Television Guide

If you are looking to buy a new television or television-related products, you may find our television guide helps you find the best TV for your situation. It can be confusing looking at new televisions, and often it’s hard to know if you are getting a good deal or the salespeople don’t really understand your needs or budget.

Certainly there is a lot of debate in the electronics industry about the best televisions and related products. One person says LCD while another will swear by plasma, and then there is processing and refresh rates, high definition, Blu-ray and amplifiers to worry about. There are often no true black and white answers, but if you simply want a great television that will last and to become a bit more informed before you make a purchase, then this guide is for you.

Plasma vs LCD

One of the most common questions people ask when looking at buying a new television is the best option between LCD and plasma. There are several factors to consider, including price, the intended operating conditions and the size of television you plan to purchase.

Firstly, new technology has brought the performance of both these types of television much closer together. With LCDs featuring backlighting and plasmas featuring new technology to extend their lifespan, resolution and power consumption, for the average consumer there is not a lot of real-world difference between these two types of televisions.

However, that’s not to say that a plasma or LCD televisions do not have their specific advantages. For example, LCD televisions are known to work better under brighter lighting conditions. If you were to anticipate using your television in a well-lit room mostly throughout the day, and LCD would be an obvious choice. LCDs also still use less power and tend to have higher resolution.

Plasmas, on the other hand, are well known to display deeper blacks and therefore provide better contrast. This can make a real difference to picture quality, especially in darker or night-time viewing scenarios. If you’re shopping above 50in, plasmas are also typically more affordable and better suited to the larger display.

In summary, LCD televisions have:

  •  Typically higher native resolution
  •  Consume less power
  •  Typically lighter and smaller
  • Often better in bright conditions

While a plasma television features:

  •  Typically better contrast
  •  More suitable for larger screens
  •  A price edge for larger-sized televisions

Now that you have the basic info, you can approach the next electronics salesperson with a more confidence and choose a television that suits you best. However, obviously choosing a television doesn’t end here, so check out our informative glossary to discover what other elements you should consider when shopping for a television.

Television Glossary

1080p

Relating to the format and processing, 1080p signifies a high definition video format (1920x1080 pixels). The ‘p’ stands for progressive scan, which results in better quality high definition playback. Other examples such as 1080i also show high picture quality, but at a slightly downscaled rate.

Amplifier

An amplifier is a typical addition to a home theatre set up. It can be used to run multiple inputs (such as DVD players, Blu-ray, music, television stations etc), and in many cases it helps run large speaker systems. In some cases, and amplifier can also upscale signals and present other benefits.

Blu-ray

Blu-ray is type of digital disk format similar to a DVD except with higher definition and better viewing quality. You need an appropriate television to take advantage of Blu-ray disks.

Dolby Digital

This is a digital audio format that works with a variety of speaker set-ups. It helps create a superior audio experience when you view your television.

HD and Full HD

HDTV stands for high definition television, and it relates to the format you view programming. From HD to full HD and then above, the higher the processing - the higher-quality viewing potential. Note that to take full advantage of the highest format processing, you will need the appropriate channels and hardware. Blu-ray, for example, takes advantage of Full HD processing power.

HDMI

A high-speed data connection, HDMI or High Definition Multimedia Interface, allows signals to be transmitted in full digital mode. Other cables, such as AV cables, need to be converted to analogue and then back to digital, which can result in a decline in quality. Good HDMI cables will make sure you get the most out of your high definition TV.

LED Television

An LED television uses similar technology as LCD televisions except with LED backlighting. The advantage of LED is better contrast and picture quality.

Pixel

Pixel is short for ‘picture element’, and pixels are used to describe screen resolution, which affects picture quality.

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate, typically displayed in Hz (such as 120Hz), affects how smooth the motion appears when viewing television. The higher the Hz, the smoother the motion will appear, and this is particularly important if you plan to watch a lot of sport or action programming.

Resolution

Resolution is the number of pixels displayed on your screen. Typically, the more pixels, the high resolution and therefore higher picture quality.

Surround Sound

Surround sound uses multiple speakers and channels to create a more realistic audio experience. For example, 5.1 surround sound uses six channels and six speakers. There should be a speaker for each corner of the listening area, a centre speaker and a subwoofer for bass tones in this common set up, but there are numerous other set-ups too.