TV Buying Advice

Our TV Buying Advice offers a complete buying guide for anyone in the market for a new TV, whether they happen to be novice or expert. We hope you find what you are looking for!Buying  A  New TVBuying a new television can be an expensive experience, not to mention a confusing one, so it's important that you know what you are looking for from the off, so you can plan accordingly. Before you even start looking for a TV,  ensure you have worked out the following information...BudgetThe single most important factor of your television buying  ability is your budget. once you know exactly how much you can spend, then you can start looking  at your key feature requirements and get the best TV for your money.  Be strict - it's very easy to spend that extra couple of hundred quid for something you don't really need.Size of RoomThis is extremely important; if you buy a TV that is too big for your living room, or too small, you suffer the risk of losing picture clarity, causing eye strain or even just  a TV set that looks completely ridiculous in its surroundings. As a rule, you want to have your TV sat at a distance of a round 2-3  times the size of its screen - a 48" screen (or 4 feet), therefore, would be best placed 8-12 feet away.Who is watching?If you intend to use your TV for your own purposes - if you live alone, for example - then you should find most TVs will suit your requirements, but if you have a large family or lots of friends who regularly come around for the football, you need to make sure your set has a good viewing angle.  In some TVs, picture quality decreases the further you get from the "face-on" angle, In years gone by, plasma TV sets have provided wider viewing angles, but modern LED sets are improving.  Always ask for a demo if you think you'll need a wide viewing angle.TV TypesTVs have come in various shapes and sizes over the years, and the chances are that you will either have one of the following already, or will be thinking about buying one in the future....CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) TVThe CRT TV has been present in households across the world for decades and have been known to last for almost as long - my folks' CRT set lasted for over 20 years and I doubt there will be many modern flatscreens that get anywhere near that. However, CRT sets work by picking up analogue signals and as you will probably know, the big switchover to digital means CRT TVs will soon be completely redundant.DTV (Digital Television)Any TV set that receives a digital signal is known, unsurprisingly, as a 'digital TV'. Digital TVs are either Standard Definition, or SD, or High Definition, or HD. They are generally produced as 'flatscreen' sets but can also be bought in a style similar to the more traditional CRT TV sets.Flat-screen TVFlat-screen TVs have become the standard type of set and have thin bodies and are comparatively light in weight. Flat-screens are far more adaptable than the older CRTs as they can save space or be mounted on a wall. Most modern flatscreens will come as HD-ready or HD, but you can still pick up standard definition sets.HD-Ready TVHD-Ready TVs are one of two types of television that are capable of displaying a high-definition picture. HD-Ready TVs receive the HD information from another source, such as a separate HD TV tuner or a Blu-ray player. They are cheaper than HDTVs, but are capable of producing a similar quality of picture, particularly if it is a smaller (under 42-inch) screen.HDTV, or High-Definition TelevisionHDTVs are very similar to HD-Ready TVs, although they don't need an external HD Tuner to display HD images – they have one built in to them. This makes them more expensive, and they have stricter rules to comply with in terms of resolution.

There is an increasing number of technologies being used to manufacture TV sets, and each has its own pros and cons. Take a look these technologies below and help identify the best set for you...Buying Tips: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TVLCD TV screens are made up of liquid crystals that are forced between two sheets of glass and have electric current passed through them. As the current passes by each crystal, it an do one of two things: make it come together, to block out any light; or disperse, to allow light to come through. LCD screens also make use of a “backlight” - which sometimes comes in the form of a fluorescent tube - that shines through the display, and together with the patterns made by the liquid crystals and electric current,  forms the image you see on screen.LCD PROS* LCD HDTVs provide crystal clear picture as a small screen, so if you’re looking for an unobtrusive TV for you bedroom, kitchen or spare room, LCD should be on the shopping list

* LCD TVs are lighter than Plasma screens, so if you plan to hang your set on the wall, an LCD will be easier to mount and the chances of strucural damage are greatly reduced.

* LCDs are generally longer lasting than Plasmas; an average LCD can last 15-20 years if you look after it properly.

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