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Television Buyers Guide

So you have decided to buy a television set!

For over a decade after Television was first introduced in India, it was considered a luxury beyond the reach of the masses. For a long time, people used to gather in the living rooms of rich and willing neighbours who were gracious enough to ‘share’ their luxury with the less fortunate ones.

Community centers across the country allowed masses to d viewing booths to provide access to the message of the state telecast over the one and only national network Doordarshan.

Those were the days, when large-screen black and white television sets were sacrosanct. Most of us still remember those days when our parents used to save over months to a buy a ‘large’ enough TV ‘to keep up with the Joneses’ more than meet entertaining needs of the family. This was the time when buyers never considered relating the size of the TV with the dimensions of the hall where the TV was to be installed - TVs were ‘valued’ with rupees spent per inch of screen!

Today, thanks to the myriad of cable channels penetrating from neighbouring countries, almost every home can boast of a television set even if it is inherited from ‘baba adam’!

Thanks also to international exposure and a good economy people are now continuously upgrading the technological contraptions including television - to match the latest world standards. The need has definitely arisen but how does one go about choosing a television set that suits one’s budget and needs while meeting the aesthetic and comfort levels. No agency in India has the scientific research and statistical data to establish ground rules that could be applied while deciding on purchasing technological conveniences, leave aside a television set!

That is why we at HamaraShehar.com have compiled this list of guidelines so that you, the ultimate consumer, could make an educated decision in your purchase of a (next?) television set. It all depends on whether you are buying a set to meet your functional need or as a means to augment your lifestyle. However, those of you who plan to purchase a television as a utility will find it hard to ‘avoid’ certain ‘convenience’ features that are being provided by the manufacturer as add-on ‘lifestyle’ features.

Standard Features to look for in a television set

Comb Filter

This circuit isolates the black and white (brightness) portion of the signal from the color portion, improving definition, detail, and contrast thus providing a clearer and truer picture. This feature is generally available on larger screen sizes. A comb filter prevents ‘dot crawl’ along edges of objects in the picture this crawl is very evident in larger screens than on smaller ones (smaller than 27"). A Comb Filter fine-tunes the picture signal so that colours and lines can be displayed more accurately on the screen. There are many types of Comb Filters Glass, Analog, Digital 2-Line, Digital 3-Line and 3DYC (top of the line). But they are all there to do the same thing improving the picture you view.

Sound Quality

Most of the smaller television sets have mono sound, meaning that all the sound is processed through a single channel. The stereo sound utilizes two channels and splits the audio between them for a more lifelike sound. Surround sound offers most realistic audio experience utilizing only the speakers on the TV, it simulates 3-D sound that is found with home theater systems, by enhancing the sense of space and depth.

There is no easy specification you can check for sound quality, which can vary from quite good to awful. You will have to judge it on your own. The easiest way to evaluate the sound is to listen to the set with a program of demanding audio content. Have the vendor play a movie on a DVD player using the television set in question. Check the following: loud louds, soft softs, strong bass, and individual voices. Play it at a slightly louder than normal level. Does the sound distort? Do the speakers buzz? Is there any bass? Are the voices clear?

Remember, however, that while watching a television program, you pay less than half the attention on the sound quality as you eyes are concentrating on the visual experience.

Video Inputs

In addition to the standard R/F input, most TVs come equipped with additional types of video inputs to upgrade the quality of the video.

A/V inputs (also called composite) are a step up from R/F, giving greater resolution and picture quality.

S-Video inputs are a great improvement on A/V inputs, separating the chrominance and luminance, thus creating a more precise detailed picture. If you plan on using a DVD player or digital camcorder, an S-Video input is highly recommended to be able to view the high quality picture they provide.

Component inputs are the best video inputs available, and are only available on high-end TVs. They separate the video signal into 3 component parts, and improve resolution, picture detail, and have great color accuracy.

These features help add playback from a DVD, VCR or video camera. Some television sets have the audio video inputs in the front of the set a useful feature to those with children who often want to play video games.

Additional Outputs

For hookup to various home theater components like a separate surround sound processor. These would be necessary if you are planning to integrate your television set into your home theater system.

Channel Blocking

A way to prevent access to certain channels--for example, so parents can keep children from watching certain programs. This feature is sought after in western countries where the content is evaluated and rated even before it is televised thus enabling parents to ‘block’ specific channels at specific (or regular) periods to prevent children from viewing such programs. This concept is fast catching up in India too where people have begun to realise that children are getting a far excess dose of television than is comfortable for the family!

PIP (Picture in Picture)

This feature allows you to watch two images at once on your TV screen by placing one image from a different channel or video source in a small box within the larger picture. TVs with a dual tuner PIP can tune into two channels simultaneously. TVs with only one tuner require an external tuner source, such as a VCR, in order to use PIP.

Alarm Clock

Allows the TV to be set and used as an alarm clock. This enables the set to switch on regularly at a predetermined time and operate for a fixed duration thereafter, usually half and hour, to two hours. This is a good feature for people living in apartments, when you need to be away for a couple of days but still want to ‘appear’ to be still in the house – just to ward away those with sinister designs.

