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Your LCD HDTV Guide

March 19th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Shopping For an LCD HDTV Can Be Confusing. That’s Why Best HDTV Reviews Has Put Together This Handy LCD HDTV Guide

Anybody shopping for an LCD HDTV can quickly find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of information available. The manufacturers provide plenty of information on all of their models, and of course all that information is presented in a way that makes their televisions look better than the competition’s. If you want to know what is really important to look at when comparing models and what is just marketing, read our handy (and short!) LCD HDTV guide.

What to Look For

There are six only important considerations when shopping for an LCD HDTV:

• resolution
• aspect ratio
• contrast ratio
• response time
• viewing angle

There are six primary resolutions that the LCD HDTVs can display: 480i, 480p, 720p, 960p, 1080i, and 1080p. This is an easy decision to make: you want 1080p. 1080p is the clearest, most vivid picture of all the resolutions. If the television you are looking at is not capable of displaying 1080p, move on to the next one.

All HDTV units have a widescreen aspect ratio. When looking for the best LCD HDTV, you will have to choose between 16:9 ratio and 16:10. 16:9 is the most common, and is the same aspect ratio that movies are shown in a theater. The only advantage that 16:10 has is that more of your screen will be used when you are watching a non-widescreen source, such as regular non-high definition television programming. If the majority of what you will be watching will not be natively widescreen, such as really old movies and television programs, choose a 16:10 ratio; otherwise, go for 16:9.

Nowadays, the contrast ratio of LCD televisions is frequently listed twice, once as a “dynamic” contrast ratio, and once as a “true” contrast ratio. The most accurate number is the true contrast ratio. The higher this number is, the better: brighter whites, darker blacks, and everything in between more vibrant and accurate. The true contrast ratio of the best LCD HDTVs will be at least 1000:1.

The response time is another easy decision. All the best LCD HDTVs have an 8ms response time or lower. If the response time of the television you are considering is less than 8ms, great. If the response time is greater, find another unit to look at.

The final technical consideration you need to look at is the viewing angle. This is where the art of selecting the best LCD HDTV comes in. The technology used in LCD televisions will render the image invisible if the viewer is too far to the side. The best angle to watch the unit from is straight on. If the location of the unit is such that the viewers will all be looking straight at it, then the viewing angle is less important. But if many of the viewers will be to the sides of the unit, then the viewing angle becomes more important. Older LCD televisions have viewing angles of about 90 degrees; that is, 45 degrees to either side of center. That may be enough if the unit will be in a small room, but if you are outfitting a large room, you will want the viewing angle to be as close to 180 degrees as possible. The best LCD HDTVs have a viewing angle of between 160 and 178 degrees.

What to Ignore

There is one major selling point for LCD HDTVs that you can ignore: refresh rate. Most have a refresh rate of 60 Hz, while newer models are starting to feature a 120 Hz refresh rate. The refresh rate used to be important with CRT televisions, because if the pixel wasn’t refreshed quickly enough, its brightness would fade which created a flickering effect. Because pixels in LCD HDTVs don’t turn off until they’re told to, the frequency with which the pixel is refreshed isn’t important. Instead, look at the response time.

With the information in this LCD HDTV guide, you should now be able to make an informed decision. The best thing to do is to make a list of the models you are considering and compare them to this guide. Cross off the units that don’t measure up, then compare the other features like connections to come up with the LCD HDTV you want to buy.

You can browse and purchase LCD HDTVs and thousands of other HDTV products at eBay and Amazon.com.

Vizio HD TV Gives a Low Price, With Average Performance

February 28th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

You Can Get Into the HD TV Game Cheap With Vizio, But Don’t Expect Stellar Results

Vizio HD TV is attracting a lot of interest among budget-conscious buyers because their flat panel HD TVs are affordably priced, both for plasma and LCD models. Many buyers are reluctant to buy inexpensive TVs from manufacturers of less than stellar repute, but now that many thousands have tested the Vizio HD TV offerings, there is some useful feedback available that shed more light on its advantages, and not just its drawbacks.

Not Comparable to Sony or Pioneer

The 52 inch GV52LFHDTV10A LCD is one of the most popular Vizio HD TV models, and can be easily found at big-box stores like Costco and Wal-Mart. According to the experts, it is certainly a decent quality HD TV model that is well worth checking out. Of course, it is not in the same league as Sony or Pioneer HD TV, but it is still not a bad choice compared to other brands because it boasts many of the good features that you would normally only find on high-end TVs, most important being full 1080p native resolution.

This particular Vizio HD TV 52 inch model has a Picture-in-Picture feature as well as an integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HD TV tuner, allowing you to pick receive over-the-air HD signals if you are located in a major market area. In addition, there are loads of input options, including four HDMI inputs, that let you connect other gadgets to this Vizio HD TV, such as a DVD player or game console. The biggest downside to this Vizio HD TV is its rather poor quality sound, though you can get around that by connecting it to a surround sound system.

