If you're in the market for a new TV, it’s more than likely that you’d have thought of buying a fancy, ultra-flat, extra-large liquid crystal display (LCD) TV, the kind you see in glossy magazines, hanging on a celebrity’s wall.
Chances are that you’ll take one look at the resolution and clarity and the size of these TVs and you’ll be sorely tempted to shell out close to Rs 1 lakh for a 32” screen. With technology advancing at a rapid pace, today’s LCD screens don’t come with the problems that plagued earlier generations of LCDs—flickering, ghosting, dependent on viewing angle and so on.
But great tech and better looks do not mean that you should go out and buy the first LCD TV that catches your fancy. Ask yourself why you really want to buy an LCD. If it’s for sheer snob value, there’s little anyone can say that will make you change your mind. If, however, you think you’re getting value for money, read on.
The salesman is likely to spout immense amounts of jargon, and confuse you into buying something you don’t really need. Here’s how you can cut through the clutter and understand what those numbers and letters mean and whether they matter to you.
Contrast ratio: The ratio of the intensity of the brightest to the darkest colours. It is better to have a higher contrast ratio
Brightness: Amount of light emitted from the display. Look for a sensor that adjusts the screen brightness to the room brightness
Video inputs: Component video and S-video are analogue video signals used by most of the peripherals available in the market
Viewable size: Also known as the active display area, this is the size of the LCD panel (measured diagonally)
Comb filter: This separates the sound, colour and brightness information to minimise picture distortion. 3D YC comb filters are best
Storage: You can record and store programmes in the built-in hard drive. Some LCDs also come with a memory card reader or USB port
Dot pitch: This is the distance between the centres of two samecoloured pixels; the smaller the dot pitch size,measured in fractions of millimetres, the sharper the images. Pixel pitch typically ranges from 0.16mm to 0.29mm
Response time: The minimum time necessary to change a pixel’s colour or brightness. The lower the number, the better. Look for 8 milliseconds or less
Aspect ratio: The ratio of the screen’s width to the height. The widescreen 16:9 ratio is great for wide-format movies but since most TV transmissions are in 4:3 format, this could lead to some picture distortion
HDMI & DVI: Connector interfaces for digital video signal transmission. Both can be used to connect your LCD with your PC or laptop. HDMI supports multi-channel audio
The price depends largely upon the display size. Here’s an indicative price range for the most preferred sizes. Always remember that bigger need not be better; choose a screen size that suits your room size.
32-inch These range from Rs 42,990 to Rs 69,990. They are apt for viewing from a distance of 6 to 8 feet
42-inch Priced between Rs 79,990 and Rs1.5 lakh these should be viewed from a distance of 10 to 14 feet
52-inch The price varies from Rs 3-4 lakh; buy them only if you can view from a distance of 12 to 16 feet
The resolution is the number of pixels per square inch or the number of rows and columns used to create the display. The higher the resolution, the better the picture quality.
Also check if the scanning is progressive or interlaced—most computer monitors use progressive scanning, while TVs use interlaced.
There’s much debate about which is better; ultimately, quality depends on the recording or transmission. If a programme was recorded in interlaced format, a TV that uses progressive scanning will not make much difference.
720p The “p” is for progressive scanning, meaning every line of information is shown
1080i The resolution is interlaced; displays every other line of information
1080p is the latest.However, it’s available only on Blu Ray and PlayStation 3
A high-definition TV must have at least 1280x720 lines. Standard high-definition resolution is 1366x768
