Watching your team in full high definition on a brand new television can make 2015 the best season ever, regardless of the score on the field. And buying a new television isn’t just great for cheering on your team, the whole family will love watching their favourite shows and movies in a higher quality than before.
But choosing a new television can be hard. It’s tempting to simply select the biggest one within your budget, but by knowing what you are looking for you can make sure that you have a television that meets your needs and provide you with the best possible viewing experience.
Types of Screens
LCD, LED or plasma. They all sound very impressive, but what is the difference between each type of different television screen?
LCD is the most common type of screen seen in cheaper televisions. In terms of picture quality LCD has been superseded by LED, and is still behind plasma, however in terms of bang for your buck LCD screens are up there as one of the best available.
If you are looking for a more expensive screen with great quality it is hard to go past an LED. Not only is the picture quality better than an LCD, but the units are generally slimmer than other types of screens.
Plasma screens also have great picture quality, but are also the most expensive on the market, only come in larger sizes and have been largely been phased out by manufacturers for the cheaper LCD and LED options.
Size Matters
When buying a new TV it can be tempting to simply buy the biggest screen for your budget. However, despite your best intentions this can actually leave you with a screen not suitable for your room and leave you with a less than optimal viewing experience.
When choosing your screen size the best place to start is with a tape measure in the room in which you’ll be viewing the TV. Measure from where you will be sitting to where the television will be in cm, and divide this distance by 3 to find the minimum size you should be looking at, and divide by 1.5 for the maximum size TV you should purchase. Simply look at screens between these numbers and find the best that meets your needs.
Energy Efficiency
It may seem surprising, but did you know that which television you choose could actually cost you up to a thousand dollars more over a ten year period in electricity bills?
Knowing the energy efficiency of the TV you are comparing is very important, not only for the environment but also for your wallet.
It goes without saying that the larger a television is the more expensive it will be to run. It simply takes more energy to operate a larger screen than it does a smaller one. But within TV sizes there can also be a large difference in operating costs depending on the energy rating of each option.
The good news is that is actually very easy to see the ongoing costs of different televisions and compare different models using the Energy Rating comparison tool available at energyrating.gov.au. Using this tool you can view the operational cost for an appliance over a ten year period. This price combined with the initial purchase price will help you to find the best value television available for your budget.
If you live in Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches and are thinking purchasing a new TV in time for this footy season, you may need to reposition power points and aerial cabling too. Our friendly Everest Electrical team welcomes your call us on 0410 229 139 to discuss your needs.