Buying guide: TVs

It's time to buy a new TV; the old one has finally packed it in, but when you go to the store there are so many choices and it's hard to know what to get. This guide will show you what to look out for so that you take home the TV that's right for you.

If you're picking out a new television and want to work out what's best for you, read through our LCD vs LED vs plasma TV buying guide.

Want to learn about 3D TV? Take a look at our 3D TV buying guide.

Confused about the difference between HDMI and DVI, component and composite? Our giant cable buying guide will set you straight.

Plasma vs LCD vs LED

The biggest choice you will have to make is the type of TV you want to buy: plasma, LCD or LED. In previous years if you wanted a large TV, plasma was your only option but now LCD and LED televisions are available in similar sizes to plasma for around the same price. The main thing that now separates them is how well each can display certain types of content.

LCD televisions use fluorescent lights behind the panel to make images appear on-screen. This makes colours look great, but blacks can end up looking a little grey, especially on cheaper televisions. Plasma TVs don't use these lights and so the black levels on a plasma screen will always look better than an LCD, making them ideal for movies.

A few years ago plasma TVs suffered from a burn-in or image persistence problem that occurred when a still image or logo appeared on the screen for a long period of time (for example a paused console game screen, or a network logo). Plasma screens released in recent years no longer suffer from this problem, so if you want to watch a lot of TV or play games you can consider both plasma and LCD TV screens.

If you watch lots of fast video, such as sports, you'll be happy with either a plasma or LCD. A few years ago LCD screens suffered from slow response times, meaning anything fast left a trail across the screen. These days, however, better technology and the invention of things like 100Hz and 200Hz playback have removed this problem. Even faster 400Hz screens will soon be released and they will offer better, smoother video. Plasma screens are still better for fast motion, however, as their display technology allows them to refresh three times as fast as a 200Hz LCD screen.

Some LCD televisions on the market have LED backlighting - using a sheet of tiny individual lights spread across the entire panel rather than large fluorescent tubes. This allows for more consistent lighting and the lights can be individually switched off, creating a much better contrast ratio and deeper colours. These types of televisions are often called LED televisions. Some LED sets arrange the lighting around the edge of the television panel, allowing them to be very slim and light. LED televisions also consume less power than LCD or plasma televisions, with a smaller environmental impact over a long running period.

If you want the best, your choice should be made between LED and plasma televisions. Generally LED televisions are slimmer and more attractive and consume less power, but plasma panels have a slight edge in overall image quality. LCD televisions are a good choice for budget buyers as they are usually significantly cheaper than plasma or LED.

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Full HD 1080p

The best quality image available on televisions today is Full HD 1080p, where screens display 1080 lines of horizontal resolution progressively. They offer incredibly sharp and detailed pictures, and are the best choice for watching any kind of television content. Blu-ray movies and games consoles like the Sony PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 have a native resolution of 1080p, meaning they look best when displayed on these screens. You can still purchase televisions that do not operate at the Full HD 1080p resolution, but these sets will be able to display significantly less detail than a Full HD television.

Motion Enhancement

Motion enhancement on LCD and LED televisions allows them to smoothly display fast-moving video like sports footage. Many new high-definition TVs have a 100Hz mode of some kind and some have even notched it up to 200Hz, which means the image will refresh many more times per second than on an older screen. The theory is that this helps smooth out motion, because the more frames involved the less jerky it will look. Some manufacturers have done this very well while others often wind up introducing more problems than they fix, so be careful and do your homework. On the plus side you can pretty much always turn these modes off if needed. Note that 400Hz panels will soon be introduced into the TV market, and they should deliver even smoother video reproduction.

Plasma televisions do not require a motion enhancement mode because they are naturally able to refresh faster than LCD and LED panels.

