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The first decision to make is which of the two current
mainstream flatscreen TV
technologies - plasma and LCD - will suit you best. Each has its own
advantages and
disadvantages, outlined below, but bear in mind that they are currently
very fluid in
terms of price and performance. While our comments hold true right now,
things may
change 12 months down the line. All the more reason to get a good flat TV
now!
Plasma: the key benefits
• Screen size: plasma screens are common and affordable at 42in/5oin.
while LCDs bigger than 32in are still relatively rare and expensive.
• Contrast: plasmas generally produce better black levels.
• Response time: plasmas suffer far less from the smearing over motion
caused by LCD technology's relatively slow response to changing picture
information.
Plasma TVs enjoy slightly wider viewing angles.
LCD: the key benefits
LCD screens are virtually immune to screenburn (where part of an image -
often a logo, like the Sky News icon - can become permanently burnt onto
the screen).
• Since it's easier to control the voltage to each pixel with LCD, there's
less trouble with grey pixel noise in dark areas.
• On-screen colour blends are largely free from the rainbow-like banding
still seen on many plasma TVs.
• Moving objects don't show the fizzing noise that can accompany movement
on some plasma screens.
• LCD images tend to be brighter, even though they generally use less
power.
Size matters
People tend to pick the size of their TV based on price, space or
limitations imposed
by their other halves! But there are a couple of other points worth
considering.
First, you shouldn't apply the same size criteria that you would to a
traditional CRT.
As their name suggests, flat TVs take up much less space than CRTs of the
same size.
And since this means they might end up a foot or two further away from
your viewing position than a CRT, you might find the picture looking
smaller than you'd like.
The other key point to consider is high-definition (HD). With
standard-definition
pictures, very large screens can reveal the weaknesses in the image,
unless you sit a
long way from them. With HD, you can have a bigger screen and the same
viewing distance without having to worry about seeing blemishes inherent
to the source. As a rule we've found that a sitting distance of
four-to-six times the height of a TV works
well for standard pictures. Closer and you'll see noise and structure in
the picture
further away and you won't enjoy its full potential. HD's relative lack of
noise means that we've found ideal distance to be around three-to-four
times the height ofyour TV.
This would mean you'd have to sit just 4/5ft from a 32in set showing HD -
hence our belief that larger screens are going to become more popular once
HD is commonplace.
The connections game:
Nothing confuses people more than connections, So here's our
breakdown of all the connections that warrant thought when picking that
perfect "TV:
DVI/HDMI - This allows pictures (and with HDMI,surround
sound) to be transmitted from source to TV removing the need for
digital-to-analogue conversions that can result in picture degradation.
What's more, these are the only hookups that are
compatible with the HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital
content Protection) anti-piracy protocols required for
full compatibility with Sky's HD broadcasts, It's also
worth noting that while all HDMI jacks are comPatible with HDCP, it's not
a feature that is
universal to DVI jacks
• Component video - delivers pictures in three cables to keep interference
to a
minimum. Component leads can deliver analogue HD and progressive
scan pictures, as well as standard-definition, but
also use them to watch HD video, progressive
• Scart - this common connector takes pictures in
RGB, S-video or composite video modes. RGB offers
the best quality, so try to choose a TV that boasts
more than one RGB-enabled Scart.
• S-video - delivered via Scart or a dedicated
four-pin S-video lead. Not as good as RGB.
• Composite video - delivered via Scart or a single
phono cable. Composite pictures are much more prone
to noise and interference, and should be avoided at all costs!
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