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Plasma and LCD Televisions - Buyers Guide |
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Plasma and LCD Televisions - Buyers GuideBring yourself bang up to date with the new breed of TV. Here's the low-down on your new 'slim' TV
The Benefits of LCD & Plasma Although the technologies for LCD and Plasma work in different ways, the advantages of both are similar: 
What's Included With Your TV? It is important to know what is included when you buy a new plasma or LCD TV. Look out for the following: Tuner Box - This allows the TV to receive broadcasts so without one you can't watch normal TV. These are either built into the TV, come as a separate box or in some cases are not included at all. Speakers - You will obviously need these to get sound from your TV. Again these are either built in, separate or not included. To get the best sound performance you should use larger LCD or plasma TVs with a separate home cinema system. Click here for more info. Table Top Stand - This is a small stand that allows the TV to sit upright on a table or bigger floor standing TV stand. These usually come with the TV but in certain cases are optional extras. Picture Plasma or LCD? Confused about the difference between plasma screen TVs and LCD TVs? Don't be. As a rule of thumb the only difference - apart from the technology they employ - is the sizes they come in. LCD screens are generally 30" or less in size and plasma screens range from 32" up to 60". This is because LCD screens over 30" are too expensive to manufacture as opposed to plasma panels which are only cost effective to produce in larger screen sizes. So, if you want a 15" flat TV to go in your kitchen, it has to be an LCD TV. Whereas if you want a large screen for your home cinema set-up in the lounge, it has to be a plasma screen. 
Device Compatibility NTSC - Indicates that a device is compatible with US TVs and videos. VGA / SGA / XSGA - These 3 are different types of connection necessary to connect a screen to a PC. You'll need to bear this in mind if you want use your new TV as a PC monitor as well. Picture Quality There are lots of different elements that will affect the quality of the picture produced by a plasma or an LCD TV. These include the number of pixels the TV panel has, the contrast ratio and the brightness but it is how all these different elements work together that determines the final picture quality. Pixel Resolution - This is an indication of how sharp the picture will be. Generally, the more pixels the better the picture. Contrast Ratio & Brightness - Is the measurement of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black. The higher the contrast ratio, the sharper the picture will be. One point to note though - Over a measure of 1000:1 you will need to increase the ratio a lot to see a visible difference. i.e. There would not be a lot of difference between 1000:1 and 3000:1 but you would notice a difference if the ratio increased to 8000:1. Sound So is it Standard Nicam stereo or the full home cinema system? Most LCD and plasma TVs only have Nicam stereo sound rather than surround sound. This is fine for smaller LCD TVs that will be used in the kitchen or bedroom but larger plasma and LCD TVs are best used with separate home cinema sound systems. 
To get the best sound performance from a larger LCD or plasma TV it should be used with a separate Dolby Digital 5.1 home cinema system. This system will give you 5 full channels of surround sound plus a sixth channel devoted to bass - the ".1" of Dolby Digital 5.1. 
Connections & Mountings Scart or component video leads? Unravel them all here. Connectivity To get the most out of a plasma or LCD you need the right connections. Most plasma and LCD TVs have scart sockets to connect digital boxes or adapters, DVD players and VCRs. However more TVs now have component video inputs which provide a far higher quality connection to a DVD player (with a corresponding output) ensuring you get the best possible picture from your new plasma or LCD TV. Cables Different cable types carry pictures in different ways and vary considerably in quality. Always use the higher quality options such as component video cables to get the best out of your equipment. Cables vary enormously in price, simply because they are built to different standards. Expensive cables take extra measures - thicker wiring, better insulation etc - to ensure they keep external interference to a minimum. Better cables can make a massive difference to sound and picture quality and aren't worth compromising on. This is why Comet now stocks a full range of step-up cables from acclaimed experts Monster. Wall Mounting Most plasma and LCD TVs can be hung on a wall like a painting however there are a few things you need to consider. 
This Product Guide was provided by kind permmission of Comet. Comet checks competitors' prices, then lowers their own. |
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