New to buying a TV need help

Question

Well I am new to buying a TV online..I was wondering what should I look for? Like specs if any. I will maybe buy a small 20-30 inch TV. I usually go to the stores and buy them and see how the picture looks.

Answer 1

Depends on what you want really.  I you have a room in your house the is just for the tv and is completely dark i would recommend a Plasma (pioneer is the best brand).  In any other case i would recommend a Sony LCD and if it is 20-30 in you dont need 1080i, i would go for a 720p.

Answer 2

sony definitely have the best picture and sound, samsung arnt bad too, they make the screens for sony but then sony add stuff like the famous bravia engine too make it look better, sony usually have dolby digital sound build in

we had a big expensive samsung in our sitting room and it broke.. then we got a smaller sony and the difference was hugh! the sony was miles ahead of the samsung that cost X2 what it did

Answer 3

A couple of questions that you should ask yourself:

What is the intended use of the TV? Will it go into a second or children's room? Used for video games, movies, cable/satellite/over the air television only? A combination of any and all?

Flat panel televisions are coming down in price while it is more difficult to find the older and cheaper tube TVs. Wide screen panels are as common as square panels but offer a better viewing experience for digital media (black bars on top and bottom will be smaller) but will give you a distorted picture for television or big black bars on the left and right.

Ignore factors like response time or refresh rate if this will be a second set or you prefer to watch television. A rate of 6 MS (Milli or 6/1000th of a second) or less is ideal for dvds, high definition movies, and current high end video game systems. General purpose sets will do well with a resolution of 720P which will also offer 1080i compatibility and is available on nearly every set in this size range. High end needs will do best with 1080P support but are more expensive and do require HDMI cables for the audio/video signal while also only being available on 40" and larger.

Plasma generally will not be in the size range and will be priced competitively with LCD larger than 36".

Most importantly determine how much you will be willing to spend on a good quality set (you will pay for brand name recognition while a lesser known brand may offer similar quality and less regret afterward) that should last you 5+ years. Almost all sets should last you this long if not longer before needing to be replaced or repaired. How often you use this TV will also help you in determining how much to spend. This is always a personal choice so don't feel pressured into spending more than you want to as they will only get cheaper as time goes on.

Finally, my personal suggestion is a 26" LCD with 720P support. At less than 12 feet viewing distance I am satisfied with my PlayStation 3 connected through component cables to play games and blu-ray movies!

P.S. 720P/1080i/1080P are all forms of high definition. Look into this further so you understand the differences.