Television has been around for so long that it seems more low tech than high tech. And, in fact, there hasn’t been all that much fundamental change in TV sets in some years.
Still, TV technology does creep forward. And prices do creep downward.
If you haven’t bought a new TV in some time, it might be worth your while to tune into the improvements–and the lower prices. This is especially true if you’re improving other parts of your video-technology tool chest–a camcorder, satellite mini-dish receiver, laser disc or DVD player, video-editing gear or a high-fidelity home theater. An old TV could be the weak link in your video chain.
The first thing to determine when buying a new TV is size. TVs are measured in diagonal inches across their screens. Actually, these measurements are nearly always a little too generous, adding two inches or more to what may actually be dead space in the corners.
Pocket-size TVs are 3 or 4 inches diagonally. These are for taking along to the football game or to the office on the weekend.
They don’t have much in the way of features, and watch out for their battery consumption.
Small portables range from 5 to 13 inches. Again, these focus on compactness–for a kitchen counter or dorm room; some even plug into a car adapter for the camper crowd. They usually offer plain-vanilla picture and sound.
In that spirit of “compact,” there are even TV-VCR combination boxes that give you both in the minimum space. Again, think “minimum features”: Unlike buying a separate VCR to work with your TV, the combo will have only one “tuner” for choosing a channel, so you won’t be able to watch one show while taping another. TV-VCR combos also typically don’t have the latest features or the best sound.
Medium-size TVs are 19 or 20 inches on the diagonal. This is the first size that’ll look reasonable in a family room or den: still relatively small, but acceptable. Sound usually isn’t hi-fi or even stereo. Most offer at least a remote control. At least the price stays small–usually less than $300.
Large TVs run from around 25 to 40 inches. Most people today buy at the low end: 25- or 27-inch. Larger TVs quickly climb in price, from the $250 of a cheap 25-incher to many hundreds and even thousands, the bigger the screen. Features for better picture and sound–and for easier operation–start appearing in some of the 25-inch models, and all show up in most of the 27-inch TVs.
Larger than large are the projection TVs, with rear-projection models of 40 to 50 inches and front-projection models up to as much as 15 feet! This is big-money territory, running into many thousands of dollars at the high end.
An inch or two difference doesn’t matter much, but remember that area equals width times height. A few more inches can mean a lot more viewing area. A 40-inch screen has not just twice the viewing area of a 20-inch screen, it has four times the viewing area.
So choose a size that makes sense. For most people intent on watching movies, sports, sitcoms and news, that generally means 25 or 27 inches–where the lines of reasonable price, full-feature set and comfortable viewing size intersect today.
In fact, you can even break down that group somewhat. With 25-inch TVs you tend to get basic features and lower prices from lesser-name makers selling in warehouse stores. With 27-inch TVs you tend to get full features and higher prices from bigger-name makers selling in consumer electronics stores.
After you’ve decided on size, you need to determine which special features you want.
For a better picture, start with a “comb filter,” one of the few high-tech improvements in recent years. It will effectively increase your resolution, adding detail to the picture by eliminating mistaken color splotches. If you can’t get that, at least select models with a sharpness control or video noise reduction (VNR), which clean up the image some.
If you’re going to be feeding high-resolution images into this TV, such as from laser discs, Direct Satellite mini-dishes, or S-VHS or Hi8 camcorders, make sure there’s an S-video input jack. And if you’re truly obsessed with perfect picture, look for a “white shift” control that lets you adjust the background white. In fact, the best TVs let you save such settings in groups that you can instantly switch among.
PIP is a fun feature, though often found only on more expensive sets. It lets you see picture-in-picture–a second, smaller TV image showing within the main image. To see two different shows in your two pictures, you’ll need two tuners, so you’ll generally need to use a VCR as a second tuner.
For better sound, favor a TV with stereo (not just monophonic sound) and with audio input and output jacks. Built-in speakers are almost always too small and too close together to give great sound. The jacks let you hook up an amplifier and a pair of external speakers to your TV.
Since 1993, all TVs 13 inches and larger must legally be constructed with closed-caption ability to display text that parallels the sound track. This is useful for the hearing impaired or for those learning English. A feature that automatically switches the captioning on when the set is muted can be handy for anyone.
While you’re at it, go for a TV that has on-screen menus for adjusting contrast, volume and other such details. Also for ease, get a universal remote–one that doesn’t just control this TV, but can also control your cable box, VCR, satellite dish and more. Finally, for those blessed with stubborn children and serious TV opinions, there’s channel blocking, to shut down particular channels to unauthorized personnel (those without passwords).
Is that all too much? Unless you’re shopping for a home theater or a kitchen TV, just get a 25- or 27-inch TV with a stereo sound, universal remote, comb filter, on-screen menus and an external audio jack, and you should be OK. It’ll be easier if there’s also StarSight and channel labeling and if there’s an S-video port, you’re OK for high fidelity images in the future. And when HDTV (High Definition TV), Digital TV and other technologies of the future are still technologies of the big wallet.
