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Time for an upgrade?

Buying a new TV seems daunting with the options offered today. But you can do it with a bit of research.

By IVAN PENN, The Consumer's Edge
Published June 2, 2007

These days you can't call the television an idiot box.

Okay, it still isn't the greatest intellectual stimulus, but it seems like it takes a technological genius to figure out which one to buy.

Walk into Best Buy or Circuit City and it looks like walls and shelves of electronic confusion.

There are flat panels, flat screens, plasmas, LCDs and rear projections. And there's the move from analog to high definition.

The explanations about it all sound like the blabbering of Charlie Brown's teacher.

All you want is to see Lost, find out who got booted from Dancing with the Stars, catch Oprah or watch a football game.

So how do you choose a TV?

"It can be really confusing for consumers," Steve Kindig, a senior editor for Crutchfield, a national mail order and Internet consumer electronics retailer. "Ultimately, people should go into the store and see what they like."

When you go, Kindig and Jim Willcox, associate editor of electronics for Consumer Reports, suggest you consider some of the following:

Understand the basics of the new TV lingo. The primary focus is on flat panels, which come as either plasmas or LCDs.

Don't be confused by the term "flat screen." With a flat screen, the screen is no longer curved, but the set is as big as the old TVs always have been. They're becoming hard to find.

That said, lets look at the plasmas and LCDs.

The basic issues are size, lighting, color, video response times and viewing angles.

Plasmas generally have better black levels, wider viewing angles and more accurate color. They have higher response times, making them good for watching movies and sports.

But plasma tend to reflect light, which can make viewing difficult in a bright room because ghosts can appear on the screen. They can suffer screen burn-in if a picture sits still too long and are high energy burners.

Manufacturers have been working to resolve the negatives with filters for bright rooms and screen savers to prevent burn-in.

In size, plasmas usually fall in the 42- to 65-inch range.

LCDs are better in bright rooms because they do not reflect light. They burn less energy and are lighter in weight.

But they have slower response times, which hurts the viewing of action on the screen. And they have lower black levels and narrower viewing angles, which means everyone in the room does not have a clear view.

As with plasmas, manufacturers are working on the negatives.

LCDs usually operate in the 22- to 52-inch range.

Finally, there's rear projection.

They're sleeker than they used to be. Some have depths of 10 or 11 inches with exceptional picture quality. They're good if you want a screen 50 inches or larger.

But their viewing angle is narrow, so if five people sit across the sofa, the person in the middle will have the best view.

And rear-projection TVs have bulbs that cost $200-$250 and need periodic replacement.

So here's the edge:

• Have TV screen adjustments set for in-home use. Most TVs at retail are not set up for home viewing; color is oversaturated. You might ask the salesman to adjust the settings for a home.
• Don't skimp on size. "No one's ever said they wished they bought a smaller TV," Consumer Reports' Willcox said. "There might be some other ways to save some money."
• Beware the no-interest financing deals. Be sure to pay off the TV during the period allowed. Retailers will back date the interest, which can cost you a fortune.
• Look for the 30-day price guarantees. Retailers will refund the difference, if you find a lower price for the same unit. Be sure model numbers match.

The Consumer's Edge is a twice-monthly column to help consumers in the marketplace. Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332.

[Last modified August 25, 2007, 01:56:04]