by Jaidev Adigopula

Created on: June 05, 2010

High Definition Televisions (HDTV) definitely look fabulous in the showrooms one goes to buy them. The trouble is that all the HDTVs in the showroom look more or less as good as each other. And to say that there are a numerous brands and that each brand has a number of features would be an understatement. So how then does one go about buying such a device?

First of all understand a few basics premises:

1) "Full HD" resolution (fineness of image) is 1920x1080 pixels. Anyone claiming "HD Ready" instead of "Full HD"  is only going to upscale the image artificially to Full HD resolution, so the image quality is obviously going to be poorer. So look only for "Full HD" TVs.

2) Now, you might buy an HDTV but you can can see High Definition (HD) only if there is transmission of the TV programs in High Definition! Even as of today many countries do not telecast quite a number channels in high definition. Even where they do, these can vary by geography and the number of channels transmitted in HD and many of these channels could entail a paid subscription. So check out what content you have going around where you live and whether you have to pay for it.

3) The other use of a TV is to watch DVDs or VCDs (that are still popular in many countries). Know that neither VCD nor DVD resolution is Full HD. Only the more recent Blu-ray discs give you that quality. So if you are watching standard DVD discs and you dont have a Blu-ray disc player, you really don't need a Full HD TV. Or go buy yourself a Blu-ray disc player too! They are getting inexpensive by the day and content is getting ubiquitous as well.

Now let us look at the other features:

1) LCD or LED HDTV: The latest advancement in HDTVs in the LED HDTV. Often pricier by about 20% they claim to better picture viewing in the darker regions of the image (i.e. brighter blacks) and generally a more lively picture. Check this out and ask yourself if this is worth the extra money you will need to fork out.

2) Screen Size: HDTVs for the normal consumer typically range from 30 odd inches to 50 odd inches. The rule of thumb is that for 6-8 feet viewing distance a 32 inch TV is good enough while for 8-10 feet viewing distance 40-42 inch TV would be sufficient and for 10-12 feet viewing distance 46-50 inch TVs would do good. When in doubt go for the next larger size. You will be glad you did.

3) Higher Hertz (not a car rental!): What this means is that a TV claiming 200Hz will show fast motion scenes such as Formula One races, with less jitter that 100Hz TVs. Now the difference can be quite minimal and perceptible only for really fast moving scenes.

4)  Network Connectivity: Check out for HDTVs that can connect to your computer or the internet to play media such as images, audio and video. Some TVs can even play content from Youtube or show images from Flickr. The key technology standard that TV manufacturers tout is called DLNA and this is a worthwhile thing to have if you are technology savvy and would not mind spending some time wiring (or wirelessing) this up.

5) Number of HDMI inputs: Go for the TV that has at least 3 HDMI inputs. You will at least be hooked up to the TV Box and your DVD or Blu-ray player. But you might soon find yourself linking in a gaming console and more.

6) Good audio: Dont really bother about this. Likely if you are investing so much in an HDTV you should get a separate and high quality audio system. TV's own audio is mediocre at best

7) Cost: Of course all the above are subject to your budget. HDTVs can vary in prices, so find one that fits your budget. Remember that technology gets obsolete in a trice these days. So look for a cost effective solution.

Have fun shopping HDTV!

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