Just buy performance
Just buy size
Somewhere in between
But if youre a little flexible on your budget, or if youre totally confused as to what to buy, this guide will help you narrow down the options.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is just going for price. Whats the best deal? Id be wary of this route, though, as many low-price offerings are low price for a reason. Remember that good picture quality given? Well, not so much with the true bargain basement stuff. No-name TVs generally look much worse than their tier-one overlords. As in, if it isnt one of the big names (LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, etc.), take caution.
There are a few companies that specialize on packing lots of features into their TVs (Smart, 3D, etc.) for low prices. The features are the last aspect of a TV you should consider. All Smart TV features can be accessed by an inexpensive media streamer like Roku or Apple TV. You may be into 3D, but the vast majority of content youll be watching is in 2D. I recommend buying on performance, size, or price, but only consider features if its a tiebreaker between two TVs you like.
Also dont forget that youll need to give that shiny new HDTV some actual HD to play on it. Just because you have an HDTV doesnt mean youre watching HD. Check out How to set up an HDTV, What is upconverting,February 1 2013. and When HD isnt HD. Youll need to pay your cable/satellite provider for the HD channels, if you arent already (or its not included like it should be). Blu-ray is also an excellent source of HD programming.
If you buy your TV in a store, theyre going to try to up-sell you on cables and extended warranties. Dont get either. Check out Why all HDMI cables are the same, and Are TV extended warranties worth it? For that matter, children education why are you buying in a store?
You can also get HD for free.
The sections below are broken up into different ways to approach the TV buying decision. Each one is a valid way to shop, so its just a matter of picking which feels best.
There is, sadly, no perfect TV that offers all three at the same time. For the most part, pick two. Size and performance will be expensive. Size and price wont look great. Price and performance will have to make considerations with size. Where on the is your perfect TV? Thats all on you.
Plasma over LCD
So again, be wary. That said, there are some great deals at the low end of the price spectrum. Ty found the TCL 40-inch LCD to be highly not bad. Samsungs E450 series plasmas are quite decent, and crazy cheap. Panasonics U50 series plasmas are a little more but are 1080p.
Just buy price
CNET editors talk to folks from Fitbit, Nest, and Leap Motion about how humans interact with this next generation of tech.
With just a little research, youll undoubtedly get an awesome TV. I know this because there are a lot out there, and theres one thats perfect for you.
Oh, one last thing. Make sure you set it up correctly with a decent setup Blu-ray.
The Panasonic TC-PVT50 series represents the pinnacle of current flat-panel TV picture quality. Read Full Review
TVs are a big purchase, and price is a significant ctor for most of us. Naturally your budget and needs will determine how much you can/want to spend.
Or, you can just get a projector. There are front projectors for around $1,000 that offer great picture quality, and can make an image more than 100 inches diagonal. Several $3,500 models offer some of the best picture quality you can get of any display technology. A dedicated screen can run you a few hundred to a few thousand depending on what you want it to do (masking, retractability, increasing brightness, etc.). I make my case for projection in my Dont buy a jumbo LCD TV, buy a projector post.
It might take a little more research, but there are gems of big TVs for small money. Speaking of big...
There are pros and cons with any technology, but dont disregard plasma, as many do. Plasma TVs generally offer better picture quality than LCDs, and do so for a lot less money. For example, our pick for best overall picture quality is a plasma, which costs around $3,700 for a 65-inch. The best LED LCD didnt perform as well, is 5 inches smaller diagonally, and is $4,600.
Other considerations, other costs
Got a question for Geoff? Send him an e-mail! If its witty, amusing, and/or a good question, you may just see it in a post just like this one. No, he wont tell you which TV to buy. Yes, hell probably truncate and/or clean up your e-mail. You can also send him a message on Twitter: @TechWriterGeoff.
Just buy features
The above are the extremes, but of course there are many, many TVs that offer a combination of size, price, and performance.
Also, if you see a brand that makes you think Hey, I remember that! (Westinghouse, 2013-1-28 上午 6:24:32 Kodak, and so on), its almost always a Chinese company that purchased the rights to the name to sell cheap LCDs. Gary HDGuru Merson has an interesting article on this phenomenon: Name brands in name only.
This route is pricey, as youd expect. Which brings us to...
The attribute people want most in their new TV is good picture quality. Well, sure, but what does that mean? Pretty much all new TVs have better picture quality than all but the best from a few years ago, so good picture quality is largely a given. How good, of course, is a different question. Heres a list of CNETs top picks for picture quality. This year, the VT50 from Panasonic was the clear winner. Why? Three words: contrast ratio and uniformity.
If youre going this route, or even if youre not, How big a TV should I buy? is worth checking out.
For what we reviewed at CNET this year, the ST50 series from Panasonic (yes, Panasonic again), offered a compelling blend, as did Samsungs E6500 plasma series. Heres our list of 2012s best HDTVs overall.
Theres more to it than that, of course, which is why I recommend checking out LED LCD vs. plasma vs. LCD.
I understand this argument, I do, but its just as perilous as the Just buy price idea. Two companies (Sharp, Vizio) got all sorts of headlines this year offering impressively large TVs (60 inches and over) for impressively low money. However, the big Sharp TVs CNET reviewed and the one I reviewed for S+V both got middling marks for picture quality. Hmmm, maybe I shoufree satellite tv How much should I spend on a TVld recant that Good picture quality given. The same is true with the Vizios (though at least theyre a better value). If you just want the biggest TV you can afford, go for it. Just know that there are trade-offs to get a TV that big for that cheap.