IPTV and Internet Access

Some televisions are available with wired or wireless network access, just like a PC or notebook computer. When connected to your home network (which is connected to the Internet), they can access multimedia services via the Internet like Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. Weather and stock information are also common inclusions. Newer televisions can also support video calls via Skype when an optional compatible webcam is purchased. Higher-end televisions often have the ability to install additional programs, just like a PC or laptop.

Several major television brands have teamed up with Australian media companies to offer video-on-demand services that are directly accessible via the Internet on newer televisions. Depending on the manufacturer, services such as BigPond Movies and Yahoo!7's Plus7 catch-up television are available from the TV without any external boxes required. Many televisions also have access to free libraries of video-on-demand content on a wide range of topics such as cooking or sports.

DLNA

Televisions that support DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) are able to connect to your home network to access files from your PC, laptop and even your mobile phone. Using either a wireless or a wired Ethernet network to connect to your TV, DLNA technology allows you to watch movies, play music or browse slideshows saved on your computer, for example. If you've got a lot of music or holiday photos on your computer, this is an easy way to display them on your TV for everyone to enjoy.

DLNA is usually found on televisions that are at the more expensive price range, and generally these TVs will also offer IPTV and Internet features.

3D TV

3D television is a big step forward in TV technology, and it brings the 3D cinema experience into your lounge room. 3D TVs are top-of-the-line LED and plasma televisions which, as well as offering great picture quality for standard television and movie viewing, can also create a 3D effect that adds depth to images when using specialised 'active shutter' 3D glasses.

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Shopping Checklist: TVs

TV type: Think about how you intend to use your new TV as this will determine what type of TV you need. Decide what is most important to you, and in order of importance, from picture quality and panel size, to overall design or energy efficiency. Ask in-store to compare several models of different TV types to narrow down your selection.

Screen size: You should look for a TV that will fit in the space where you want to put it. If you get one that is too small you will find it may strain your eyes to watch the screen from a distance. Conversely a large screen in a small space may also cause viewing issues.

High-definition TV tuner: For the best digital TV available, you will need a high-definition tuner. Almost all televisions will have a high-definition tuner, but be sure to double check.

Resolution: Make sure you ask what the television's native resolution is. This is the number of dots on the screen. Full HD 1080p is the highest and best resolution available at the moment, but some screens have lower resolutions such as 768p or 720p.

1080p for Blu-ray: If you want to watch Blu-ray movies at their intended resolution you will need to make sure the TV can display at 1080p.

Cables: Ask what cables come with the television. If you don't have the right cables in the box you will have to buy more to connect all your devices. Find out what extra cables you will need and how much they will cost.

Composite ports: The Composite connector has been around since the VHS and is often still present on devices such as DVD players, video cameras and some older games consoles. It has red and white audio plugs and a yellow video plug.

Component ports: Many standard- and high-definition devices like gaming consoles use Component video, so you should check to see the TV has enough for all your devices.

HDMI ports: If you need HDMI ports for your devices or if you think you will need them in the future, you should check to see how many HDMI ports the TV has. HDMI is the most common connection on new home entertainment devices such as Blu-ray players, and is the only connection that offers Full HD 1080p resolution.

Wall mount: Most TVs come with the option to mount them on the wall, but the brackets are sold separately. If you want to mount your panel, make sure you purchase a wall mount bracket of the correct size and rating for the weight of the TV.

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Jargon Busters: TVs

Analogue television: This is the regular TV that you have been watching for years. It is free-to-air and can be viewed on any CRT television so long as you have good reception.

Burn-in: This is like image persistence except that it is a permanent effect and cannot be removed. When plasma panels first hit the market in the 1990s this was a big problem. These days, LCD and plasma TVs don't suffer from this issue.

Cables and connections: Before you step foot in the store you should think about the devices you want to connect to your TV and how they hook up. There are three common types of connections that you will probably come across: Composite, Component and HDMI.

Component: Is the next step up from Composite. It still has the red and white audio plugs but also has red, blue and green video plugs as well. This is mainly used on high-definition devices like the Xbox 360 but it can still be found on DVD players and other devices as well.

