If you are in the market for a HDTV you probably are somewhat confused by all of the terminology used in the industry, but actually it doesn't take too long to learn your way around, and be an educated television consumer.
When looking for a HDTV, you will no doubt run into a couple of terms that you will need to understand very well. You will see a TV labeled as "HDTV Enabled", and then you may see others labeled "HDTV Ready" or "HDTV Integrated". There is not usually much difference between the "Ready" set and the "Integrated" set. They both are ways of saying that the TV has a HDTV tuner already installed in it and is capable of receiving and displaying high definition broadcasts right away with just an antenna.
The "Enabled" sets on the other hand do not have the tuner built into the TV and so must rely on an external receiver or tuner to be able to receive and display high definition programming. What does this mean for you? Well, if you mainly tune into local broadcasts using an antenna, you probably want the tuner already built into the TV. On the other hand, if you are a cable or satellite subscriber, which many viewers are, you can just buy the set that doesn't have the tuner built in and use the one provided by your programming provider instead.
As far as audio is concerned, the HDTV standard includes the capability to present sound in Dolby 5.1 surround sound format. If you plan on taking full advantage of that with a surround sound system you will need plenty of connectors on the TV to get the job done, so look carefully on the back and see how many connectors are provided and then match that up with the speaker system that you plan to buy. Basically, the more connector ports you can get, the better.
If you like to play video games, you will certainly enjoy the enhanced capabilities of high definition since it will also enhance all games played on Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. So check to make sure that there are appropriate connectors on the front or rear of the TV to enable you to connect up your video game system too.
And don't forget the surge protector. It would really be a shame to get all of this great television equipment and then damage it due to an unexpected electrical surge. It's actually cheap insurance for your HDTV.
Hopefully, this article has helped you learn about some of the terms used and the options that you have when buying your next high definition television set. |
