How to Shop for Televisions & Displays

We’ve received numerous emails, and indeed they come in almost daily, inquiring about the best televisions, which format is better and how to determine if Set A is better than Set B. These are questions that ANYONE looking to spend multiple hundreds (much less thousands) of dollars on a display want answered. Let’s tackle some of these common issues and discuss ways of determining the more important factors that should determine which products are going to perform best for you. Prices are almost always dropping, though we are in a period where LCD and plasma is finally leveling out somewhat and price drops are not as dramatic as they were 2-3 years ago.

Set Your Budget and Stick to It

We cannot count the number of times people blindly email us or post on the forums, inquiring about the “best” display to purchase for their living room or home theater. Without a budget you will not get any kind of answer that is helpful in a practical manner. For instance, if your budget is $2000 for a 50-inch flat panel display you are very limited and will be looking for the best “entry-level” product your money can buy. If, however, your budget is $4000-$5000 for the same product, you are able to purchase more of a flagship-style solution that will have best-in-class features and some frills that don’t exist (currently) at the lower price points.

By setting a budget, you ensure that a) you don’t overspend and make a mess of your finances, and b) you are making valid apples-to-apples comparisons within the marketplace. Should you choose to increase your budget after doing a little research, then feel free to do so (provided your spouse agrees!) but always stay within your price range when comparison shopping.

Decide on the Form Factor You’ll Want

In deciding on what I’ll call the “form factor” for your display, we’ll segment this into three categories, placed in order of (typical) expense – most expensive first:

• Flat Panel displays
• Front Projection systems
• Rear Projection systems

Now, does this mean that all front projection systems are less expensive than all flat panels? Certainly not. What I am attempting to do is give you an idea of your “bang for the buck” when working with a tight budget. Here’s a perfect example: John has $2000 to spend on a television or display system. He can get either a 42-inch entry-level plasma TV, an entry level 720p front projector and ~100-inch screen, or a midrange 60-inch rear projection TV. Obviously, John’s room, spouse and budget work together to help determine his needs and the optimal form factor for his room or home. Is either of John’s choices necessarily “better”? Not really. After all, what good is a 100-inch front projection system if John can’t control ambient light into his viewing room. And what good is a rear projection television if his spouse is aiming for a more refined, low profile living room aesthetic.

Knowing what style of television or display you need will mean all the difference in the world when shopping and will help you quickly reduce the number of options you are faced with when making your choice. So how do we determine the best form factor? Well, it’s primarily based on your needs and the room into which the system will be placed. Let’s go over some very basic rules (and rules are meant to be broken) for each display type:

Flat Panel Display Requirements

In order to utilize a flat panel display, you’ll want to, typically, value the reduced depth of the screen over the overall picture size – at least on a ‘bang-for-the-buck’ scale. If you are planning on wall-mounting the display, a flat panel is the way to go. Keep in mind that you’ll need to carefully locate power and your cables so as to not compromise the low-profile look of the system. Some plasma displays require particular ventilation, so be sure to use a proper mounting system that allows air to circulate as needed. Overheating the display will almost certainly lead to premature failure and a lot more money down the road – possibly sooner than you had anticipated. Typically a custom home theater installer is going to be worth every penny when performing a fancier installation.

Some flat panel displays come with an anti-glare coating, making off-axis viewing much easier. Take your viewing environment into account when making your purchase. If the display has a high amount of glare or poor off-axis viewing response, then it may be a problem for your room.

Front Projection System Requirements

In order to go with front projection you’ll need space to hang an appropriately sized screen. We do not recommend projecting onto a wall, unless you plan to upgrade shortly in a multi-phased purchase approach. Remember that textured walls will wreak havoc on a projected image – you can see the pattern in the image and it will annoy you to no end. Even before screen recommendations, you’ll need to ensure that you have enough throw distance to correctly place the image on the screen at the right size. Our friends at ProjectorCentral.com have a nice calculator you can use online and the user manual typically lists the minimum and maximum distances you can be to the screen given the projector’s particular zoom lens.

Finally, ambient light will have to be significantly eliminated from the room to avoid washing out the blacks. Remember, projectors don’t project ‘black’. Your white or gray screen must be in a completely ambient light-free room in order to appear ‘black’ (think about what a white piece of paper would look like in a completely dark closet – black). This also means that you’ll need to reduce and/or eliminate any reflective surfaces near the screen. This includes the ceiling, trim, furniture, or anything else that will reflect light back to the screen. You want the front of your room to “suck” light – this will give you the best possible contrast for your images.

If you can meet all of these demands, then guess what? You can have a very large display for an extremely reasonable amount of money. Where else can you score a 100-inch display for $2000 or less? No rear projection or flat panel system can do that at today’s prices.