Composite: Has been around since the VHS and is often found on devices such as DVD players, video cameras and some older games consoles. It has red and white audio plugs and a yellow video plug.

CRT: CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube but most people are used to just calling it the telly. The big heavy box that you've been watching for years is called a CRT television.

Digital television: To watch digital television you will either need to have a built-in digital TV tuner in your television or you will have to buy a set-top box. Digital television provides better quality picture and sound than analogue television plus it is capable of 5.1 surround sound. There are two types of digital television: Standard Definition TV (SDTV) and High Definition TV (HDTV).

DLNA: The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has developed a concept of wired and wireless interoperable networks as a way of sending information between your devices. For example, DLNA-compliant TVs are capable of streaming information over your home network (from your computer, for example) directly to your television screen.

Dot-pitch: This is the space between each dot in an image. Generally speaking, TVs that have smaller spaces are better quality. If the space is too large, you will be able to see black lines across the entire image making it seem like you are looking at the TV through a flyscreen door.

D-Sub and DVI: These are the connection types that are used to connect a TV to a PC. D-Sub is the most common connection and is an analogue signal while DVI is high definition and capable of passing large amounts of data at one time. Either will suffice for a PC connection but DVI will always look much clearer.

HDCP: HDCP stands for High Definition Copy Protection and is the way that film studios stop piracy of Blu-ray films. If you plan to watch Blu-ray movies, make sure that the TV you buy supports HDCP – and all new televisions should now support HDCP - because if it doesn't the movies will not work.

HDMI: Uses only one black plug. It is the highest quality digital video connector and is the only kind to support Full HD 1080p video transmission as well as audio within one plug. You should check how many of each connection type the TV you are looking at has and whether it will be enough for what you want to connect to it. Try to get a TV that has more connections than you need - in case you want to add something later on down the track.

HDTV: This is a digital television that uses up to 1080 lines of information to broadcast its pictures. The image quality of HDTV is far superior to SDTV and will look much clearer and crisper thanks to the extra lines of information.

High Definition: This term is used to describe any television with 720 or more horizontal lines of dots. It is also used to describe videos as well. For example, Blu-ray uses 1080 horizontal lines of information to make up its picture. High definition is mainly used for gaming on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, when connecting a TV to a PC or when watching Blu-ray movies.

IPTV: This is a feature on some televisions that allows you to directly stream movies and television programs off the Internet onto your TV. You'll need to have the television connected to the Internet via your home network - some televisions have inbuilt wireless networking while others require an Ethernet cable. As well as access to YouTube, each brand will offer different content from places like BigPond Movies or Yahoo!7. Check in-store to see what Internet content you can get on the television.

LCD television: Unlike plasma panels, LCD televisions cannot produce their own light but instead use a lamp behind the panel to create the image. LCD, which stands for Liquid Crystal Display, works by adding electricity to a substance called Liquid Crystal to manipulate the passage of light from the lamps to the viewer. When there is no electricity running through the crystals, the light from the lamp can shine through it, because it is a see-through liquid. However, as soon as you add electricity, it becomes a solid and it blocks out all light, making it look black. This is the same technology as in a regular calculator but on a larger scale. When every little dot is displayed at the same time, you get an image which is then changed many times per second to display video.

LED: Stands for Light Emitting Diode. LED TVs provide richer colours, better contrast and deeper blacks than standard LCD televisions, as well as significant power savings and advantages in size and weight.

Motion enhancement: This comes under many names depending on the brand of TV. It is designed to make the image refresh at faster than normal rates to help smooth out jittering and make fast motion look more natural.

Native resolution: The native resolution is the maximum number of dots that a TV can produce. This number will appear as a length x height measurement of pixels, for example 1920x1080 – which means the television has a "1080p" resolution.

