So Many Flat-Panel TVs. Which Is Right for You? By ERIC A. TAUB

June 18, 2009
So Many Flat-Panel TVs. Which Is Right for You? By ERIC A. TAUB

Just a few years ago, consumers interested in purchasing an HDTV set had to ask themselves just one simple question: Do I have a spare $10,000?

Today, as prices for LCD and plasma HDTVs race to the bottom, flat panel TVs have approached commodity status; stand outside many big-box retailers and you’ll see waves of customers rolling TVs to their cars.

As a result, both well known and virtually unknown TV manufacturers are introducing new features and system tweaks intended to differentiate themselves from the competition and get consumers to buy.

Buying a flat panel TV today means figuring out what resolution you need, how well the set produces a wide contrast ratio, whether the sound system is adequate, whether you can connect the set to the Internet and — most importantly — how to separate important features from marketing gimmicks.

If you’re ready to buy a new TV, here’s a rundown of the latest marketing angles and some tips on how to make a decision.

PLASMA VS. LCD VS. LED While LCD TVs have captured the public’s imagination and the bulk of TV market share, plasma TV still has a leg up when it comes to perceived image sharpness, the richness of its blacks and, often, price. Smaller sets, those below 40 inches in size, are only available as LCD models. In larger sizes, 50 inches and up, plasma tends to be cheaper than LCD.

In an attempt to increase sales and profit, several manufacturers, including LG, Samsung and Toshiba, have introduced so-called LED TVs. There is no such thing as an LED TV; they are simply LCD TVs that use LEDs, rather than fluorescent lamps, to light the screen.

Depending on the type of LED configuration used, some LED-lit LCD TVs — those that use a so-called backlight array — create richer blacks than standard LCD TVs, approaching the level that plasma sets have already achieved. But beware: if you opt for an LED-lit LCD today, you will probably pay a hefty price premium compared with a standard set. The Toshiba Regza SV670, for example, is a 46-inch LED-backlit LCD. It has a suggested retail price of $2,300. A 46-inch plasma from Panasonic costs as little as $1,100.

DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT PLASMA Early plasma sets were plagued with problems of image burn-in, high power consumption and a relatively short display life. But today’s sets have conquered those issues.

Plasma panels from Panasonic, for example, offer 100,000 hours of life before the image has dimmed to 50 percent of its original brightness. If you watch TV four hours a night, every day of the year, that milestone wouldn’t be reached for 68 years.

When it comes to picture quality, plasma TV remains the benchmark, generally achieving higher black levels (and hence higher perceived resolution), better motion rendition and better viewing angles than most LCD TVs.

“The best LCD sets are now approaching plasmas in their ability to display black levels,” said Jim Willcox, Consumer Reports’ senior electronics editor.

VIEWING ANGLE If you typically watch TV with family members on the floor, or have friends sprawled across the couch to watch the big game, LCD TVs, with their limited angle of view, may not be for you. As you move away from the center of the screen, LCD TVs tend to lose their contrast and color saturation.

“LCD viewing angles have gone from poor to good, but there are still a number of sets that are only fair,” said Mr. Willcox.

MOTION DETECTION LCD TVs have traditionally had more trouble displaying motion than plasma sets. If you generally watch sitcoms and news shows, that won’t be a problem. But if you’re into fast-moving sports you’ll want a set that won’t turn a slide into first base into a blurred mess.

Manufacturers have improved the way that LCD TVs handle motion by introducing sets that use 120 Hz technology; simply put, the set’s circuitry doubles the number of video frames, smoothing out the motion.

Some manufacturers have gone a step further, introducing 240 Hz TVs that quadruple the number of frames.

Can most people see the difference? Unless you’re buying a gigantic TV, probably not, according to executives at the top TV manufacturers. But it makes for a nice marketing strategy. Before you pay extra to buy a 240 Hz set, watch a favorite DVD on TVs that use that and the less-expensive 120 Hz technology, and see if you can tell the difference.

SCREEN RESOLUTION While 1080p TVs have become almost standard issue, if you’re on a tight budget you can still save money by buying a lower-resolution 720p or 1080i resolution set.

Whether you can see the difference in screen sharpness depends in part on how far you sit from the set. If you’re watching a 30-inch HDTV screen from 20 feet away, they’ll all look the same.

Various charts are available to show you how far you should sit from a particular size screen in order to maximize the perceived resolution.

THIN AND THINNER Today’s flat TVs have slimmed down, with some plasma and LCD sets not much more than an inch deep.

The thinner they are, the higher the price. And unless you’re planning on mounting the TV on the wall, thinner sets may give you bragging rights, but with their higher prices, they’ll also give you a thinner wallet.

Also, the thinner the set, the more difficult it is to get decent sound out of the speakers that generally need to face downward to conserve space. “Downward facing speakers do not work well,” said Gary Merson, owner of HDGuru.com. “They sound as if you’re speaking to someone while facing away from them.”

ARE YOU WELL-CONNECTED? Modern HDTVs, as well as the additional audio and video components you’ll join to them, use HDMI cables as the standard connection method. Unlike other cables, HDMI combines audio and video; Blu-ray signals will only pass through an HDMI plug.

Before you decide on your purchase, figure out how many HDMI inputs you’ll need on the TV. If you plan on connecting a Blu-ray or DVD player, an audio receiver, a digital video recorder and a video game console, that could be as many as four. Some manufacturers offer a side-mounted HDMI input, handy for the occasional times you want to plug in a digital video camcorder.

SURF’S UP Many new HDTVs from most manufacturers, including LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Vizio, offer proprietary Web-based content, like news, weather, YouTube videos, the Picasa photo site and access to certain movies and TV shows from Netflix and Amazon’s online download services.

To receive it, you’ll need an HDTV that has an Ethernet connection. New models are beginning to appear that offer wireless connections, perfect for those whose Ethernet access is in another room.

Even if you’re not interested in accessing Web-based content on your TV, an Ethernet connection can prove useful when a manufacturer needs to upgrade the digital TV’s operating system to, for example, address incompatibilities between it and a set-top box.

Some day, manufacturers will be able to use your TV’s Internet connection to remotely diagnose any problems with the set.

Technicians from the electronics maker Sharp can already remotely adjust picture quality over the Internet.