Buying Guides

A television is not an impulse purchase. For some people it might be, but it shouldn’t. A TV is a long term investment. You will probably have this set for twenty years. Children don’t even (usually) stick around that long. So you invest £1000, amortise that over twenty years of entertainment, and you end up paying £50 a year. If you would go to the cinema, at current prices, not including inflation, once a week for twenty years, it would cost you £6000. And that is just one movie a week.

When you consider all of the local news, network programs, plus movies you can receive, you will see that a £1000 television set is quite cheap. But, TVs don’t cost £1000 anymore. You can get a high quality, high definition flat panel for much less.

Some people have a hard time putting money into their savings account, but that is the best option for more expensive items. If you can make payments, you can save. Just think of your savings account as a bill that has to be paid every pay day. Even if it is only £5 a week, it is a much better option than putting it on your credit card.

Big electronic stores will offer ‘buy now, pay later’ with no interest for twenty four months. That is enticing, but don’t fall into that unless you really have to have that TV right now. Buying a new television set is supposed to be fun. The experience should not put added stress on you or your financial situation.

Find a TV you can comfortably afford, will fit into the space available and will provide you with years of entertainment. A television set should be enjoyed, not an added stress factor to your already stressful life.

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Gone are the days when you simply looked up an attractively priced television ad in the newspaper and walked into a store to make a deal. With so many television brands available in the market, each boasting the latest technology, you cannot equate the best prices with the best deals anymore. Therefore, if you want to grab that much coveted best deal, you should not overlook the following essential tips:

1 The space for placing the TV matters

Even before, you think of buying a TV, measure the dimensions of the entertainment corner of your home to ensure that your TV fits in perfectly. It is better to leave out 1-2 inches on all the sides of the set to leave scope for easy installation of cable or audio/video connection.

2 Viewing area is an important consideration

To make viewing comfortable, you must see that enough space is left between the couch and the TV. The space between you and the TV would depend on the size of the TV and the room. Ideally, you should leave 8 feet for a 25-27 inch TV, 10 feet for a 32-inch TV and 11 feet for a 35-36 inch TV. For bigger TV screens measuring 50-60 inch, at least 12 feet to 15 feet of distance should be accommodated.

3 Other factors contributing to better TV watching

Along with maintaining the right distance from the TV set, you must pay attention to the actual environment of the TV room. Factors such as the size of the room, the type of video or audio set up and acoustics along with the amount of light coming in through the doors and windows determine how well you can enjoy TV watching.

4 Factors determining picture quality of TV

You can judge the picture quality of a TV by looking at the degree of darkness of its screen and picture tube when it is switched off. A TV with a flat screen reflects lesser glare from the windows and helps in comfortable viewing. TVs with comb filters are equipped to remove the ‘dot crawl’ appearing along the object edges in the picture. Consider buying a TV with progressive scan image to give a film-like look to a plain video.

5 Look for TV sets with user-friendly remote controls

While buying a TV, check out its remote control configuration and see whether you find it easy to operate. Also, check whether it is a universal remote so that it could be easily replaced when damaged or lost. You can find out about its universality by checking its compatibility with some other electronic gadget at your home.

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The  technology is changing so fast that we can forget that many of the offerings are often useless to us.  For example:

Picture in a Picture
This enables you to watch a second TV programme in a small window. Some versions are able to allow you to resize it, move it around the screen, or create still or multiple still images..
You need to know– If, like many, you use an external tuner such as a cable box or satellite receiver – you usually can only watch one programme at any one time.

Universal Remote

Lots of TVs now come with a universal remote that can control other audio visual equipment.
You need to know – Not all can control everything. Some types, called unibrand, can only control equipment made by the same manufacturer as the TV. Also,, most are pre-programmed with codes, but only for newer models. It may well not work with any of your older models, as many don’t have any learning modes, or ability to add in new equipment.

Channel Info
Favourite channel lists, channel surfing modes and other features can make choosing and switching channels much easier.
You need to know – Most people use an external tuner in a cable or satellite box to change channels. If so, these extras will be of no use to you.

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