Plasma panel: All televisions create images by drawing millions of tiny dots which then change as the image on the screen changes. In a plasma panel, each one of these dots has a little pocket of gas behind it (plasma) which is heated with electricity to produce UV rays. These UV rays then hit a layer of phosphor. Phosphor is a substance that lights up when you shine UV rays on it. Each dot in the image has its own little gas chamber which produces one dot of coloured light on the phosphor layer.

SDTV: This is digital television that uses 576 horizontal lines of information to broadcast its pictures. It is the standard digital television resolution and is commonly simply referred to as “digital television”.

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FAQs: TVs

What is digital TV? Digital TV is the new television signal transmission standard that will eventually replace free-to-air analogue TV – just like CDs replaced vinyl records. Some people refer to the actual television set as a “digital TV” but this isn't correct and only tends to make things more confusing.

Digital TV offers better picture quality, enhanced sound and other features like program guides and digital radio.

In Australia, we use the DVB-T standard for transmitting digital TV that was originally developed in Europe. Digital TV can be transmitted in both Standard and High Definition resolutions ranging from 576 horizontal lines (SDTV) up to 1080 horizontal lines (HDTV). You will need a flat panel television such as a plasma or LCD TV in order to display these higher resolutions, together with either an integrated digital TV tuner or a separate set-top box. Your old cathode ray tube (CRT) television is only capable of displaying images with 576 horizontal lines (576i).

When did digital TV transmissions commence? Digital TV transmissions were made available to the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth on the first of January 2001, but not all of the country has digital TV. The Federal Government has recently announced that all free-to-air television broadcasters in Australia will complete the switch from analogue transmission to digital-only transmission by the end of 2013. For more details visit the Australian Government's Web site at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/media_broadcasting/television/digital_switchover_information_for_consumers.

What benefits does free-to-view digital TV provide? One of the biggest benefits of digital TV is the image clarity. Unlike analogue signals, a digital signal has no ghosting or snow. If your area supports digital TV, it will always look perfect. Areas with low signal strength are not recommended for digital TV because if the signal gets too weak, the picture ends up looking like ugly jumbled squares and the sound will cut in and out, making the program impossible to watch.

What happens to my existing analogue TV set? You can still use your existing television but it will not accept the digital TV signal without a little help. To pick up digital TV you will need to buy a set-top box or any device with a built-in tuner. The tuner or set-top box receives the signal and converts it to display on your analogue TV. If you are using an analogue TV it is best to get a Standard Definition set-top box as your TV won't be able to display High Definition (HD) TV signals. A Standard Definition set-top box also has the added advantage of being considerably cheaper than the HDTV kind.

Can my 4:3 analogue TV set display Digital TV to its full effect? Yes and no. There are two types of digital TV. Standard Definition digital TV will look excellent on your existing TV but your TV will not support HD TV unless you upgrade to a High Definition television.

Will my Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) still work? This will depend on whether your VCR has a "Video In" function. A set-top box will not output a signal that can be plugged into the aerial port in the back of your VCR. Instead, it will output to either a Composite video cable (yellow plug) or Component video cables (red, green, blue plugs). In order to record digital television you will need a VCR that accepts these types of video cables and set the VCR to "Video In" or "Aux" depending on the model. However, there are other options available for recording from the television including a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or a DVD hard disk recorder.

Will digital TVs connect to VCRs, DVDs and sound systems? It is important to understand that the term “digital TV” does not refer to the television set but is a type of signal standard used to broadcast television programs to the home. As such, the answer to this question is yes. Whether your TV has an integrated tuner or you are using a set-top box, you can easily set up your VCR so that the digital TV (Standard Definition) signal can be recorded to VHS. A TV with an integrated tuner won't affect your DVD player at all. If you have a home theatre setup, you can connect the incoming TV signal to the system in order to take advantage of the 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound that digital TV caters for.

