Flat panel Television buying guide

... the essential facts to help you with your buying decision

Flat-panel TV screens are easier to watch, are brighter and feature higher contrast ratios than traditional picture tube TVs. As they hardly flicker, they are also easier on the eyes. The other main advantage is that flat screens can be build in very large sizes and take up much less space than traditional TVs as they can be positioned closer to the wall. They also offer a larger acceptable angle of view.

What types flat panel televisions are available

Two main types are offered: LCD televisions (liquid crystal displays) and Plasma televisions. Any advantages claimed by one over the other are getting smaller thanks to recent improvements to both technologies.

Either technology can produce excellent picture qualities, however, it is still easier and cheaper to produce larger screen sizes (42’’ and above) with plasma screens - however, thanks to continuous technical development LCD TV screens are getting larger. It is also easier to achieve pictures with with higher contrast ratios in Plasma TVs, but LCD screens have improved vastly and the new LED TVs can further improve on contrast ratios.

The availability of HDTV (high definition) technology has opened a new dimension on picture quality and viewing experience and has become the standard for flat panel television. So, make sure your new television is at least HD ready or even better, can display "full HD" (see more below).

Flat panel screen size and viewing distance

The right TV screen size for you depends on your normal viewing distance (which is limited by room size and arrangement) and your budget. The suggested optimum viewing distance is about:

Thanks to the superior picture quality of HDTV it is possible to view HD footage from closer distance without distraction from picture imperfections. Another consideration is the aspect ratio (width to height) of the screen. Flat screen televisions today come generally in 16:9 (widescreen). For watching HD TV transmissions or recordings you are better with widescreen as this has become the main format for this kind of transmissions und the full width of the picture can be displayed (more and more transmissions will be in 16:9 in future).

What is HDTV (high definition television)?

HDTV means that more picture information is contained in the TV signal, which can then be displayed on the screen of a suitable HD television set. This provides much more picture detail and realism for the viewer. The difference can be remarkable.

HD is available in different formats: 720p (p for progressive), which displays 1,280 pixels x 720 lines in one go (this is twice as much detail as "standard definition") - and 1080i, which displays 1,920 pixels x 1,080 lines interlaced (all even numbered rows of the picture followed by the odd numbered rows).

The ultimate viewing experience is currently provided by "Full HD", with 1920 px x 1080 lines resolution that can display 1080p signals. This is best viewed on larger screens. Transmissions in this format may be limited, but movies are, for instance, available on Blu-ray and should be available as PlayStation 3 games. Televisions that meet the minimum criteria established by the European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association (EICTA) can display the 'HD ready' label.

In essence this means: the minimum native resolution of the television display is 720 physical lines in widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio and they meet further specifications regarding HD inputs (HDMI or DVI with HDCP copy protection). In other words, 'HD ready' for flat screen television is probably the minimum standard you should go for.

Another standard has been created for Full HD with the label 'HD ready 1080p' for minimum native screen resolution of 1920x1080 and further strict requirement. Full HD has recently become much more affordable and should be considered as a more future prove alternative especially for larger screens.

What is LED TV

LED TV is just a LCD television where the necessary backlight is produced by LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) instead of the usual Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL).

In Edge LED screens, white diodes are usually located around the edges of the screen and their light is distributed via light guides evenly over the back of the screen. This makes it possible to build extremely slim TV screens.

In LED backlight screens, on the other hand, a large number of white LEDs or RGB LED arrays are arranged behind the screen to provide the backlight. The light intensity of the LEDs can be controlled locally in sync with the TV picture. This allows it, for instance, to dim the light right down behind black picture areas and produce images with very high dynamic contrast ratios. Read more in our main article on LED TV ...

What is the picture refresh rate?

For a TV screen, the picture refresh rate in Hz tells you how often the the picture on the screen is refreshed every second (i.e. with a new picture or the same picture is repeated). The standard refresh rate for PAL based TV is 50 Hz i.e. the picture is refreshed 50 times per second. TV sets are offered now with much higher refresh rates claiming that this results in smoother pictures. for more information see our main article on refresh rates ...

3D TV for the home

The latest development is 3D TV for the consumer market to be watched in your own home. See our main article on 3D TV for more information ...