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Flat Panel TV Buying Guide:

* LCD TV Buying Guide *

lcd tv buying guide The LCD TV (liquid crystal display) technology has swept the world. These slim, sleek, bright and beautiful TVs are offering amazing viewing experiences. Now that you are looking for your own, you will find the following LCD TV buying guide checkpoints helpful in determining which is the best LCD TV for you. This LCD TV buying guide article explains exactly what to watch.


Flat panel LCD TV buying guide ...

LCD Screen size
LCDs range from 13” to 50” There will be a LCD that will fit your needs. From the kitchen to the bedroom or the living room and, of course, the nicest home theater - there is a LCD size for you.

HD-Buffs
LCDs support higher resolution than most plasma TVs so if you want the most out of your HD-content LCDs are the way to go.

LCD brightness and Contrast
LCDs tend to be a little brighter than plasmas but plasmas have higher contrast. Try to find a LCD TV with 1300:1 contrast ratio or higher.

HDMI inputs
HDMI is a new input used for HD-DVDs, HD-satellite, HD-cable boxes, next generation-video game console and other hardware to support HD content.

Aspect Ratio
LCD TV screens today come in two shapes. The most familiar one is called 4:3, which represents four inches of width for every three inches of height. You can also buy wide-screen, or 16:9, televisions, which take the same shape as many movies and HD-programming. Most people watch more regular TV than DVDs and movies, so 4:3 sets are the most popular choice. Almost all large flat-panel TVs are wide screen. It's just a matter of time before 16:9 becomes the most popular choice.

LCD Pixels
Although LCDs don’t suffer from burn-in like plasma, the LCD TVs can have dead or stuck pixels which’s looks like a little colored dot on the screen, a dead pixel can not be repaired so the entire TV will have to be replaced.

LCD resolution
Look for a LCD TV that can support 720p or 1080i/p HD-resolution for HD-programming and other HD-content.

LCD life
The average name brand LCD TV will last 50,000 to 80,000 hours to half life this is around 20 years at 6 hours per day. Expect substantially less on a no name.

Motion Tracking
In the resent years LCD TVs have improved and caught up with plasma TVs but they tend to have a problem with fast moving images such as sporting events which makes images not as fluid and crisp and tend be blurred with movement but this is not nearly a problem that it used to be years ago.

Computers and Video Games
Most plasma and LCD TV 16:9 (wide-screen) and 4:3 (normal) can double as computer monitors. They'll also hook up to a game console without any problems. So which technology is better for these purposes? From a performance standpoint, it's hard to pick a winner, but because of plasma's burn-in risk, LCD is the safer choice for computer work and gaming.

High altitudes
LCD TVs are not affected from High altitude (6,500 ft and higher) like plasma TVs are.

Warranty
The standard warranty covers parts for one year and labor for 90 days. High-end TVs, often have a one-year labor warranty. Some manufacturers also offer in-home service on more expensive and larger models that are difficult to ship.







More Useful Flat Panel TV Buying Guide Articles...

Basic Intro to Flat Panel TVs
Flat Panel TV Buying Guide
How does LCD TV work
Advantages of LCD TV
Disadvantages of LCD TV
LCD TV Buying Guide
How does Plasma TV work
Advantages of Plasma TV
Disadvantages of Plasma TV
Plasma TV Buying Guide
Plasma vs. LCD
Choosing Flat Panel Screen Size
Choosing Flat Panel Aspect Ratio
Installing a Flat Panel TV
Flat Panel TV Terms