What to consider when buying a new widescreen digital television

I was blessed with another appearance on the Fox 59 Morning News show this morning. Today's topic was picking the right digital television.

It's always hard to squeeze in everything I want to say during one of these segments so, like I did last time, I am going to include my full list of bullet points I planned on covering along with the video below.

If you are not reading this on the Noobie web site, click here to watch the video.

Budget

  • Widescreen digital televisions are expensive
  • Plan on spending $500 - $1,500 for 32" - 42" screens
  • Bigger screens, 50" and up will set you back $1,500 or more
  • Don't pay extra for a television that hangs on the wall if you are not going to hang it on a wall

LCD vs. plasma

  • Each has its advantages and disadvantages
  • LCD has less power consumption but is know to have a "trailer effect"
  • Plasma has deeper blacks and better viewing angles but still can suffer from burn-in problems despite recent improvements
  • No clear cut winner, compare pictures side-by-side in store; If you prefer one over the other get the one you like

1080p vs. 720p

  • 1080 and 720 represent the number of lines that make up the picture
  • The "p" stands for progressive; You may see "i" for interlaced; Just know that "p" or progressive is better
  • 1080p is true high definition but very few television stations broadcast in 1080p
  • 1080p is best for Blu-ray, Xbox 360

Viewing distance

  • Should be approximately twice the screen size
  • Screen size is measured diagonally
  • Ex: 30" screen x 2 = 60" or 5 feet optimal viewing distance
  • Don't get overly concerned about the exact distance

Get help

4 comments for this blog post so far...

  • #1
    January 28, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    Colin Clark

    Patrick I always get so jealous when you get to be on TV.  I’ve always wanted do do that.  Great review.  I’ve never heard 720p and 1080p explained so it made sense to regular people.  I wasn’t aware that plasma was getting that much better.  It’s always exciting when technologies compete for supremacy.  It tends to push the envelope towards excellence.

  • #2
    January 28, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    Nicki Laycoax

    Great job, Patric! It was great to know the distance from which you are supposed to sit based on the size of the television. I need to get a larger tv!

  • #3
    January 29, 2009 at 9:52 am

    Patric Welch

    @Colin That’s just what I like to hear, that it made sense to regular people. That’s my goal. In my classes I spend about 15 minutes talking about 1080p vs 720p so it was definitely a challenge to squeeze it into a 3 minute segment along with three other bullet points!

  • #4
    January 29, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Patric Welch

    @Nicki Glad I could help! When you’re ready to get that new television, let me know and I can help make sure you get a good one.

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