Will I need to upgrade my antenna? In most cases your existing antenna should work with digital television. The planning of digital television services was made on the assumption that most homes will use an outdoor antenna. If you only use an indoor antenna your digital TV reception may be less reliable as even the movement of people can cause reception problems. Additionally it is difficult for an indoor antenna to pick up all digital channels due to its orientation within your home.

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Why are digital TV pictures sharper than analogue TV pictures? Digital TV images are sharper because they are designed to be free from errors. With analogue television signals, even the slightest interference can soften the image. Digital TV doesn't have this problem as things that cause interference with analogue don't have any effect on digital signals. If you live in an area that is within the coverage zones for digital TV, and use an outdoor antenna, you should receive crisp and clear images. The Australian Government's Digital Ready Web site notes that it is important to have a good quality signal for a digital receiver as the picture and sound will suddenly break up if the quality falls below a threshold. Also note that picture break-up can also be caused by interference generated by electrical equipment for example, your hair drier or a fan.

Is audio better on digital TV than on analogue? Yes. Analogue audio is only capable of two channel stereo whereas digital TV can do full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. If you have a home theatre setup, you will definitely notice the difference. However, since the signal is digital, even stereo audio will more than likely sound better as it is not subject to poor reception issues like analogue.

What is widescreen? Widescreen refers to television screens which are much wider than they are high. This width to height measurement is called the aspect ratio. The widescreen ratio is 16 to 9, which can also be written as 16:9. The 16:9 aspect ratio means that for every 16cm wide the screen is, it is 9cm tall. Cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions generally have an aspect ratio of 4:3. On a 4:3 aspect ratio, for every 9cm high the screen is only 12cm wide. As you can see, this means that a widescreen display is much wider than a regular 4:3 television.

What are Standard Definition (SD) pictures? Standard Definition pictures are made up of 576 horizontal lines or less. For example, regular DVDs are Standard Definition at 576i. This resolution uses 576 horizontal interlaced lines to produce an image and is the standard PAL video format. In Australia, there is another 576 line signal format called 576p which is considered to be High Definition. This seems a little confusing but the difference is that the Standard Definition version is interlaced while the HD version is progressive.

A progressive signal shows each frame of the video 30 times per second while an interlaced signal shows half of each frame at a time (called a field) and does so 60 times per second. Even though 60 is a larger number than 30, that doesn't make it better quality because the 60 images are each only half a frame and all those halves have to be stuck back together. This often causes problems, particularly when watching fast moving images. The 576i version is considered Standard Definition because it doesn't look as good as the 576p version and uses less bandwidth to transmit. However, while some consider 576p to be High Definition, it is a point of contention.

What are High Definition (HD) pictures? High Definition TV is transmitted in 576p, 720p or 1080i. These numbers refer to the number of horizontal lines in the image. As you can imagine, the higher the number of lines in the image the crisper and clearer it becomes. Exactly what is considered High Definition can get a little confusing. When it comes to digital TV, television networks consider 576p, 720p and 1080i to be High Definition broadcast signals. However, TV manufacturers dismiss 576p as a HD format and only consider 720p and 1080i to be High Definition. While all modern televisions support 576p, the new wave of High Definition movies and games have a minimum resolution of 720p and anything below that resolution is considered Standard Definition. It all seems contradictory when it comes to 576p but it is really just two different definitions of HD, one from the TV networks and one from the TV manufacturers. Since 576p is still supported on all flat panel TVs, it won't affect you as the consumer.

There is also the 1080p format which is commonly referred to as Full High Definition. TV programs are not broadcast in 1080p, but 1080p movies and programs are available on Blu-ray discs. Games on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 are also available in 1080p.

What is Freeview? Freeview is the name used by Australia's free-to-air broadcasters for their digital television services. It is a marketing platform for digital TV that launched in 2009, and it offers an Electronic Program Guide for ABC, SBS, the Seven, Nine and Ten networks, as well as regional broadcasters WIN, Prime Media and Southern Cross. Some products, such as personal video recorders (PVRs), will have a Freeview logo; this means that Freeview has approved their use with Australian digital TV services. However, many products don't have Freeview endorsement but will still work just fine.

