What Television Should You Buy? [TV Buying Guide]

Buying a television is no longer an easy job. There’s LCD, LED, plasmas, smart TV, ultra HD, active 3D and passive 3D to choose from and a buyer can quickly get lost in the maze. Here’s a small guide that will help you understand what television to buy:

3D (Active and Passive)

Some buyers just do not prefer 3D and they obviously will not buy a 3D set. However, they should consider buying a 3D-capable TV if they want to switch over in the future.

People who want to climb on the 3D bandwagon should decide if they want active or passive 3D.

Watching passive 3D is like experiencing a 3D movie in a theater. 2 images overlap each other and the viewer has to use polarized glasses to catch the 3D effect. This compromises the resolution and may make for clumsy viewing for some. Passive 3D is available on a few LCDs and its glasses are rather inexpensive (about $10-$30).

Active 3D makes is equipped with superior viewing technology. The TV displays alternating left- and right-eye images and the glasses are equipped with battery-powered lenses to block each eye as per the images delivered by the televison. Active 3D works best on Plasma technology but it is expensive – just the viewing glasses cost around $150.

LCDs

You should consider buying an LCD if you want to watch TV in the daytime, and in a well-lit room. LCDs are brighter than plasmas and can counteract any extra light. LCDs work well for regular watchers and heavy gamers. LCDs also consume lesser power than plasma TVs and are available in smaller sizes.

Plasmas

Buy a plasma if you plan to watch it mostly at night and in a dark room. This is because the plasma pixels get turned off in the dark portions of the image, and therefore the TV delivers a realistic viewing experience. Plasmas also offer richer colors and a wider viewing angle.

If you plan to watch just movies, then choose a plasma because you will not experience any motion lag or lighting issues that exist in LCDs. However, there’s a question mark hanging on plasma technology because it is unclear if its last producer, Panasonic, will continue with it.

LEDs

LEDs are a different breed of LCD TVs – but LED is not a different technology. In LCDs, the images are lit with a fluorescent backlight situated behind the pixels, and RGB (Red, Green, Blue) filters are employed to create the colors. LEDs use Light Emitting Diodes (LED) as the source of light in place of the fluorescent light. The LED lighting technology is superior to fluorescent lighting, and therefore LEDs are better than LCDs.

Smart TVs

Smart TVs have Internet access and allow you to stream videos, music and apps. These work great if the you watch a lot of streaming media or if he is just hooked on TV.

Ultra HD LCDs

These are high resolution LCD TVs which display razor-sharp images. The resolution of such TVs is 4 times the resolution of a standard LCD TV.

This guide will help you understand which TV works best for you. Once you know what you want, your budget and individual preferences will help you decide what television to buy.