Whether you're buying your first HDTV or replacing an older model, you'll find all sorts of new specifications and features to consider when shopping. Some of these apply to both LCD and plasma sets, while others are significant for LED/LCD sets in particular. Here's a quick overview of the different choices and what they may mean for you.
Important specifications for LED/LCD and plasma HDTVs
While 720p models are available in many sizes as a lower-cost option, they remain prevalent in the 40-inches-or-smaller category. If you're shopping for a small HDTV, expect to pay about a 20 to 25 percent premium (as of this writing) for a 1080p set over a 720p set. All else being equal, we recommend that you pick a 1080p model, which will better match much of the content you can now get from broadcast, streaming, and satellite services, and will match the native resolution of a Blu-ray Disc player.
Unfortunately, manufacturers' methods for measuring and specifying contrast are almost useless for helping you predict how the screen will look. Manufacturers use full-screen measurements, all black and all white, in a darkened room. An all-black or all-white screen is not what people watch, and in computer terms it conveys precisely zero bits of information. When you have actual content on the screen, you get internal reflections, ambient lighting effects, and other optical crosstalk that results in the light from one section of an image affecting the light levels of another. Basically, pay attention to the contrast with your eyes, but don't worry about the reported "contrast ratio" spec.
- Active shutter or passive 3D? There are currently two types of 3D glasses technology found in HDTVs right now, "Active shutter" and "polarized" or "passive". Active-shutter glasses are more expensive (often about $150/pair) and a bit heavier, since they're actually two small LCD screens that alternately dim each "lens" in sync with the TV by way of an infrared emitter so you can see a 3D image. Polarized glasses, on the other hand, are the kind you'll find in 3D movie theaters--in fact, some TVs will even work with the exact same glasses from the theater (which you were supposed to return, by the way). They're cheaper, lighter, and easier to wear, but they technically don't provide as high-quality an image since each lens blocks out some of the light to create the 3D image. So far, however, we haven't seen a significant quality difference between the two 3D technologies--read Active vs. Passive 3D and Do Passive 3D TVs Sacrifice Quality for Comfort? for more information.
- What are you going to watch? There isn't much 3D video out there at the moment. Your cable provider might have a channel or two (typically ESPN 3D and a 3D video rental channel), but otherwise you're pretty much limited to what's on the 3D Blu-ray market. Also, keep in mind that 3D TV manufacturers are still scooping up hot 3D Blu-ray movies for their 3D "starter kit" bundles, which means that you can't buy the 3D version of Avatar on Blu-ray without shelling out $230 or so for the two pairs of Panasonic 3D glasses--which won't work with anything but a Panasonic 3D TV.
- Don't wait for glasses-free 3D TV. While we've seen some pretty promising prototypes over the years, the fact is that right now, glasses-free 3D is far too expensive and limited to implement in consumer-friendly HDTVs. If you're pondering getting a 3D TV, don't worry about glasses-free 3D TVs coming in a year or two--they're looking like they're at least 5 years, maybe up to 10 years away.
- Yes, you can watch 2D TV. The only difference between a 2D and 3D TV is that the 3D model has a display mode that lets you use the included 3D glasses with the TV. You don't need to watch everything with the 3D glasses, though some TVs do support 2D-to-3D upconverting if you want to watch everything in 3D. (The upconverting isn't particularly impressive yet, though.)