Rear Projection System Requirements

Some consumers will specifically want a rear projection television set for one of several reasons. First of all, these sets give you a larger screen size for a relatively small amount of money – at least compared to flat panel displays. Rear projection televisions also do very well in particular installations such as cut-out architectural areas and rooms where you want to utilize a lot of equipment and a larger A/V or display stand.

Rear projection televisions also do not require complete ambient light reduction, so you can experience a pretty large screen without having to place the system in a dedicated theater room. Off axis viewing varies by model, so if you have a very wide room, make sure that you have sufficient horizontal off-axis response so everyone will be able to see the screen with sufficient contrast. Rear projection televisions work by focusing light to the screen using a special lens and high gain screen material. As a result, horizontal, and especially vertical, viewing angles are reduced, so keep this in mind. We no longer recommend CRT rear projection due to the required maintenance issues and progress of digital alternatives.

Shopping for a TV - Features Matter!

Features Matter

When shopping for a display, especially at lower budgets, features matter. The truth is that a lot of similarly-priced products on the market – at lower price points especially – will perform very similarly. As a result, shopping for features will help you distinguish a good deal – in addition to the other factors appearing in this article.

OK, so what features are important? Again, that depends on your intended use. Do you need HDMI inputs? 1080p support? Custom calibration options? Here’s a list of some things you may want to look for in a display:

• HDMI inputs (or even more than one)
• 1080p support (or native resolution)
• Advanced RGB calibration options
• 2-3 pulldown (and jaggie reduction)
• Removable speakers (flat panel)
• Programmable, backlit remote control
• ATSC and QAM tuners. These allow you to pick up free HDTV via unscrambled antenna and digital cable channels

But what features are not so important? Well, to be honest, if you aren’t planning on jumping into the niche HD-DVD market, and you don’t sit too close to your screen (projection or otherwise) then 1080p may not be very important. Right now, 1080p displays are bringing in premium pricing – as they should be. They are more expensive to manufacture and they look fantastic with the right source. 1080p is NOT, however, important for many people – especially if you are on a budget. Normally, I’d tell you to try and actually view 1080p vs. 720p at your local big box store, but I do not have the confidence that you would be seeing an accurate representation of the differences (likely they would simply skew the test so as to encourage higher spending on the 1080p models). All things being equal (and they rarely are) 1080p and 720p (or 1080i) will look nearly identical at longer viewing distances. Resolution isn’t everything, so don’t feel like you HAVE to get the latest and greatest displays.

Electronics Stores are Trying to Blind You

Walk into an average electronics store – just pick one – and you’ll be greeted to the sights of 50 direct view displays, all configured in the worst possible way. This effect has evolved over the years, but stores place their floor models in what is lovingly referred to in the industry as “torch” mode. The reason for this is simple – stores are typically lit by scores of bright fluorescent lights. How does a television compete in that kind of lighting? The same way the record industry has determined makes a “good” radio mix – crank it up. If there is a ‘Dynamic’ mode or ‘Bright’ mode they’ll engage it at the factory, knowing that the “brightest” display will appear to be the best – at least to the uninformed.

How do we combat this torturous and skewed retail assault? It’s not easy – which is why we try to do so many reviews. Your best and easiest bet is to find the Picture (or equivalent) menu and put the displays you are comparing into ‘Film’ or ‘Cinema’ modes. Look away – the effect is likely to be dramatic as the light output drops in intensity. If you plan on using the TV in a brightly lit room then keep it in this brighter mode but try other modes – and adjust the color temperature settings (if there are any) to see what happens to the picture. Check to see if the set has the following:

• RGB Gain and Cut controls (so you have the option of calibrating should you choose to)
• Color Temperature settings (without this you may be stuck with “Blue” whites)
• Storable User picture settings (so you can store ‘Day’ and ‘Night’ settings that work in your living space)
• Intelligent user controls for setup and channel programming (if applicable)

See if you can put in a reference DVD, like The Fifth Element and queue up some detailed scenes as well as darker scenes. Check for banding in shaded, gradient colored areas (look for coronas, explosions, fire or other obvious places). Look at angled lines in motion to see if there are jaggies present (if there are, go look for a ‘Film’ mode that may correct this – don’t count on the store to have the display properly configured).

If you’re shopping for front projection you’ll have a tough time auditioning all of the projectors on the market. I almost hate to say it, but our reviews may be the best source for info if you cannot schedule an audition with local dealers or installers (and please don’t use them if you aren’t planning on purchasing from them or having them install the unit in your home).

