There are so many different options on the market when it comes to buying a new TV that the whole thing can become very confusing. For the most part, you will have set yourself a budget and will be steered more by that than anything else, however, it’s always worth doing a little research and reading reviews before you do.
Ask around and you will find that not only do most people not have too much of an idea when it comes to the differences in TV types, but they will also offer often wrong or conflicting advice. As such, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you to decide which modern TV is the best choice for you and your budget.
LCD TVs
LCD TVs are currently the most popular type of television on the market and this is largely due to their reasonable price. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and works by shining light through thousands of colored crystal cells which are behind the screen. Signals are then sent to each individual cell in order to let color through and a picture to be created.
LCD TVs can be purchased in several sizes and have the best choice on the market, when it comes to screen size. They can be bought in sizes ranging from a small 19 inch TV, ideal for bedrooms and kitchens, up to a huge 60 inch TV, which will obviously suit much larger rooms.
LED TVs
LED TVs actually use a LCD panel but have the LEDs behind the screen used as backlighting. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode and are made in two ways: Edge-LED and Full-LED. The only difference between these is the positioning of the light-emitting diodes, on an Edge-LED, these are positioned around the edges of the screen, whilst with Full-LED, they are all behind the surface of the LCD screen.
Whilst LED technology has been around for many years, LED televisions have only just come onto the market, so are still relatively expensive. However, LED TVs use less energy and tend to be more aesthetically pleasing, as they are so slim. These televisions are incredibly energy efficient and so represent the best choice for those looking to cut both their utility bill and their carbon footprint.
Plasma TVs
Although plasma televisions are thought to provide the truest picture quality and be the best in modern TVs, they don’t enjoy as much of a market share as LCDs as the popularity of the latter has soared. This is mostly due to the price of LCDs and LEDs which has led to less plasmas being manufactured.
Plasma TVs work by sandwiching thousands of tiny gas cells between two pieces of glass which emit ultraviolet light that builds a picture out of red, green and blue spots which glow to creature an image.
So which is best?
This depends on your personal taste and circumstances really; not only do you have to consider your budget, there are energy considerations, size and the type of room that the television is going to be placed in will have to be thought about too.
Obviously if your budget is low, then you should consider a LCD television, whilst if you’re concerned about the environment (and you can afford it), then go for a LED. However, if money is no object and you want the best, then consider a top-end plasma.
However, before you rush out to spend your hard-earned cash, we’ve put together following pros and cons which may help you to make a decision.
Plasma TV - Pros
- Picture depth is often of a superior quality because of the way that plasmas handle blacks, making for a truer image.
- Great for use in darker rooms
- IPS models have improved technology that address problems with viewing angles, something to look out for if you’re considering purchasing a Plasma – older plasmas had many people complaining that they could only see the screen effectively face-on
Plasma TV – Cons
- Slow refresh rates mean that some plasmas can appear blocky or blurred. To overcome this look for plasmas with a high refresh rate.
- Lower ‘native resolution’ makes for reduced picture clarity when compared to LCD and LED TVs
- Can be difficult to view in light rooms
- Plasma TVs use a lot of energy
LCD TV – Pros
- No screen burn, this can sometime occur with plasmas
- Good in bright rooms
- Great for gaming due to better refresh rates
LCD TV – Cons
- Can’t produce true blacks so won’t give the same depth as plasma
- Viewing angles are reduced
As you can see, there isn’t too much there to put you off buying one kind of TV or another and we have left out LEDs altogether as they perform in much the same way as LCDs. Plasmas, as mentioned before, are considered to be the best performing quality wise but they are very power-hungry and there is little doubt that LCDs and LEDs, especially the latter are far kinder to the environment.
That aside though, as with anything in life, you do get what you pay for so read reviews and ensure that you buy a good quality TV that is built to last. This often means paying that little bit more for a branded model, but this is worth it in the long run when purchasing electronic equipment as you are paying for the quality and expertise of a brand that is a leader in its field.
What about screen size?
Screen sizes are important to some and not others but in general terms, the accepted size in terms of popularity, energy efficiency and accessibility is seen to be somewhere between 26 inch TVs and 32 inch TVs.
These days, all types come in sizes of up to 60 inch TVs and quality depends largely on the manufacturer. LG televisions tend to concentrate their efforts largely on the LCD/LED market and Panasonic tend to dominate the plasma market.
How do I choose a TV once I have decided on type?
Research, research, research. It may sound like a lot of effort but will be worth it once you find the TV of your dreams and it’s not like you buy a new one every day – it’s a big purchase, especially if you have the cash to buy one of the smart TVs that have just come onto the market. If you can afford this, it’s worth doing as you will ‘future-proof’ your purchase and delay having to buy a new TV again too near into the future.
Popular brands such as Panasonic, Samsung and Sony will all have reviews dedicated to them online and they should be plentiful. Likewise, LG TV reviews are easy to find online as the brand has exploded in popularity over the past few years. If you are going to buy a lesser known brand then make extra sure to read up everything you can on it.
It’s also worth considering size depending on the room in which you’re going to put the television; obviously for kitchens and brighter rooms then the better choice is going to be a smaller model such as a 19 inch TV and an LCD or LED display.
For bedrooms and small rooms a 19 inch TV would make a good choice and for average sized living rooms a 26 inch TV is ample, whilst a 32 inch TV will make the better choice for slightly bigger rooms. For very large living rooms you can consider stretching to a very large display such as a 40-60 inch TV.
Bluezoome is an Associate of Amazon -Shop at Amazon.com
