Buyers Guide: Page (1) of 2 - 10/28/05

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It seems like everywhere you turn these days you hear about High Definition television (HDTV) - more and more shows are being broadcast in HD, cable and satellite companies both offer HD programming, and there are dozens of companies advertising their latest and greatest HDTV sets. While the prices of HDTV sets have been coming down they are still a pretty sizable investment with prices ranging from about $1,000 all the way up to $5,000 or more. But assuming that you are willing to take the plunge, how do you pick which HDTV to buy?

We did a quick survey of the highest rated, flat-panel HDTV sets out there ? rated by people who actually own them ? and we came up with this short list of a dozen models (32? or bigger) that are sure to make you the envy of all your friends and neighbors.

In the world of flat-panel HDTVs you?ve got two choices ? LCD or plasma screens. Both have their pros and cons but for the most part the technologies are comparable. All of the HDTVs that made the list feature widescreen (16:9) aspect ratios and support at least the 720p HDTV format with many supporting 1080i and EDTV (480p) formats. They can all show SD (standard definition 480i) programming so you can still watch non-HDTV shows. All of them have at least two speakers for stereo broadcasts but some of them feature multiple surround sound speakers or offer some type of ?virtual surround? (although if you?re going to be spending two or three thousand dollars on an HDTV set then you should seriously consider getting a separate surround sound receiver and speaker system). The Panasonic TH-42PD50U is the only unit on our list with a built-in DTV tuner and the rest of them are considered ?HDTV ready? which means you?re going to have to buy a separate antenna/tuner setup if you want to receive HD signals over the air from your local broadcasters or subscribe to a cable or satellite company?s HD programming service (for an additional monthly fee) in which case you won?t need a tuner.
 

Finally, there are a few ?gotcha?s about HDTV. First, not all HD signals are created equal (there are actually about 10 different variations of HDTV). That means that the quality of your image is going to vary from one program to the next depending on what format was used when the show was originally produced. It also means that since most broadcast, cable and satellite companies only transmit one format such as 1080i or 720p they must convert programs recorded in other formats. This conversion process (either up-converting or down-converting) can affect the image quality. This also applies to the HDTV set itself since LCD and plasma TVs have a fixed (sometimes called ?native?) resolution they have to convert all incoming signals to fit their specific resolution. (Ideally you want your input signal to match the HDTV?s native resolution as closely as possible.)

Cable and satellite companies also compress their signals to one degree or another (so that they can offer more channels) and image quality can suffer depending on how much compression they do and how well they do it. If you?re using an over the air tuner your picture quality is going to be affected by things like distance from the transmitter, terrain, tall buildings, and type of HD signals being broadcast.

With any of these widescreen HDTVs you can expect to see a fair amount of distortion while watching your favorite programs. I don?t mean that there is anything wrong with the TV ? I?m talking about the fact that most content uses a 4:3 aspect ratio but some use 16:9. So you can either stretch the 4:3 program until it fits the screen or put black bars on both sides. Things can get even weirder when a widescreen movie has been letterboxed to fit a 4:3 screen by putting black bars on the top and bottom and then stretched again. Some of these TVs can be adjusted to accommodate programs with different aspect ratios but some simply stretch everything.

And, oh yea, standard DVD players do not produce HD signals ? just very clean SD signals ? although some DVD players can produce progressive scan (non-interlaced) signals that make the images appear smoother when connected to one of these HDTV sets through a digital connection.

Sharp Aquos LC-37HV4U
$4,954
Screen Type: LCD
Screen Size: 37?
Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
HDTV Format(s): 720p
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Brightness: 430 cd/mē
Contrast Ratio: 800:1

Advanced Super View & Black TFT LCD Panel

For more detailed information click HERE

Westinghouse LTV-32w1
$1,156 - $1,514
Screen Type: LCD
Screen Size: 32?
Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
HDTV Format(s): 1080i / 720p
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Brightness: 550 cd/mē
Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1

Super-bright HD-ready widescreen display provides vivid and lifelike images

For more detailed information click HERE

HYUNDAI ImageQuest HQL320WR
$950 - $1,397
Screen Type: LCD
Screen Size: 32?
Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
HDTV Format(s): 1080i / 720p
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Brightness: 450 cd/mē
Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1

Ultra-slim chassis, contemporary lines and handsome styling

For more detailed information click HERE

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