|
 Article
on How To Choose Your HDTV is from Consumer Reports, December
2005 issue.
"Buy
the largest HDTV your budget and your space will allow. A
big screen makes HD programming especially compelling. In
a recent survey of HDTV owners, we found that satisfaction
increased with screen size. Many owners said they would
buy a larger screen if they could do it over. If you're
waffling between two sizes, you'll probably be happier in the
long run with the bigger set. Decide what you're willing
to spend and see how much screen that will buy you."
"Also
consider room size. Any big-screen TV will look larger in
your home than in a showroom. Make sure you can view the
TV from the appropriate distance: at least 5 feet for
36-inch or smaller HD sets and 6 to 9 feet for 4-inch to 65-inch
screens."
"Stick
with a wide-screen set. Plasma and rear-projection TVs
all have wide screen, but with LCD or picture-tube sets, you may
have a choice of a squarish, 4:3 screen or a wide screen with a
16:9 aspect ratio (some are 15:9). The 4:3 sets cost less,
but resist: The shape isn't as well suited to HD content
and DVDs. The HDTV owners in our survey showed a clear
preference for wide screens."
"Don't
rule out sets lacking built-in digital tuners. HD-ready
sets, also called HDTV monitors, are the lowest-cost type of
HDTV, and there's no reason to pass them up. They require
an external digital tuner such as a cable or satellite box to
get HD broadcasts, but that's no big deal. Even TVs with
integrated digital tuners need an HD-capable cable box or
CableCard or a satellite box to get HD via those services.
The only plus to integrated HDTVs is that they can receive
broadcast digital signals, including HD, via antenna, an option
few viewers use."
"Integrated
HDTVs that are digital-cable-ready (DCR) can receive HD
programming without a box when a CableCard (from the company) is
inserted into a slot on the TV. But you'll still need a
cable box to get an interactive program guide, video on demand,
or pay-per-view ordering via the remote. Second-generation
DCR TVs and Cable Cards with interactive features are expected
soon."
"Consider
reliability. Different TV technologies vary in
reliability, so you might want to factor that into your
selection. Conventional picture-tube TVs have a long track
record for very good reliability overall."
"There's
less information on newer TV types. Initial survey data
show that LCD and plasma TVs have been as reliable as
picture-tube TVs during their first year of use, but it's too
soon to know about later years. For the first time, we can
report on specific brands. There were no repair issues
during the first year of use for LCD flat panels from Panasonic,
Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba, and for Panasonic and Sony
plasma sets."
"Rear-projection
TV using CRTs have been much more repair-prone than conventional
tube TVs, with double the rate of repairs for five-year-old
sets. Repair rates for the four brands for which we have
date (Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sony, and Toshiba) were comparable."
"Microdisplays
using LCD, DLP, or LCoS technology have been even more
repair-prone than CRT-based projection sets during their first
year of operation, according to initial data. Toshiba DLP
sets have been less repair-prone than most; JVC LCoS sets-JVC
calls the technology D-ILA--have been more repair-prone.
(That may be related to a recall of some JVC TVs. The
company has said it will repair faulty sets at no cost to the
user.)"
TVs
and Screens Directory
Amazing
Viggo Mortensen and unsolicited
responses!
Write your screenplay
now!
Brighten your day with these
Incredible
Actors!
|
