How to buy a flatscreen TV

21 June 2010

If you've held out from buying an HD flatscreen TV this long, you have inadvertently made a very clever decision.

With the launch of Freeview HD you can now get the most from you new TV right from the off.

Although Britain has been in love with hi-def televisions for years, many early flatscreens had terrible pictures, as well as being about as heavy and tricky to match with your decor as a monolith from Stonehenge. There also wasn't even that much HD television to watch for the first few years - and up until the launch of Freeview HD this year, there was not much to watch for free.

With the launch of Freeview HD, there is easy way of finding HD shows on great channels such as the BBC HD Channel, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD without paying monthly fees, or installing an expensive, clunky dish on your home.

You will pay a fair price for your TV, too, with sets under 32 inches now at bargain-basement prices, and a new generation of televisions offering Freeview HD built in – choose right and you can enjoy less cables, less set-up time and no hidden expenses.

What do I need to watch in HD?

If you've bought one of the new TVs with Freeview HD built in , you don't need to worry - shows from channels such as the BBC HD channel, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD will show in hi-def on your television automatically once you've plugged in the aerial Just make sure you are in coverage first then tune in and you will find the channels at:

50 BBC HD

51 ITV1 HD

52 Channel 4 HD (England and Scotland)

53 Clirlun (The S4C HD channel in Wales only)

If you have an HD ready TV already there is a good choice of Freeview HD boxes or recorders on the market - So all you need to connect them up is a normal TV aerial – again check you are in coverage. Look for the Freeview HD logo and you won’t need another box.

To connect a separate Freeview HD box, you'll need a hi-def cable - the box will come with an HDMI cable that can carry the HD signal to your existing HD flatscreen. You will also, obviously, need a TV that can display HD.

Does size matter?

Contrary to popular myth you'll notice the difference between HD and SD programming even on a 28-inch set. You don't NEED to buy a 50-inch behemoth to enjoy HD. Even on that smaller a screen, edges will be sharper, detail crisper and colours deeper - try it out with a nature documentary, and be amazed.

My house is small - do I need a big screen?

There's no point getting a 50-inch plus set if you're going to be sitting less than 8 feet from the set, as you won't be able to focus on it properly. If your living room is so huge you'll be sat more than 12 feet from your TV, though, be sure to buy something 40 inches and up – so you won't have to squint, and that you'll actually be able to read subtitles.

Will ordinary programmes look good on a bigger screen?

Strictly speaking, programmes recorded in 'SD' - standard definition, the term coined for older TV formats in the HD era, aren't optimised for bigger screens, so they can look grainy. In practice, it's only shows recorded a long time ago in non-digital formats that look bad. If you've bought a Freeview HD set, you don't need to worry - all programmes on the BBC HD channel are shot in HD, and channels such as ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD are remastering shows not shot in HD to look great even on the largest sets.

What features should I look for on my TV?

Even if you are buying a flatscreen with a Freeview HD tuner built in, it pays to look for ones with a lot of HDMI slots on the back (two is good, four is even better) - the more of those you have, the more HD sources, such as games consoles, Blu-Ray players and Freeview HD recorders, you can plug in at once. A fast screen update – i.e. over 100Hz - is good if you plan on watching lots of sport.

Should I buy LCD or plasma?

Many people imagine LCDs have terrible pictures, and that plasmas are all huge and expensive - not so. These days, most smaller televisions (i.e. below 40 inches) will tend to be LCD, and plasma sets tend only to appear in the larger size brackets. Both offer great pictures, though, and are roughly similar in price - so the type of screen shouldn't be a big part of your purchase decision.

What is an LED TV?

An LED TV is not a new kind of television: it's just an LCD that uses an LED backlight to create crisper blacks and better colours. LED will cost you a bit more, but you'll enjoy a better picture.

Do I need to buy a set that offers '1080p' - also known as 'Full HD'?

Most new sets offer this as standard - but if it suits your budget to go for the less smooth 1080i format, then do it. Sets which only offer the lower 720p resolution are now rare unless you're buying second hand - don't buy these if you can avoid it.

What does contrast mean?

Contrast ratio - the difference between white and black colours on screen - is the second-most important thing after screen size and resolution. Sadly, the figures used by manufacturers to describe it are often not that accurate. Generally, a high number, i.e. 10,000 to 1 plus, will mean deep blacks and crisp pictures - but don't take them as gospel.

Are HD flatscreens bad for the environment?

LCDs are generally lower power than plasmas, but all HDTVs tend to burn quite a lot of juice. A set with a lower power (rated in watts), will not only save you potentially hundreds of pounds over its lifetime, but will also (help to) save the world. Either way, don't leave HDTVs on when you're not using them.