Help Choosing An HDTV?

If your baffled by the enormous array of size, manufacturer, cost outlet options and features then this page could be for you.  We have  attempted to present just about every make model size and price along with reasons to buy, reasons to avoid, and most important, how to choose the one that is best for you.

LCD or Plasma Screen - Which is best

The most commonly fretted about decision is LCD or Plasma. For a full explanation see our previous article LCD or Plasma - Which Is Best. But for a quick answer you just need to know that there are minor to medium importance pros and cons to each. The nice thing about all these pros, cons and of course the final decision is that they are nullified by going through the process of selecting a TV by choosing one which is most suitable for you! For example if you decide you want a 26" then there will only be LCD screens and if you want a 60" there will only be Plasma at that size. So just read on and your decision will become clearer.

Size Matters

This is perhaps the easiest of all the choices. Quite simply its really about how big, or small you want your LCD or Plasma screen to be while bearing in mind some practical and common sense considerations.

After thinking about what size you want consider how big your room is and where you and your family will be seated. It is recommended that you sit at least 3x the size of the screen away. To avoid eye strain and the rarer (but more serious) photosensitive seizures. So where will the TV audience be, and how far away. If you want a 60" Mega Plasma, is your room big enough to be absolutely safe. And if you want a full explanation on where to put your new TV read our previous article, Where To Put Your Plasma/LCD TV. 

Which Make Is Best?

By Now you should know what size you want/need and you should have put the LCD/Plasma dilemma to the back of your mind (for now). This argument is also quite simple. I will explain. There are very few actual manufacturers of retail screens. The actual situation regarding who makes what for who is incredibly complex. For example in some instances a screen is 'invented' and therefor patented to one manufacturer. But that screen can (and usually is) actually produced by a factory not owned by any of the main manufacturers and can then be sold, re branded (sometimes by the original patent holder. It is true that both Samsung and Sony do have there own screen manufacturing plants. But not all there screens come from there own plants and, yes, you guessed it they sell there screens from these plants to the other brand names as well.

With regard to the other components that go with the screens to make the whole TV. Processors, receivers, power supply etc. Yep they come from all over. Trying to work out who made what and how good any given component is, is simply not possible.

The manufacturers knowing that they don't have that much to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack have invented something to do just that! It is this 'thing' that the manufacturers have invented that is the focus of the vast majority of their marketing. I am referring to the multitude of "image enhancement technologies" IET's. So what are they and which is best?

You have probably heard of Samsung dNIE, Sony Bravia, Philips PixelPlus... The list goes on. Simply they are all methods of changing the picture that the TV is meant to display. The processor in the TV when the IET is switched on alters some of the characteristics of the picture. It is true there are odd occasions when this can have a positive effect but generally speaking most people who have had there TV for a while switch off IET's. To sum up IET's if George Lucas intended his HD production of Revenge of The Syth to be different, he would have made it that way himself. If you want to know more about IET's then read Image Enhancement Technologys and Samsung dNIE - Enhancement or Gimmick.

So In summary do not let the make and its associated technology label be a factor. Having said all this it is true that some of the own brands, usually distinguishable by there significant price difference do select from the cheapest components. So a good rule of thumb would be to stick to a major brand but dont worry too much about which one.

What Features Do I Need/Want


This is what really matters. And choosing the right features will almost completely determine which TV is best for YOU. After reading this section you will hopefully only need to decide where and how to buy.

Here is a feature list with explanations of jargon so you can decide what you need and what you dont need.

Where To Buy?

Over the years my views have changed with regard to the best place to buy your LCD or Plasma TV.
Changes and improvements to the PayPal buyer protection program have made Ebay an extremely viable option.

Ebay has always been by far the cheapest for this type of purchase. The price savings for Ebay retailers over those on the high street are obvious but why they can beat other online retailers is not so obvious. If you want to avoid Ebay (and many do) read this article on how to get a bargain on a plasma or LCD TV in the high street. If you want cheap, cheap cheap! Then read on.

The two major overheads for a conventional online retailer are web site development and paying to get viewers onto their web sites. The first of these costs is almost entirely reduced to zero for an Ebay retailer because when you open an Ebay shop (which costs less than £10) you are able to design and stock your shop with just a few clicks. The second with regard to getting visitors saves an Ebay 'shop keeper' a small fortune. If you open a shop on Ebay and fill it with desireable merchandise you will get many visitors! Period! If you open your own web site you have to pay the likes of Google and Yahoo to send visitors and you have to manage extremely complex and time consuming advertising campaigns (which may or may not work).

So does this mean that Ebay sellers make more profit on there Plasma & LCD TVs? No! Why? Simply because Ebay is such a good place to open a shop, loads of people do it. This means that Ebay sellers are under as much (if not more) pressure to cut their margins to the bone to get sales. This means for you and I the absolute best bargains are to be had on Ebay. This is not true for all types of electronics but it is true for LCD and Plasma TVs.

Our Ebay Buying Tips
1) Choose a seller with their own Ebay Shop. These are the most professional and efficient sellers and the ones most likely to conform to the rest of the guidelines. You can tell if a seller has their own shop by looking at the top right of the sellers advert. It will say "Meet The Seller" and a few lines below that will be a little red door and the name of the sellers shop. You can click on it to visit their shop. It is often worth doing this because they usually have products that are not available from the main part of the Ebay site.

2) Choose a seller with at least 98% positive feedback. This tells you that the vast majority of their customers was pleased with the product and transaction. 98% might seem quite high but there are a surprisingly high number of sellers who have 98% or better. Pretty impressive if you interviewed 100 high street TV purchasers what are the chances that only 2 would grumble about something?

3) Choose a seller with at least a few hundred sales under there belt. Common sense it is easy to get one transaction right. But to sell a few hundred TVs and still have a good rating takes skill and genuine care for your customers.

4) Choose a seller who qualifies for PayPal buyer protection. In the unlikely event that the TV vanishes between the seller and you PayPal has already verified the credentials of the seller and can take back your money from the seller for you.

5) Use PayPal. Simple - safe - instant. And no I am not affiliated with PayPal. Feel free to use whatever methods of payment the seller offers but I suggest PayPal.