 
by Maurice Lewis
O.K., so you're ready to move ahead and select a television for your home theater system. You understand what television resolution means (the more lines the better), how it impacts you what aspect ratio the television is, so you're ready to go. Well, not quite, there are a couple other questions you'll have to ask yourself, but these are pretty easy, so don't be afraid.
Essentially, you will need to decide between a standard, NTSC direct-view television, a more widescreen television such as a plasma screen, or a projection system.
Here's the easy part: if you're like 99.9% of us out there, you can only afford your standard television and you are a couple promotions away from getting a 50 inch plasma screen television. So, that's going to automatically limit you to a direct-view television. What do I mean when I say a "direct-view" television? That's the basic, run-of-the-mill, Sony or Panasonic or whatever that lines the walls of your local Circuit City or Best Buy. These are pretty much exclusively available in the standard 4:3 aspect ratio, with a few widescreen exceptions, which will be more numerous as HDTV becomes more readily available. In the meantime, this should be fine for most of you, just remember to look for "letterboxed" DVDs or videotapes so you get your widescreen experience despite your sets limited aspect ratio.
Now, I'll give a quick overview of plasma screen and projection television sets, but that is not the focus of this section, since we are going to assume you don't have those kind of dollars (If you do, give me a call, I have some good charities you can donate to).
Plasma screen or flat TV screens have been making a big splash, primarily with the proliferation of annoying Phillips television ads featuring "generation-X'ers" putting up a plasma screen TV in their little apartment. Well, these are some spoiled kids, because those television screens cost over $10,000. It takes an incredibly cool technology to achieve this picture in only 6 inches of depth. A layer of gas is squeezed in between thin glass substrates, which in turn are "electrified" by electrodes to generate light. Sounds neat, right? Well, if money is no object, you too can spent 10 bills on a television, rather than say, oh, maybe a first-class around the world vacation.
Another expensive option is a projection television system, but these at least make more economic sense than the flat-screen TVs because of the size of the picture. The projection screens come in two options, rear- and front-projection systems. Both use a projector with three tubes with red, green, and blue colored phosphors. You've seen many of these types of systems on airplanes. The front-projection system is easier to install and maintain. A more in-depth feature on projection systems will come in the near future, but in the meantime, those of us who don't have quite that level of disposable income will proceed to normal television sets.
Now, back to reality. You, in all likelihood will be looking for a normal television. This article will not get into competing brands and models, which is extremely important. A complete buyer's guide will be coming shortly. In the meantime, we're going to discuss matters of size.
Sizes of direct-view televisions range from 13" to 40". If you're contemplating setting up a home-theater system, banish all thoughts of anything below 27". A 27" TV is pretty much the standard size found in most homes. The reason for this is simple: besides the fact that it is a decent size which satisfies most consumers, it costs only a little less to get a much smaller TV. Conversely, it costs significantly more to buy a slightly larger set. So, to most, a 27" set is a good balance between size and price.
Real connoisseurs of home-theater systems claim that the minimum size your television set should be to truly appreciate films, often "letterboxed" films, is 32". Once you start getting larger than that, the mechanics of direct-view sets dictate that the screen become more curved. When you get into the 35" to 40" range, this curve can become quite distracting. My best advice to you is to buy a 32" if you can afford it, and no less than a 27".
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure whatever set you buy, it has an input for an S-Video Cable. This may be very important for connecting a DVD player to your system. Now, we will move on to discuss your next component of the home-theater system, the VCR and/or DVD player. |