How Vizio Keep Their Prices So Low

Essentially, Vizio HD TVs are built by bolting together components with decent specs that they buy at low cost in bulk from other manufacturers. This strategy combined with big sales volumes from selling through stores like Costco and Wal-Mart is what ensures that the price of a Vizio HD TV 52 inch unit to be rock bottom. Producing their units in Thailand instead of Taiwan or even China also helps explain why these TVs are among the cheapest available.

Some would opine, of course, that the performance you can expect these TVs will be as low as the price. There is of course the possibility of a certain amount of disappointment if you by a Vizio HD TV and it fails to impress you with its performance. However, when you can pick up a 52 inch HD TV at a MSRP of $2,499.99 (which means it will probably be much less in-store) with Picture-in-Picture, detachable speakers, acceptable contrast, and the base is included, you really need to consider Vizio as a serious option when shopping for an HD TV.

You can find the Vizio GV52LF for sale on Amazon.com, or browse for other Vizio HD TVs. You may also be able to find the Vizio GV52LF available on eBay, or browse for other Vizio HD TVs.

Watching High Definition Content With a HD TV Tuner for Laptops

February 22nd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

A HD TV Tuner for Your Laptop is a Great Way to Watch High Definition Content While You’re Away From Home

If you want portable high definition content, there’s no better way than with a HD TV tuner for laptops. Most laptop LCD monitors can play 720p high definition content at the absolute minimum, and many are capable of displaying even 1080p high definition content. More and more laptops are being sold today are wide-screen, which increases the options available to you for high definition content. To watch this beautiful content, all you’ll need is a HD TV tuner for your laptop.

Easy as Plugging in a Mouse

Laptops, unlike regular desktop computers, are not designed to have parts added or swapped by the user. The HD TV tuner for your laptop will therefore need to plug into a USB port, just like a mouse. The latest versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and MacOS X can play HD content out of the box, so there’s no software needed for this functionality. All you’ll need to do is install a driver (a small program which allows the HD TV tuner to communicate with your laptop), and in many cases your operating system will do this automatically for you as soon as you hook up the HD TV tuner to your laptop.

HD Sources

There’s no point to buying a HD TV tuner for your laptop if there is no content to watch with it. Fortunately, many high definition programs are broadcast over the air and can be picked up with an antenna, which is usually included with the HD TV tuner. The included antenna probably won’t be of more than passable quality, and if you’re having trouble picking up HD broadcasts when you’re on the road, you may want to look into buying a higher-quality antenna separately. If you have a cable or satellite television subscription service, you can also connect the coaxial cable to the HD TV tuner for your laptop and watch high definition content that way. Of course, this may be somewhat inconvenient if your laptop isn’t a permanent fixture on your desktop.

What About Blu-ray?

It would be nice to be able to plug in a Blu-ray DVD player to your laptop and watch high definition content. Unfortunately, copyright concerns have prompted the content providers to manufacture Blu-ray players without the capability to output to a laptop or a HD TV tuner connected to your laptop. The only way to watch Blu-ray content on a laptop computer is to buy a new laptop from a major manufacturer (such as HP or Dell) which comes with a Blu-ray DVD drive already installed and is certified to play Blu-ray content.

An HD TV tuner for your laptop is a great option if you spend a lot of time on the road and want to be able to watch high definition content in your hotel room.

You can browse and purchase HD TV tuners for laptops and thousands of other HDTV products at eBay and Amazon.com.

Comparing Plasma vs. LCD HD TV to Find the Best

February 15th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The number of models and the amount of information out there can be overwhelming for anyone considering buying a HD TV. Every store pushes the latest and most expensive models, claiming that it’s the best that money can buy. As with all technology, the next HD TV that comes out will probably be better than the model before it.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t find a HD TV that fits your budget while still giving you an outstanding entertainment experience. With a little research and testing of models in a store, you can compare plasma vs. LCD HD TV to find the model that best suits you.

LCD or Plasma?

LCD and plasma are the two types of HD TV that dominate the market. A comparison of plasma vs. LCD HD TV models can make them both seem similar. There are, however, a few subtle differences and when you compare them you can notice the differences, which will go a long way toward helping you find the better TV. If you make a comparison of HD TV performance in a darkened room you will find that they both do exceptionally well. However there is a slight difference in brightly lit rooms, an LCD HDTV does better in bright rooms. During the day you may find that the detail and vivid colors on your plasma HDTV is not as bright as it is at night.

When making a comparison of plasma vs LCD HD TV color and image quality you will find that there is a subtle difference in LCD models. LCD models have a better color quality but this can fade over time as the LCD back lights dim. You will have to replace the back light to regain the picture quality that you first had when you bought your TV. This can be a real problem, however some brands have developed back lights that have a long life span so that you don’t have to worry about this.

The plasma HD TV is definitely superior to the LCD HD TV in terms of viewing angles. Crisp details can be lost on an LCD HD TV, depending on the viewing angle. The image on an LCD HD TV can seem gray and faded, and the colors can look different. Older LCD models also had blurring problems when watching fast motion, but newer models have largely managed to overcome this problem. Before deciding on an LCD model, make sure you watch some scenes from a fast action movie to make sure there is no blurring.

