Things You Need to Know Before Purchasing a Flat Screen TV

Only 10 years ago, purchasing a flat panel TV was guaranteed to set you back a couple thousand dollars. The cost of the technology has dropped so quickly that flat panel displays are now the only option available in most electronic departments. There are a few basic specifications you should know about before buying a new flat screen for your den.

The three basic types of flat panel display are plasma, LCD and LED. Plasma displays are heavier, but offer more contrast ratio which is good measurement of quality. Other advantages of plasma displays are picture quality, wider viewing angle, and less motion blur due to higher refresh rates and response time. Plasma displays are susceptible to screen burn in, suffer from a gradual decline in picture brightness, and generally do not come in sizes smaller than 37 inches. Plasma televisions do not work as well at high altitudes because of the effect of the pressure differential on the fluorescent gases.

LCD screens are more compact, do not suffer from geometric distortion, suffer from little to no flicker and are impervious to screen burn in. The disadvantages include a limited viewing angle, possible smearing, ghosting and bleeding effects, some input lag and the fact that they are set to only one native resolution. LCD displays are lighter and do not consume as much power as plasma displays.

LED TVs are actually just an LCD screen that utilizes an LED backlight. LED backlighting produces a greater dynamic contrast, offers a wider color gamut, use less power and can effectively decrease the overall thickness by lighting the screen from the edge. LED displays generally cost a few hundred dollars extra, but are more reliable, of a better quality and create less environmental pollution on disposal.

The most important single factor is screen resolution. You will basically have the choice of going with 720p, 1080p or 1080i. The 1080 refers to a higher 1,920x1080 resolution that is superior to the 720 model. The p stands for progressive scan, which means each line of pixels is displayed simultaneously. 1080i resolutions interweave the pixel rows, refreshing odd number rows on one frame, and even numbers on the next. 1080p resolutions are the best, and unless price is a deciding factor you should always spend the extra money.

Another possible factor is refresh rate. Refresh rates range from 60Hz all the way up to 600Hz. While most motion blur would not be susceptible to the human eye at a 60Hz refresh rate, fast paced action movies and video games perform better with a higher refresh rate.

While the contrast ratio is the most important factor for viewing quality, there is no standard for measuring it. Any number supplied by the manufacturer is related to their arbitrary process, and is practically meaningless. You can however view two sets side by side and easily pick out the one with darker blacks and brighter whites.

Other features such as 3D compatibility, wireless network cards and smart TV capabilities are not necessary. Unless you plan on using these features regularly, they are often not worth the extra cost. Most of the features will be standard in a few years anyway, and will be improved upon drastically by then.