Choosing A Television Set

Nowadays the problem isn’t just what to watch on TV, but the kind of TV you want to watch it with. There is just a huge variety available in the market today—

not just brands, but product categories. Here are some things to consider as you make your choice.

Direct-View televisions have amazing picture quality, while still being less expensive than flat panel types. Screens come as small as 9 inches, and as big as 40 inches—imagine how fun it would be to play the Playstation 3 on that! Because of the shape of the screen, you have a good view from nearly any angle in the room. Unfortunately, many people say that it doesn’t give quite the “immersive” experience that you can get from other types of televisions.

Rear Projection televisions also give excellent image quality, and can be considered to be better than some of the newer technologies. It has the richest and subtlest blacks, and are very very affordable. Unfortunately, they’re bulky. Some models are 30 inches deep, making it difficult to put it into a standard TV cabinet. (And because of its weight, it’s hard to move around.) And they require to be finetuned by an expert to maintain optimum image quality. Some complain that the image starts to dim when viewed from certain angles.

Microdisplays are smaller rear projection TV’s. They have very sharp images, and have no rainbow effect. But it’s difficult to watch comfortably from a short distance (some people describe it as something like watching TV through a screen door), so you need a big viewing room.

DLP rear projections have good black levels, and smooth pictures, but there’s some “noise”—sparkles in some areas of the screen—and can occasionally have rainbow effects, especially when you move your eyes quickly.

LCO’s have excellent resolutions, some as high as 1080x1920. Prices are high, too, and you may have some problems getting the really rich black colors.

Flat Panel TVs, the new big thing to hit TV, are being praised not only for their high resolution but their form factor. They can sit elegantly in a living room, almost as sleek as a sculpture, and the handy shape also means that they don’t take up valuable space (ideal for those in small city apartments). Disadvantages include burning in of static images. LCD Flat panels don’t have the burn in problem, but may be difficult to view at wide angles.

As you can probably see, choosing the right tTV for you involves many different factors. These include, of course, your budget. How much are you willing to spend on your television? Of course, prices are affected not only by the type of television, but the size. Also look at the set-up of your room. Certain types of televisions are best viewed from some angles, or have blind spots. Where is your sofa located? Where will people be seated when they watch? Consider that when you choose a model.