Television Buying Guide

Unless you're a television repairman or electronics engineer, you probably don't really care that the microscopic tilting mirrors have light wheels or that plasma is neon-xenon gas excited by an electrical charge. (Though you may be fairly surprised that neon-xenon gas ever gets excited.) You care that the magic box makes pretty pictures, and that the box fits your room and meets your needs. Constantly changing TV technology means that, much as you may not care about the technicalities, you need a passing acquaintance with some techno-jargon so you know what people are talking about.

Television terminology

Televisions: Stand-alone devices which can receive audio and video signals, process them and project them to screen.

Monitors: Components of a larger audio-video system which can only project signals to screen, they must be connected to another component (a computer, cable box, etc.) which receives and processes the signals.

NTSC: "National Television Systems Committee"; the government guys who, back in the 1940s, chose the analogue system American TV sets would use; a 525-line/60Hz projection, meaning the television set has a picture made up of 525 lines which changes 60 times (or frames) per second. Early TV equipment varied so much, NTSC became a running joke, "Never Twice the Same Color." TV is now going digital, so we'll all soon bid a final farewell to those childhood television memories -- snow, herringbones and that unnamed, disembodied voice that so-often said, "We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by."

ATSC: "Advanced Television Systems Committee"; an international group whose members include ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CEA, IEEE, SBE, SCTE, SMPTE and EIEIO. Back in the 1980s, they defined the new digital television systems -- SDTV, EDTV and DTV -- which, BTW, are compatible with both NTSC TV and HDTV, if that's OK with you, LOL.

Pixels: The individual points of color making up a TV set picture; pixel count determines resolution, described as the number of pixels forming the picture (1920x1080, for example) or as the number of horizontal lines of pixels (480, 525, 720 or 1080).

Interlace scan: The projection system in which the TV set lights half of its lines in each scan -- abbreviated 480i, 720i or 1080i. Interlace shows less blur in fast moving images by scanning twice as often, but actually projects only about 30 complete frames per second.

Progressive scan: The projection system in which the TV set lights every line in each scan -- abbreviated 480p, 720p or 1080p. Progressive scan shows greater detail by using every available pixel all the time, creating up to 60 frames every second.

Analogue: The original television system used radio waves to transmit pictures and sound the same way most radio stations still broadcast.

SDTV: Standard Definition Television, the backward compatible system -- 480i resolution plus analogue audio.

EDTV: Enhanced Definition Television, the in-between compromise -- 480p resolution plus digital audio.

HDTV: High Definition Television, the digital revolution -- HD TVs have 720i, 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolution plus digital audio.

DTV: Digital Television signals will replace all analogue signals on February 17, 2009. Many stations are already broadcasting DTV signals and all televisions built after March 2007 can receive DTV. If you have an older (pre-March 2007) TV, you may need to buy a new TV set to receive broadcast stations after February '09.

Coaxial or RF, component video, composite video, DVI, HDMI, RCA, SCART, S-Video and VGA: Some of the audio cables and video cables used to hook together home theater components. You don't need to know all those acronyms, you just need to look at your instruction manual, see which plugs you have and buy connectors (if they aren't included) that will attach your new TV to your current components.

[For those who've heard of PAL and SECAM and are curious, they are the European equivalents of NTSC. The systems are not compatible, though a few new TVs have PAL or SECAM tuners. This really is only a problem if you buy DVDs marked "Region 2" or Europe (so, don't do that).]

Television buying tips

When you decide to buy a television set, consider four points:

First, how much? Prices and options vary so much among differing types of TVs, you should first decide how much you want to spend, then pick the best set in that range.

Second, where? Sketch out the room; show dimensions, furniture and windows; keep the sketch handy as you look over your options. If you know how much space you have and what components you'll add, you'll get something better suited to your situation. If you really want to feel like you are in a theater, get a big screen television and sit close. If you plan on throwing Super Bowl parties, you will need a wide-viewing-angle TV set; maybe place the television in a corner. Will there be glare from windows? Where are the electrical outlets and cable lines? How is the room's traffic flow?

Third, check your connectors. If you will plug your new TV into existing components, make sure you have the right connectors. If not, you will need to buy adapters. Good adapters are relatively inexpensive; the best adapters are not cheap, but they do provide superior signal transfer.

Fourth, compare the options. Make a list of the TV sets that fit your budget and rank the features. Is wide screen size more important than high resolution? Interlace or progressive scan? Are you just buying a TV or a fully connected home theater? Will it sit on a TV stand, TV shelf or in an entertainment center? (Overstock.com has wonderful entertainment centers in our furniture store.)

Several types of televisions are available, each with pros and cons:

CRT

Cathode Ray Tubes, or CRTs, are the standard TVs the older generations grew up watching. It's like a large light bulb, the screen end coated with phosphorescent pixels, the other with an 'electron gun' which, when charged with electricity, emits electrons; the electrons hit the pixels, the pixels glow.

Pros: Being well established technology, it is least expensive to buy and repair; most new CRT TV sets have connections that hook into all the latest components. CRTs project a really dark black.

Cons: Bigger and heavier than any other model, and if you put something near it with a big magnet (like a large speaker) you can affect the picture. By the way, most older CRTs have a curved screen, but most newer models are 'flat screen TV' -- not to be confused with 'flat panel TV,' meaning the whole TV set is thin.

DLP TV

Digital Light Processing, or DLP TVs, are projection TVs; they shine light through a color wheel onto a semi-conductor chip with microscopic mirrors. The light is reflected through a projection lens on to a big screen.

Pros: Beautifully clear pictures with seamless clarity at any size; stunning, bright picture with rich, dark shades. Light weight despite their size, they are fairly sturdy and not affected by heat, humidity or vibration.

Cons: They are only available in big screen sizes. A DLP television is flat panel, but needs about as much space as CRTs because they require good ventilation and must sit away from the wall. For a DLP TV, wall mount isn't an option, and they don't produce sharp text. They have a very hot light source lamp that needs to cool down properly or it won't last as long as it should. Viewing angles are not as wide as other types.

LCD TV

Liquid Crystal Displays, or LCD TVs, were first used as computer monitors. They have tiny crystals embedded in the screen which glow red, green or blue when hit by an electrical charge. Varying the charge varies the color intensity; varying which crystals get charged varies the color.

Pros: Images can be very sharp and very bright. If the set is near a window, LDC televisions are less affected by glare. LCD TVs are great for TV wall mounts.

Cons: LCDs don't do really dark black, and if you want a really big screen, you won't find it on a LCD flat screen TV, yet.

Plasma TV

Plasma TVs are like a neon sign controlled by a computer. Two plates of glass have microscopic bubbles of neon & xenon gas and pixels between them. When this gas is excited by electrical charges, it becomes plasma, giving off photons which make the phosphor pixels glow.

Pros: High resolution; a smooth, even image across the whole screen; plasma televisions can display billions of colors for a truly realistic picture; a distortion-free wide viewing angle; a plasma TV is also light enough for a TV wall mount.

Cons: Black levels are only okay; if left on the same image too long, screen-burn can occur, meaning a permanent 'ghost' image is visible (a bigger problem with video games than movies or TV shows); plasma TVs are heavier and more delicate than LCD televisions of comparable size.

Television features

Aspect ratio: Two numbers describing how screen width relates to screen height. Standard screen is 4:3, meaning a 480i resolution screen is 640x480 pixels. Wide screen is 16:9, meaning a 1080i screen is 1920x1080 pixels. Go wide screen if you can -- you will thank us later.

Cable or Dish TV: If you subscribe to satellite television or cable, your service provider will give you a satellite dish or cable box to decode their signals.

Closed captioning: Text appears across the bottom of the screen to aid the hearing impaired -- also useful for those learning a language -- it's a built-in feature of most televisions and DVDs.

Contrast ratio: The difference between the brightest and dimmest colors the set can show; the higher the ratio, the better the image -- 5,000:1 is good; 10,000:1 is fabulous; 15,000:1 is, well, really expensive!

HDTV versus HD-ready TV: An HD-ready or HD monitor cannot display high definition pictures unless the signal is processed through an external HD tuner before it goes into the set. A true HD television has a factory-installed HD receiver.

Picture-in-picture: A small second picture appears in a corner of the TV screen so viewers can watch two programs at one time.

Response time: The amount of time it takes for a pixel to go from black to white and back again. It's like a camera's shutter speed; the lower the number, the faster the speed, the better the picture.

Screen size: Because one number is more convenient, screen sizes are measured diagonally -- a 32-inch LCD TV screen is about 27.75 inches wide x 15.75 inches high. Difficult as it is to believe, there is such a thing as a too-big television -- well, that's the rumor. Movie and sports fans, especially, want the biggest TV screen they can get, but they also want to see the whole image clearly. Choose a screen that fits your room. If you will sit 5 to 7 feet away, pick a 37-41-inch screen; for 8 to 9 feet, find a 42-43-inch; 10 to 11 feet, get a 44-50-inch screen; 11 to 13 feet, go for a 50-60-inch screen; 13 to 14 feet, 50-70-inch; over 15 feet, you'll want a 70-inch or bigger screen. Of course, you haven't seen the opening of the first Star Wars movie until you've seen it sitting 5 inches from a 50" plasma TV!

On the flip side, if you want to watch cooking shows in the kitchen, or reruns while you ride the bus to work, you'll need a portable television. Most portable color TVs are CRT or LCD, some portable TVs come in combination with a DVD player or radio or clock.

TV wall mounts: A TV mount can hang your set on the wall like a picture -- great for uncluttered décor schemes. A few sets include a TV wall mount, but most must be purchased separately. If you go this way, get a TV set with a wide viewing angle so you can see it from the side as well as straight on. Be sure you attach the TV mount securely and directly to the studs -- a flat panel TV is still not all that light. A TV shelf is another great wall option.

Television care

The new technologies have one collective downside -- repairs can be expensive! They are like cars, so buy an extended warranty if one is available, or find yourself a dependable repair shop. Modern, high-tech components are more delicate than CRT components, so read your owner's manual carefully and follow its recommendations.

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