Remote Control

A standard must for all televisions. As a further bonus, if your VCR and TV are of the same brand, you might even get a Unified Remote that will control both components. If your VCR and TV are of different brands controlling both can be achieved by a Universal Remote, which can be set up to control both components.

Modern remotes have features such as mute and last channel recall.

A learning remote can learn the codes of other remotes to all other systems, so you don't have to look up codes. It also can store whole programs, directing the different equipment to do a bunch of things at the same time.

Make sure that most important functions can be controlled from the television itself – this can be very annoying if you misplace or lose the remote control. Replacements are expensive and universal remotes (as a replacement choice later on) may not control all the functions of your television set.

Flat Tube (Screen)

In general, the picture we see on a television screen is sharper in the center than at the curved outer edge. A flat screen design allows for improved focus and clarity on the outer boundaries of the picture. Flat screens also help eliminate reflections and glare from lights and windows behind you, the viewer. Another major advantage flat screens offer is that images are not ‘distorted’ – consider watching a tennis match where the boundaries do not appear to be ‘convex’!

Dark dye injected into the glass or applied on the glass face of the picture tube can improve contrast under low light conditions. A television cannot produce blacks that are blacker than the screen color itself. As a result, television sets with greenish or grayish tubes produce low contrast pictures.

Video Noise Filter

Electronically reduces various distortions that may be present in the video signal.

Screen Size

For those who are not aware: the screen size of a television set is measured diagonally. A typical first time purchaser would check with his ego before considering other aspects of buying a TV. But how does one decide what size of a TV to buy?

The size of the room you will be watching the TV in is one of the foremost factors that would help decide on the size of the television set. You would definitely avoid installing a large TV in a tiny room, crowding yourself out of the room. And imagine watching a tiny television set in a humongous room! Avoid using magnifiers to compensate for size mismatches.

The basic formula to figure out the best size for you, considers the comfortable distance far enough not to see the hundreds of lines and dots that make up the picture, but close enough to evaluate embroidery on the newsreader’s saree. A typical thumb-rule to establish viewing distance is to multiply the screen size (measured diagonally) by five.

Another important factor (this may sound silly, but very true) is the size of the receptacle (most possibly your entertainment center) where the television set is to be placed. Make sure you have the dimensions of the receptacle handy before going to the store. Measure the outer dimensions of the television that you plan to buy, especially the depth – length from the front of the screen to the back of the unit, including the projecting wire; add at least half an inch on all sides to allow for ventilation.

10"-13": Excellent size for the kitchen or a typical bedroom.

19"-20": Once the standard, now finding it's way into the family room, kids' room, or other secondary role.

25"-27": The 27" screen has become the standard for most homes' primary television. Nearly all features are available standard or as options in this size, including the highly desirable comb filter.

30"-35": Technology has pushed tube design into even larger sizes. These full-featured sizes offer dramatic, large screen pictures in the home, but seem to have a greater variability in the picture quality than their 27" siblings.

45"-60": These sizes are "projection televisions." This system relies on reflection of a projected image through lenses onto a mirror and finally onto the view screen.

Brightness

Since the picture is viewed indirectly, brightness can deteriorate. This can be especially troubling in a brightly-lit room. Brightness is typically measured in foot Lamberts. Usually, the higher the rating for a particular screen size, the better. One typical problem such television sets has with off axis viewing. The nature of the view screen can cause brightness to decline dramatically as the viewer moves away from a position directly in front of the screen. Simply increasing overall brightness to compensate for this problem may produce a "hot spot" in the picture's center. A good set may have some dimming as you move away from center, but the picture should still be acceptable for those viewers sitting in less than the "sweet spot."

'Tone' Test

The true test of the clarity and definition of a television is how well it renders black and white. Fuzziness and lack of contrast will be immediately apparent on a black and white image, where it may be more difficult to perceive in color. This can be achieved by turning the colour down to ‘zero’ level. Make sure you see the images in the shadows and the gradual ‘tone’ of body shape.

Factory settings

Televisions frequently arrive at the retailer with the internal color settings adjusted to be ‘saturated’ when the manual adjustments are set to normal.' Don't assume the ‘normal’ positions of the controls to be proper. The correct and professional way to ‘set’ correct color is to use a SMPTE Color Bar pattern and a blue filter or the signature panel of a local television station. For general purposes you may want to use a very high resolution source you have available (DVD or a high-quality VCR tape) and set the flesh tones to appear natural. However, one should remember that this setting could possibly vary between different signals received from different cable channels. The same is true for audio channels.

Bottom-line

Remember, almost all television sets that are available today are far better than the signals they receive! We mean, both technically, and the quality of programming. While the ‘line-of-sight transmission’ of the limited erstwhile television broadcast stations has not been enhanced of upgraded, the numerous cable channels have crept into the tangled web of cables spread across the city skylines in India. The quality of the signal fed into your television set is actually at the mercy of your cable operator who, of course, monopolises your neighbourhood thanks to the absence of a regulatory board that takes care of consumer’s interests. And last, but not the least, the quality of the pirated copy of the movie stuffed into the operator’s VCR for your ‘entertainment’!