What precisely is the perfect Tv on the Market?

Points to look out for:

What picture type do I prefer, LCD or plasma?

LCDs and plasmas provide different types of pictures. Generally speaking, the former's are frequently sharper, brighter and more densely saturated, while the latter's are likely to be richer, more natural and produce better black levels. Respectable dealers must be able to arrange a side-by-side demonstration for you.

Size Matters?

Many people tend to pick the size of their TV based on the level of space they have for it, this isn't necessarily wise. Flat TVs take up a lot less room than CRTs, so your new TV may find yourself a foot or two further away from your viewing position, making the image appear smaller.

It's additionally significant to contemplate that large screens can reveal the weaknesses in standard-definition (SD) pictures, until you sit a long way from them.

With hi-def, it is possible to have a larger screen and the exact same viewing distance without worrying about seeing blemishes inherent to the source. As a rule we've found that sitting at a distance of four to six times the height of the set works well for standard pictures.

Common Features

Sets with the HD ready badge meet the specifications set by the European Information and Communications Technology Industry Association (EICTA). These standards include at least one HDMI port and component video inputs as well as a resolution of at least 1,024 x 768-pixels.

Freeview tuner: As analogue TV broadcasts will be phased out by 2012, make certain your new TV includes a digital tuner. Many now include a Freeview HD or Freesat HD one built-in.

Photo viewing: For those who have a digital camera, a Television which has a slot for memory cards or a USB socket for a card reader will allow you to view your photographs onscreen.

Screen Functionality

Contrast: Bright whites should not have any signs of green, pink or blue in them, while blacks should look solid and not washed out, grey, green or blue.

Colours: Check out how bright and solid they are; how noiseless their edges are; how 'dotty' richly saturated areas are and how natural skin looks, especially in dim scenes.

Fine detail: How much texture does the screen give? Does a hedge look like a green lump, or can you see the individual leaves

Edges: Check for ghosting, bright halos and jaggedness, especially around curves.

Movement: Take a look at moving objects and fast camera pans for smearing or blurring, trailing, jerkiness and fizzing noise.

Image artefacts: Look for blockiness, colour bands, grain, smearing, dot crawl: anything that looks like it's added by the TV picture processing or a weak TV tuner. Play with a TV's image settings prior to making a final decision.

Sounds Right?

To provide the ideal sound to complement the pictures, your TV should be hooked up to a surround sound system, but this is not always an option. Check the following elements.

Bass: Deep, rounded rumbles that don't cause the set to rattle or speakers to distort or overwhelm the rest of the sound

Vocals: Voices need to sound open, rich and clear, not boxed in, nasal or thin.

Trebles: Treble effects must sound fresh, rounded and smooth in loud scenes and shouldn't dominate the soundstage.

Soundstage width/depth: A good Television should throw the sound away from the Television, to the sides, forward and back, to give an extra dimension to what is on screen, without sacrificing any coherence.

Lip sync: Check if actors' mouths move in time with the words they are saying. Some older flatscreens can take so long to process pictures, that images can shed synchronisation along with your sound.

Good Luck and Good Shopping!!

What would be the key factors to check for when picking a new television?