Buying your first LCD flat screen: 5 essentials to consider

The following basics will give you a quick, straight forward road map of things to consider when buying your first LCD flat screen tv.

Cost considerations

How much you are willing to budget for your new LCD tv?  Is your budget bare bones minimum or price is no option?  Most likely it will be somewhere in between. A new LCD can range from a few hundred dollars for a small LCD for your kitchen or bedroom to several thousand dollars for a LCD flat screen in your home theater room.

In the past, the cost of a new LCD for a home theater room was price prohibitive. An LCD flat screen will generally cost a bit more then a comparable Plasma, however over the past year the gap between a new Plasma tv and an LCD has shrunk.

Screen Size

What size screen do you need?  Is this a small tv for a kitchen or a bedroom or is this your family's primary home theater tv? If for a home theater the tv should be at least 46" to make the greatest impact. A larger tv will enhance the feeling of immersion of a movie or a sporting event. LCD flat screens of sizes ranging from 46" to 52" are becoming more common with sizes of 60" or more as an option although the cost is still a drawback for many.

The general rule of thumb is that the recommended viewing distance is anywhere between 1.5 and 3 times your HDTV screen size for the best viewing experience.

Picture quality

Of course the picture quality of the tv is extremely important.  There are a lot of things that come into play when considering picture quality.

One of the selling points of the newer, upper tier LCDs is the 120Hz refresh rate, which is double the normal refresh rate generally allowing for smoother transitions and screen images in fast moving movie scenes and sporting events.

Specifications can give you an indication of whether the tv will have good picture quality, but they do not always tell the whole story. For example, a contrast ratio can be helpful, but keep in mind that there is not a clear, standardized measurement for contrast ratio between manufacturers. A contrast ratio within a product line is generally more helpful then when compared between manufacturers.

Look at whether the LCD flan screen tv can produce vivid color, deep blacks, realistic textures, detailed images and smooth screen transitions. 

Resolution

To be considered high definition, a tv needs to be able to display screen resolutions of 720p or 1080i. The newest standard is 1080p which allows you to view the highest resolution content found in HD-DVD or Blu-ray or experience the newest video games in all their glory. It is very difficult to distinguish a difference in picture quality between a 1080p picture and a 720p picture at smaller screen sizes, so before shelling out the extra dollars make sure that it will make a difference in picture quality.

Video inputs

Be certain that your tv has plenty of video inputs to meet both current and future viewing needs. HDMI is quickly becoming the standard video and audio input for high definition so make sure the tv has several HDMI inputs along with the standard composite and component inputs.

There has never been a better time to get on board the HDTV bandwagon. With a little research and planning you will soon be enjoying crisp, clear, vibrant images on your new LCD flat screen tv so kick back in your home theater lounger with your family and friends and enjoy the show.