Specifications – What to Observe and What to Ignore

Know What to Pay Attention To

There are a lot of specifications you will see when shopping for a display. Here are some to pay attention to:

• Native Resolution – This determines the actual pixel count for the display. HD demands at least 720 lines of resolution, so your HD sets will be designated as 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. There is a format called “Enhanced Definition” that is 480p – while not true HD it can still produce a great-looking picture on a smaller screen or at a proper viewing distance. We recommend sticking with true HD sets at this point – lower prices means there is no reason to compromise here.
• Size and/or Depth – Triple check the size of the display so you are positive it will fit your needs, your AV stand and/or wall space. This is especially important for rear projection models.
• Weight (rear projection) – Rear projection sets can get mighty heavy. Make sure you have furniture that can take the weight.
• Throw Distance (front projection) - For front projection models, the equivalent advice is to verify your throw distance for the particular screen size you’ll need. This is a MUST or you will find yourself watching a picture that either overfills or under-fills your screen.
• Inputs – It’s important to ensure that the display you purchase will support the inputs you require in your system. If you have a high definition DVD player, PS3 and HD DVR, you may need multiple HDMI inputs to get the most your components have to offer – this could definitely steer you towards a different display (or force you to budget a quality ~$250 HDMI switcher).
• ANSI Lumens – For front projection these numbers are getting better and better. I have been pleased to find somewhat consistency in terms of the relative expected light output form a projector given a particular ANSI lumens rating. Try to remember that a higher number is NOT required for most small home theater environments. Higher ANSI lumen ratings are more important for dual use models or if you plan on utilizing the projector for daytime viewing.
• Tuners – If you are planning to use an existing (or even new) antenna to capture local HDTV signals over-the-air (currently the best way to view HDTV since it is uncompressed) you will want at least one ATSC tuner in the television. For cable TV (without a box) you will need an NTSC tuner or QAM tuner (for unencrypted digital cable channels).

Know What to Ignore

Just as there are specifications to pay attention to, there are also specs which don’t matter worth a hill of beans – primarily because they are difficult to trust and are, for the most part, unstandardized:

• Contrast ratio – Take the absolute brightest output the projector can support and divide by the absolute lowest light levels achievable in a completely black room. That’s your typical number given by the CR figure – and it’s not very helpful in determining a good display in a real world situation. Panasonic’s numbers may not be derived the same way as InFocus, Optoma, Sony, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, etc… Not to mention in the last few years they changed how they measure it so that what was once 6000:1, is now 10,000:1. It’s best to ignore this one and move on.
• Noise output – For front projector noise is certainly important, however the methods used to derive the numbers are not, as far as I can determine, a universal standard. With some of the numbers I’ve seen I can only surmise that they were taken from 6-12 feet away, while others seem to be taken within 3 feet of the unit. The best way to tell if a projector will be noisy is to observe reviews of the model while in Cinema lighting/Eco mode or go audition an installed mode at a dealer.
• Velocity Scan Modulation (VSM), Edge Enhancement – Any edge enhancement features typically (not always) affect the picture negatively. Since we’ll likely turn these features off, it’s not important to have them included on a display.

• Fancy Color Correction Systems – Some displays allow the user to select a particular color and tweak it, affecting tint and hue controls. While a neat trick, we avoid these controls and prefer to focus on properly using the straight Picture and RGB Color and Gamma controls.

Additional TV Shopping Notes and Conclusions

There are some final notes that may be helpful in the shopping experience. One thing that retailers love to offer are warranties. For some, this is almost a political debate and we don’t expect to convince anyone one way or another. What we would like to point out is that, as a general rule, warranty policies exist solely because the odds favor the warranty sellers. If you think about it, the retailer would NEVER offer a warranty that would result in them actually having to come out of pocket more than they brought in from the policy. What this means is – as a whole, and purely in terms of a mathematical equation – extended warranties do not make fiscal sense. I have managed to avoid so many in my purchasing history, that even if the next three products went belly-up the day after the manufacturer’s warranty expired, I would still – in the long run – be in the black and better off.

Now, are extended warranties evil? Nope. Are they always a bad deal? Nope. Should you never ever buy an extended warranty? We’re not saying that either. What we are saying is that consumers should consider the cost and whether the peace of mind is worth the additional expense. Also factor in how many electronics and appliance purchases you may make over the next few years and whether that money could be retained to cover the unfortunate expense of a product repair or replacement. Ultimately it comes down to your desired level of risk, but we wanted to share our perspective and reasoning on preferences in avoiding extended warranty coverage. By the way, if you decline and extended warranty and your product breaks the day after the manufacturer’s warranty expires – we don’t want to hear about it!

Another thing often ignored by consumers is the availability of good consumer market data. While we do not necessarily put much stock in the methods utilized by Consumer Reports to review and quantify televisions, we do appreciate their annual surveys which members complete and return to them. These are helpful in determining the more reliable brands. Unfortunately, they have only begun their forays into plasma and LCD televisions, so data is scarce but promising – but look for this as a future resource.

Conclusions

Hopefully this has been at least somewhat helpful in guiding your display purchase. We know this is a difficult task, but above all it should be FUN. Involve your spouse – use this as an opportunity to bind, not generate frustration and anxiety. After all, this is a new television, not a life-changing decision. Try to enjoy the experience and treat it as a challenge and you will be rewarded with a rich viewing experience for years to come.