Your viewing experience has many aspects to the equation. Pick a screen that fits your budget. Direct view is the bulky CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV’s most of us grew up with. Direct tube TVs still offer outstanding quality pictures at an extremely reasonable price.
Plasma screens and LCD’s are what you should be looking at if you’re after a set that gives you high quality along with good looks. They’re also your best way into the digital world if you want to experience high definition TV. However, there are differences between the two. But a good rule of thumb is that plasma is less expensive per square inch than LCD and still renders an incredible picture.
While any new television you buy will be able to display digital TV, not all of them can get you the highest level of digital TV. SD signals give you DVD quality pictures, while HD signals can produce a much sharper image that has up to twice the horizontal and almost three times the vertical resolution of SD.
Look for a screen output of 1080i or 1080p. Most screens will have 1080p (progressive scan) while others will have 1080i (interlaced). 1080p will electronically refresh all the lines of resolution in one pass.
In contrast, 1080i will refresh odd number lines first and even number lines on the second pass, 1/30th of a second later. Your best picture quality will come from 1080p and the price of the unit will reflect the newer technology. Bear in mind though that not all television shows are being broadcast in HD quality.
There are three main technical aspects to consider while considering your purchase: brightness, contrast, and resolution.
Brightness is how bright a screen can get. If you want to place your new TV in a brightly lit room, then brightness is an important spec to note.
Contrast is how well a screen can produce blacks or whites. This spec is usually expressed as a ratio, such as 1200:1 for example. A set with a high contrast ratio can reproduce dark scenes with plenty of detail. The higher the better here.
Resolution essentially measures how many pixels there are on a screen. The higher the number of pixels, the sharper and more detailed an image the screen can produce. You'll often see this spec expressed in two figures, such as 1024x768 (which means the set has 1024 horizontal lines and 768 vertical lines of pixels).
Keep in mind that just because your gear is up to snuff does not mean you’ll see a high-resolution image. Your source signal, like a TV signal or a DVD, will also have to be equally as high in order to get the true HD experience.
To get the most out of your new screen you’ll want to go with an HDMI connection. HDMI 1.3 offers twice the bandwidth of 1.2 and can support more advanced audio and video technologies. Although your screen may support other types of connections, they won’t give you the best picture.
Your DVD player and sound system are other considerations also. Match up your DVD player with resolution your screen can support. For example, your player must support 1080p if that’s the spec of your screen resolution.
High-definition players have been around for a year. But the format war has not been settled (HD-DVD or Blu-ray). For now, the best option may be a dual-format player but they’re pricey.
Additionally, there are several types of surround sound. All players are compatible with 5.1-channel surround sound. You may have a 7.1 or 8.1-channel surround system. In that case, make sure the DVD player supports this.
There’s a lot to consider, I know. My best advice is to do your homework before you purchase. A few trips to your local electronics outlet and a bit of research should prevent you from spending more than you need to.
