For the last 10 years I’ve wanted to purchase a home entertainment system. For my birthday this year, my wife let me get a TV, receiver and speakers! This was an amazing gift! I did a bit of research before making this purchase and so the next two blog entries will be a basic buyer guides for these items.
The first purchase was the TV. In selecting a television, there are three items you want to consider. The first consideration is the resolution of the TV (720P/1080i or 1080P). The second item to consider is the brand of television. The last item to consider is the number of connections.
Television resolution is measured in terms of number of horizontal lines drawn on the screen. Originally, televisions generated an image by first drawing the odd lines and then drawing the even lines, this is called “Interlaced” (i). Newer televisions can display all the lines at the same time which is called “Progressive Scan" (p). When considering your television, don't worry about the number followed by the “i”, what you care about is the number followed by the “p”. Interlaced signals are still in use and have a variety of applications, but this is a very simple buyers guide and so we won't bore you with those details.
In deciding 720P v 1080P, there are a few items to consider. If the television is less than 40” in size, you most likely will not be able to tell the difference between 720P and 1080P. Cable, Dish and Broadcast HD are broadcast at 720P (or 1080i). Today’s DVD’s are recorded in 480i. At present, the only time you will enjoy the full 1080P image is when using a gaming consoles or playing a Blu-ray DVD. So, you most likely won’t get much benefit from a 1080P television at this time. However, if you’re like me and tend to keep your television set for 5-10 years, you may be glad that you bought the more future proof 1080P system if you have a set larger than 40”; especially if you will be viewing your television from closer ranges.
More important than the resolution of the television is the brand of television. This is VERY important! There are a number of manufacturers coming out with very cheap 1080P television sets. You will be in better shape with a nice 720P set over a cheap 1080P set. The best place to look for reviews is: http://reviews.cnet.com/televisions.
The last item to consider is the number of inputs and outputs the television has. If you are going to purchase an up-converting receiver, then you only need a couple HDMI inputs. If you will be plugging your components directly to the TV, then you need to make sure your television has enough inputs to handle the items you want to plug-in to your TV. Listed from highest quality to lowest quality, the type of input signals are: HDMI, Component, s-video and Composite. Additionally, if you will be plugging items directly into your television, ensure that your television has an optical output and HDMI output.
When it comes time to buy your television, I have heard from a number of people that Amazon has the best prices.
I hope I’ve provided you with the information needed to make a good decision without killing you with the details. If you'd like more details, check out CNet's HDTV world. I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions, just let me know.