What are program enhancements? Program enhancements are an added service not currently available in this country. They are essentially extra channels of video, audio or text information that relate to what is being played in the main channel and can include anything from extra camera angles to statistics and information for sporting events.

What is closed captioning? Closed captioning is a subtitle service for use by the deaf and hearing impaired. It is not available on all programs but when it is, it provides real-time subtitles for what is being said on screen. English language news and current affairs programs between 6.00pm and 10.00pm provide closed captioning across all channels. This is provided using the teletext system on teletext channel 801. Most set-top boxes should provide teletext functionality but you should be sure to check if closed captioning is important to you, since not all are compatible.

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What is an Electronic Program Guide or EPG? One of the advantages of digital TV is the Electronic Program Guide (EPG). In Australia, the EPG is rather limited as it only offers very basic information detailing the show that is on at the moment and what is coming up next. However, each network has a dedicated guide channel that has listings for the few hours ahead as well. If you have a PVR or media centre PC you can also sign up to a subscription service with IceTV, which provides thorough listings for a monthly fee.

What is an LCD TV? LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Liquid Crystal is an amazing substance that reacts when you pass electricity through it. It is normally transparent but when you add an electric current it turns black. The way LCD TV works is that millions of tiny dots each have Liquid Crystal in them and behind each one there is a little circuit that controls the electricity flow. Every second, millions of dots turn on and off and a light shines through them from behind. The dots that are still transparent allow light to pass through and the ones that are black block out the light. Just on top of each dot are three colour filters which change the colour of the light and produce the colours you see when watching.

What is the difference between an LCD TV and a plasma TV? Plasma is different to LCD as it doesn't have a light that shines from behind but instead produces its own light from within each dot. Instead of Liquid Crystal, each dot has a small pocket of gas which lights up when you run electricity through it. It also has the colour filter on top as well to produce colours. The advantage of plasma over LCD is that the colour black looks better but the dots are usually a little further apart and you can sometimes see the spaces between them. The result is that the images can look a little blocky on cheaper plasma TVs. Also plasma uses more power to run and can get pretty hot (enough to heat up a small room). Plasma televisions have become more power efficient over the past few years, but still use more power to run than LED and LCD televisions.

Do LCD TVs come in large screen sizes, like plasma TVs? LCD TVs come in a range of sizes up to about 65-inch screens. But if you compare a similar sized LCD and plasma, generally the plasma screen will cost a few hundred dollars less.

Can I also use an LCD TV as a computer monitor? Yes. Many TVs come with a connection at the back to plug in your computer.

Are all LCD and plasma TVs also HDTVs? No. In order to be a High Definition television it needs to have a minimum of 720 horizontal lines. Anything below this number is a Standard Definition television. The way to tell whether the TV you are looking at is HD is to look for a figure called the "native resolution". This is the number of lines of dots that the TV has vertically and horizontally. A typical High Definition resolution is 1920x1080 (also known as 'Full HD'). A TV with this resolution will have 1920 vertical lines of dots and 1080 horizontal lines. Plasma televisions can have many different types of resolutions but as long as you make sure that horizontal (second) number in the "native resolution" is over 720, you can be confident that you have bought a true HDTV. Some manufacturers say the TV is HD when really they are stating that it will play HD. In those cases when you play HD on a TV with less than 720 horizontal lines, everything is converted to Standard Definition so you are not really watching HD at all.

Will an LCD/plasma TV work with my old VCR? Yes. All you have to do is plug it in and it will work fine. However, you should probably be aware that VHS probably won't look as good on an LCD or plasma television as it does on your old CRT TV.

What do I need to know about getting my TV home myself? All flat panel televisions are fragile devices. If you are going to transport it yourself, make sure that you pack it well and that it can't slide around in your car. LCD TVs are a little sturdier than plasmas but they don't have glass over the front of the TV so you should be careful that you don't scratch the surface when setting up. When taking a plasma TV out of the box, make sure that you have enough people to carry it comfortably and try not to twist the panel as it can damage the TV. You should also take care to follow any transport and handling instructions on the box and/or supplied by the manufacturer.

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What is CRT? CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube. It was the technology commonly used in televisions until flat panel TVs became popular. Televisions based on CRT have a limited number of horizontal lines and hence cannot do High Definition. The way the technology works is that a small device at the back of the television shoots a beam of electrons (microscopic particles) at the glass at the front of the TV. This glass is coated in a material that lights up when the beam touches while another layer on top of that creates colour. The beam is moved backward and forward extremely fast using magnets, creating pictures on the screen.

What is a flat panel? Flat panel refers to any thin television technology. Flat panels are generally thin enough to be mounted unobtrusively on a wall. The two types of flat panel televisions are LCD and plasma.

What is LED? LED stands for Light Emitting Diode and is a type of technology that appears in high-end LCD televisions. It creates much better contrast, blacks and colours than older technologies. At the moment there are only a handful of units on the market employing this technology and they are not cheap, but the results are worth it. Given time we should see more and more become available.

Does lighting in the room affect the type of TV I should buy? You should only be concerned if you have a room that has a lot of windows or ambient light that cannot be blocked. Regular or fluorescent lighting won't affect how most televisions look, and generally it can be turned off. Since plasma televisions generally have a glossy finish on the screen, light can be reflected, making the image hard to see. An LCD television would be your best choice in this situation.

What is the difference between Digital TV (DTV) and regular (analogue) TV? Analogue television is lower in quality than digital TV. Digital TV is ghost-free in widescreen and offers features that analogue does not. Analogue television signals can be degraded severely by the simplest of things. Did you know that if you have a lot of trees in your area they can cause ghosting in your analogue TV picture quality? Digital TV doesn't have this problem. If you are in an area that supports digital TV, it will always be high quality.

What is the difference between Digital TV and HDTV? HDTV is a type of digital television. Even though many people tend to call it simply digital TV, the other type is actually called Standard Definition TV (SDTV). The difference between SDTV and HDTV is all about resolution. The resolution a show was created in will determine how good it will look when broadcast. If a TV program is shot in Standard Definition and then played on a High Definition channel, the TV network converts it to HD. However, since it was shot in SD, this rarely looks as good as something shot in HD. If it was originally created in HD, it will look stunning when viewed. Many of the morning variety programs across the networks are created in HD at a resolution of 1080i, the highest quality that most flat panel TVs support. Unfortunately, at this time not all programs are supported in HD and very few of them are actually made with HD in mind.

What do I need to get to be able to watch HDTV? To watch HDTV broadcasts you will need a set-top box or integrated HD tuner that supports HDTV signals.

Will my current TV still work when digital and HDTV take over? This will depend on how old your TV is. If it has "video in" ports then you will not have to upgrade once digital TV takes over. Most set-top boxes can be hooked up to any Composite video connector (yellow cable).

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Is High Definition the same as digital? No. High Definition is a type of digital TV. Digital TV can be either Standard Definition or High Definition, although many people refer to Standard Definition as "Digital TV" and High Definition as "HDTV".

What is a 100Hz or 200Hz TV? A standard television will refresh the picture you view at a frequency of 50Hz. A 100Hz TV operates at twice the frequency by creating a copy of each frame and inserting it after the one before. Basically this makes the picture refresh much more quickly, which helps smooth out fast motion and eliminate any jittering. If you are a fan of sports or video games then this technology is an important consideration. 400Hz technology is also becoming available and it is even smoother and clearer.

What is DLNA? DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. It means you are able to stream pictures, music and video from your PC or mobile phone to your television over your home network, as long the devices support the DLNA standard.

What is HDMI? Is it compatible with DVI? HDMI is a connection type commonly used in High Definition devices. It stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and is used to transmit uncompressed images and sound to the television. DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and is very similar to HDMI. The main differences are that DVI does not carry sound and doesn't have any HDCP copy protection enabled. You can use a DVI to HDMI cable to connect DVI devices to an HDMI port but you won't get any sound as the DVI source doesn't have it. You can also send an HDMI signal to a DVI port in the television but, once again, there will be no sound. Audio will have to be connected using either optical audio (fibre optic) or RCA cables (red and white).

What is the difference between flat panel and flat screen? Flat panel is a term used to describe LCD and Plasma televisions as they are flat, thin and can be mounted on a wall. Flat screen is a term used to describe more modern CRT televisions that have a flat piece of glass on the front of the TV as opposed to the traditional curved glass that has been used in the past.

What is an aspect ratio? The aspect ratio is the ratio of width to height of a television (width:height). This is commonly 4:3 (most CRT televisions), 16:9 (widescreen televisions and many computer monitors) or 16:10 (some computer monitors). However, the film industry also uses the term "aspect ratio" to describe different widescreen formats used in filmmaking. These can include 1.33:1 (4:3), 1.85:1 (16:9) and 2.35:1. There are also more obscure film aspect ratios but these three are the most common.

Can I mount the TV over my fireplace? Fireplace installation is not recommended.

How do I activate my manufacturer's warranty? Each manufacturer has a different process for activating the warranty but many involve sending in a proof of purchase together with a form directly to the manufacturer.

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I've heard that plasma TVs can "burn-in" over time. What is "burn-in" exactly, and is it really a concern? Burn-in occurs when a static image is displayed on the screen for an extremely long period of time and doesn't go away when the picture is changed to something else. Burn-in was a common problem when plasmas first hit the market in the 1990s but most good quality plasmas do not have this problem anymore.

I need help to get the best picture. Which connection should I use? HDMI is your best bet for any kind of device as it combines the best quality video and audio in a single cable, but not everything supports it. All the new high-definition games consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have it, and Blu-ray players support it. These devices will typically also come with a component output, which you should use if your television or receiver doesn't support HDMI. Some older devices such as CD and DVD players or standard-definition set-top boxes may not have either of these and if so you should stick with Composite.

Can I connect my PC to the TV? Yes. Many TVs come with either DVI or D-Sub connections on the rear to support PC connections. If you have a graphics card with an HDMI output then you can also use this, or connect via the HDMI port using a DVI to HDMI converter cable.

How do I connect my home theatre system to the TV? Your home theatre system only needs to be connected to your TV using one available connector which runs from the receiver to the back of the TV. Use an HDMI connection if available, or, if one isn't available, a Component connection. Which to use will depend entirely on the home theatre system you have and what connections your TV supports.

How do I clean my plasma and LCD TV? Very carefully! Plasma is fairly easy to clean since it has a glass layer on the front. Use a static free cloth and distilled water in a spray bottle and wipe it clean. Do not use detergents, soaps or any cleaning products as they will be too coarse and can damage the glass or leave streaks. To clean LCD you need to be very careful as there is no glass protecting the panel. Lightly wipe it with a dry, static-free cloth at first to see if you can remove any marks and then use distilled water as a final measure. There are also a few products on the market that you can buy to clean your television.

What is a digital TV set-top box? A digital TV set-top box is used to receive and interpret digital TV signals so they can be displayed on a television without an integrated digital tuner.

What does a set-top box do? If a television doesn't have an integrated digital TV receiver, a set-top box is required. The set-top box receives the digital TV signal and allows it to be displayed on the TV. The EPG and other features are also made available through the set-top box. They can also come with in-built hard drives so you can record digital TV as well. These are generally called Personal Video Recorders (PVR).