In general, the picture quality from a plasma display is higher as they produce higher contrast ratios, shorter response times, a wider range of colours and brighter images than LCD panels.
  
  
  
  • However, Plasma displays have some operational disadvantages. They use more power and need to be "run-in" carefully to prevent screen burn. They may also have a shorter lifespan.
  
  
  
  • LCD displays are much easier to make in smaller sizes and at higher resolutions than plasma – so the best choice if you need a compact model for a small living room.
  
  
  
  • The picture quality of LCD displays has been greatly improved with the use of various electronic tricks. These include dynamic contrast control, 100Hz refresh rates and wide colour gamut backlights. You will find these features and more available on the top range models.