| I recently finished an exhaustive month of doing | | | | at more than about 5000 feet above sea level. Really! |
| intensive research on what kind of big screen TV or | | | | This has to do with the way the air movements |
| home theatre system to purchase. I mean, it is time. | | | | happen to create the picture, and this cannot be done |
| The tube TV is just not cutting it anymore, especially | | | | as effectively at higher altitudes. This is not a factor |
| with a large room where TV is typically watched. I | | | | for LCD technology. |
| learned a lot in the process - not all from talking with | | | | Next is the resolution. I recommend a resolution of at |
| sales people, but in writing down things the sales | | | | least 1366 by 768 pixels. That is even more than |
| people told me, then verifying those facts. The | | | | today's cable companies broadcast at, but should keep |
| interesting thing is that many times those "facts" were | | | | you in line with the broadcast technology over the next |
| incorrect, and it made me wonder how many other | | | | few years. Even the movies you rent at Blockbuster |
| people were basing a purchase decision on the "facts". | | | | are not going to show up in higher resolution than that. |
| For me, the first cut came in considering plasma | | | | There are some top end units (Samsung and Sony, as |
| versus LCD. With projection TV's and even with the | | | | well as others) that have 1920 by 1024 resolution, but |
| DLP technology which appears to deliver an | | | | the reality of it is that you will end up paying a premium |
| outstanding picture, there were two things that made | | | | for that higher resolution, and the ONLY way you will |
| me eliminate these options in the first cut: | | | | ever be able to use it is connecting your computer to |
| 1. The size of the TV. With projection TV's, and also | | | | your TV. That resolution will NOT be used for DVD |
| with DLP TV's (although to a slightly lesser extent), | | | | movies or broadcast, or even HDTV broadcast, it is |
| size is a consideration. Plan on the unit sticking out | | | | simply not there. So in essence, you are going to be |
| from the wall at least 18 to 24 inches, perhaps even | | | | paying for bragging rights, and those are some pretty |
| more, which severely cuts down the overall size of the | | | | expensive bragging rights. |
| room you will be using to watch TV. Plasma and LCD | | | | Get something that is at least 1080i and 720p. The "i" |
| TV's, by contrast, are about 4 to 5 inches thick, and | | | | indicates "interlaced" and the "p" indicates "progressive" |
| wall mounts can optionally be purchased to actually | | | | scan. While cable TV broadcasts may do 720p, some |
| mount the screen on the wall. | | | | units can interpolate that to 1080i. Again, you will pay a |
| 2. The viewing angle. With projection TV, and again to | | | | premium if you opt for a unit that can do 1080p, and |
| a slightly lesser extent but still present in DLP | | | | again, that is for bragging rights only. Even a video |
| technology, the clarity of the picture starts to decrease | | | | professional with a microscope would be hard-pressed |
| dramatically when you start moving away from | | | | to differentiate between 1080i and 1080p with today's |
| viewing the screen head-on. If the room you are going | | | | movies or cable TV broadcasts. |
| to use to do your TV watching can accommodate | | | | Considering all the criteria above, this should narrow |
| this, it may not be as big of a negative point for you, | | | | your choices to less than a half dozen units. So your |
| but for me, this was huge. | | | | last step is to search online for reviews. See what |
| So my choices are narrowed down to plasma or LCD. | | | | other customers think of the unit and read their online |
| Looking at all the choices available in plasma and LCD | | | | comments. While I am not necessarily a big fan of |
| however, I did not feel that my choices were all that | | | | paying for a specific brand name for the sake of it |
| narrow, so I needed more criteria to further narrow my | | | | being a brand name, there is also some wisdom |
| choices. | | | | associated with that. |
| First cut, let's consider plasma versus LCD and define | | | | Lastly, as opposed to many other things, I would |
| the technology we want to shop for. I was able to | | | | recommend the store's extended warranty. If you |
| relatively quickly choose LCD over plasma for multiple | | | | elect to go with just the manufacturer's warranty, note |
| reasons. With today's technology, plasma screens will | | | | that you will need to keep the original box that it came |
| typically reach "half life" within about 5 years. That is | | | | in, and will need to ship the unit to the manufacturer in |
| the point where the screen brightness is about half of | | | | case of a problem. That means being without the unit |
| what it was when it was new. By contrast, LCD life | | | | for a minimum of two weeks or more. The in-store |
| expectancy is about twice that, so this was a definite | | | | warranty from Sears, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc, are |
| factor. | | | | usually ONSITE warranties, and typically cover almost |
| Your criteria may vary for other reasons though. For | | | | any problem, not just something that may be termed a |
| example, today's consumer LCD TV's max out at | | | | "manufacturing defect". This is probably going to add |
| around 46 inches. This was fine for me, since a larger | | | | about $12 to $15 per month to the price for a 3 year |
| TV would almost overwhelm the room I will be using, | | | | or 5 year warranty, but when you are spending this |
| but with LCD, be aware that you are not going to get | | | | kind of money for a consumer electronics device, I |
| the 50 or 60 inch units that are available in the plasma | | | | believe it makes sense, especially when you consider |
| lineup. | | | | that if the backlight needs replacing or the unit needs |
| Although I live pretty much at sea level, also note that | | | | recharging, the parts and labor involved in performing |
| if I ever anticipate moving to a high altitude area, most | | | | that work if not under warranty are likely to exceed |
| plasma manufacturers will not warranty plasma units | | | | the cost of simply replacing the entire unit. |