What You Must Know While Shopping For Television

Nowadays, buying a TV set is not as simple as it once was. You may be tempted to buy the one that looks the best in the advertisement or in the showroom but it may not be the right choice for your home.

Following are a few tips for helping you to make a better and more informed decision while buying a television.

1. Space
The TV set you buy must fit into the space where you want to put it. Also, it should be visible from where you want to sit. This makes it important to measure the space where the set will go, including the width, height and depth of space, so that you can choose a good set with sufficient ventilation and edge space for installation and cleaning. It is also a good idea to measure the distance to your cable socket if you have an external aerial.

2. Screen size
The right screen is a balance between the dimensions of the room and your viewing habits, and your choice of technology. The average screen size is given as a diagonal measure across the screen. High-resolution DVD and digital TV provide much sharper images and offer a more immersive, theatre-like picture.

3. Picture quality, audio quality and connectivity
Once you have considered the above factors, it may be best to look at some sets so that you can judge the picture quality. The screen must be dark to have clear and sharp pictures. The flatness of the picture tube is also a consideration. Flatter the tube, lesser will be the glare from windows and lamps and less shape distortion.

It has become common to integrate TV and hi-fi equipment into a more complete home entertainment system, giving a more dynamic home theatre experience. Check whether the set has at least one set of stereo audio inputs and one set of stereo audio outputs, as well as video inputs and outputs connectors.

4. Plasma or LCD
The current TV technology is abuzz with Plasma High Definition or LCD. These offer bigger pictures within smaller space, less heat generated and the appearance of compactness through digital technology. LCD appears to be brighter and offers more contrast whereas Plasma has higher definition color, superior viewing angles and faster response time providing crisper time movement.

5. Remote controllers and accessories
All TV sets come with remote controls. It should be easy to use and address all TV functions.

Other features that can be taken into account are picture-in-picture (PIP), or picture-outside-picture (POP), commercial skip timers, channel blocking and tuner extras to make TV set functions easier. Additional accessories and after sale services are other important factors.

When you go to buy your TV set, keep all these factors in mind and you won’t go wrong!