Television Buying Guide
Televisions come in different styles and sizes. When buying a television, there are many factors that you must consider. Some factors include the size of screen you would like, display types, and your budget.
Screen size is important because it decides how close or far you can sit from the television. Usually the larger a screen is, the more it costs. If you are going to sit closer to a smaller television, then you don’t have to spend more money for a larger screen. Most televisions that are sold now are wide-screen and high definition televisions (HDTV). Wide screens that show HDTV surpass regular televisions because you are able to sit closer and they provide a more theater like picture. The picture will look poor when you sit too close, so you should sit as close 1.5 times the screen’s measurement diagonally when viewing a wide screen showing HDTV. When viewing a regular television it is best not to sit closer than two times the measurement diagonally in inches.
Direct view televisions, also known as CRT, are the older televisions that most people are familiar with. These tube-type sets use cathode-ray tubes to display images on the screen. Direct view televisions are good because from any position in the room the picture is bright and clear. They also are reasonably priced, offer good pictures with strong colors, and you can expect for the great picture quality to last for at least five years. On the other hand, the screen size is limited to 40-inches and they are heavy and bulky.
There two types of flat panel television are plasma and liquid crystal display (LCD).
Plasma televisions create an image by using thousands of tiny illuminating fluorescent lights. In order to display broadcast signals plasmas require an external television tuner. Plasmas have higher resolutions than direct view televisions because their displays are digital. Plasma televisions can be conveniently mounted on the ceiling or the wall or positioned on a stand. They also have a slim outline and a large screen size. However plasma televisions have a weak black level, which is the ability to depict the color black and they can be damaged by long displays of static images. Plasmas are also somewhat expensive.
LCD televisions remind you of your laptop computer screen, but just in a larger version. They are slimmer than plasma televisions, but they also require an external tuner. LCD televisions have a thin profile, since they are about two inches thick. They are also great televisions to play video games on because the LCD images are bright and sharp. Still LCD televisions have poor black level, limited screen size, images might not appear as accurate like on a plasma, and they can be fairly expensive.
Projection televisions are another option. They feature clear and brilliant pictures, are not heavy, and not harmed by humidity, heat, or vibration. However, they only come in big screen sizes, must sit away from wall, and require good ventilation.
Ultimately your budget plays a key role in buying a television because your budget decides what type of television you can afford
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