You can browse and purchase plasma and LCD HD TV models and thousands of other HD TV products at eBay and Amazon.com.

Buying a Refurb Flat Panel LCD HDTV Can Save You Tons of Money

February 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Get a Like-new HDTV With a Factory Warranty at Half the Price

It is not unusual for a factory reconditioned product to actually be better and more reliable than a new one right out of the box. It will also be much cheaper; buying a refurb flat panel LCD HDTV can save you as much as 40 to 50 percent off the cost of a brand new one. If you purchase it from a factory authorized reseller or from the factory itself, a refurb flat panel LCD HDTV will even come with the original factory warranty.

Often times, a television is returned to the retailer when there is nothing wrong with the unit. Usually this is because the person had trouble setting it up or did not have high definition capability in the home and thought the television was not working properly. A returned unit is checked out by the factory or an authorized repair center and once it is determined to be working properly, it is sold as a refurb flat panel LCD HDTV.

Refurbished products cannot legally be sold as new, so instead of trashing the unit they are sold as refurb flat panel LCD HDTVs to the next consumer a much better price than a new one. Essentially, the consumer is getting a television that was gone over by a qualified repair technician who has determined it to be in perfect working order, and now does not have to worry about how to dispose of the original box, which some people find so important when buying a new television.

The Warranty is Very Important for Refurbished Merchandise

When a product is returned to the manufacturer, it goes either to the factory or to a third-party authorize center, where an inspection is performed. If there is something wrong with the unit that will cost too much to fix, the whole thing is usually trashed. But, if it is determined that it can be fixed and returned to like-new condition, then repairs are performed and the unit ix boxed and sold as a refurb flat panel LCD HDTV.

The federal laws governing the sale of refurbished equipment state that all refurb flat panel LCD HDTV units must be clearly marked as such. Many retailers will treat them as used and send them back to the factory; however, some will have them checked out by their own technicians check them out before selling them as used. In either case, purchasing a refurb flat panel LCD HDTV should include the factory warranty. If it does not, don’t buy it and either go to another retailer or spend the money on a new one.

Visit Second Act for great deals on refurbished HDTVs, overstock HDTVs, closeout HDTVs and other refurbished electronics.

Shining Olevia HD TV Reviews - The New Kid On the Block

January 30th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

If the Olevia HD TV Reviews Are This Good, They Must Be Doing Something Right

The new kid on the high definition television block is Olevia HDTV. Olevia is like a popular new kid - everybody at school thinks they’re pretty cool.

Some Information on the Company Behind Olevia HDTV

Olevia HDTV is a brand that is owned by the Syntax-Brillian Corporation, which was formed in November 2005. The company was a merger of Syntax, which started shipping wide screen LCD HDTV sets in 2004, and Brillian Corporation, which produced a product listed as PC Magazine’s “best rear projection TV” in the magazine’s 2005 holiday gift guide.

The company also owns the Vivitar digital still and video camera brand. If you’re an investor who thinks Syntax-Brillian might be a good buy, recent shares sold at $3.83 per share on the NASDAQ Exchange. According to information publicly available to potential investors, 2008 revenues are expected to be between $650 million and $685 million.

Top Olevia HD TV Reviews

Amazon has awarded the 27 inch Olevia 227-S11 HDTV Widescreen high definition television its highest rating: five stars.

Customer Ratings (at the time of writing):

• 5-star: four customers
• 4-star: one customer

Charlesn of New York wrote that this set has the highest quality to price ratio on the market. On the downside, Charlesn also wrote that technical support for this model was basically non-existent.

W.W. from Bellevue, Washington, disagreed with Charlesn about Olevia customer service. He had screen problems after about six months with his Olevia HDTV after the video processor blew out. He wrote that Olevia “quickly replaced the blown unit without any obstacles or issues.”

Drew from Boston, Massachusetts, wrote, “This is a great TV.” He especially liked the value of the Olevia HDTV and wrote that “the price I got it for just blew all others out of the water.”

The Olevia HDTV with the most customer reviews on amazon is the Syntax Olevia HDTV model no. LT30HV, a 30 inch HD-ready flat panel LCD TV.

Gadgester, of New York, pronounced Olevia a “great entry-level LCD TV.” C. Tizano, of Los Angeles, California, compared the brightness and contrast specifications of the Olevia HDTV to the specs for models in the $2,500 to $3,500 price range. That is high praise for an HDTV that sells for about $650.

The Syntax Olevia 242V 42″ LCD HDTV is another top-rated Olevia HDTV model. Badger, of Wisconsin, wrote that he had never written a product review before, but he was so impressed by the spectacular picture on his new set, he was breaking out of his shell to write a review.

With these impressive Olevia HD TV reviews, this new kid is sure to be around for a long time.

You can browse and purchase Olevia HDTVs and thousands of other HDTV products at eBay and Amazon.com.

New: Check out our review of Olevia’s 537H LCD HDTV.

Copyright © 2008 Best HDTV Reviews

Credits: Make Money Online | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund