Television Shopping

There are so many choices in the world today. A hundred places to eat, and a hundred choices to choose from each of those places; something I have problems deciding on and it irritates people. Many choices on phones... blackberry, smartphone, flip phone, and choices that go with each of them like camera megapixels, virtual or real keyboard, apps, etc. And so many choices on televisions.

I remember growing up, the only choice you made in a television was how big you wanted it. The technology was the same... CRT, or cathode ray tube, a tube that scanned red, blue and green beams down a phosphor coated screen to produce the image. Nowadays, you have several choices in that category.

With analog television gone, digital has taken over and with it comes HD with 16:9 formats. The technologies for producing the image on the screen has changed with it too. No more CRT sets. Instead you have plasmas, rear projections, LCDs and now the latest, LED/LCDs.

I have been in the market for a television for a year now and am really close to purchasing one. I knew what I wanted as far as size so I wouldn't have to strain my eyes to watch movies on a 20 inch CRT screen. A 50 to 57 inch would suit me fine. I thought shopping would be an easy thing to do. I was wrong.

I recently went to Best Buy to shop around for televisions. I was overwhelmed with the varieties. I came across the LED screens. These were LCDs that had LEDs that backlit the screen to produce a brighter, more saturated picture than standard LCDs. That's what I wanted. Then I noticed dynamic contrast ratios, 3D technology, Internet capabilities to watch movies and videos from websites, and many other things.

For those shopping for TVs, here are some facts about the options:

Screen types- Plasmas have deeper blacks, but are more susceptible to image burn and tend have glare from light sources. LCDs are lighter but the picture fades when looked at from an angle. LEDs are just like the LCDs, but produce a brighter image and with deeper blacks.
1080 or 720- This refers to the number of vertical pixels produced on the screen. Therefore 1080 has a higher resolution.

Dynamic Contrast Ratios- The higher the ratio, the more vivid the colors.

Screen Refresh Rate- This number refers to how many times per second the image is shown on the screen. The higher the number, the smoother the picture.

PC Inputs- Let's you hook up a computer to use the TV as a computer screen.

HDMI Inputs- Most TVs have several of these inputs. HDMI technology lets you get true 16:9 High Def from video sources. DVD and VHS players aren't high def, but some players that up convert the image to 1080p.

Choices! Those who know me know I have a hard time with choices. 50" with all the frills or a 57" that is much simpler and close to the same price? Whatever I decide on, it will be soon so I can enjoy the upcoming football season. I will have to stock up on non-stick cooking spray to coat the couch so my ass won't get stuck to it.