TV Buying Guide
Our TV Buying Guide
Choosing a TV that is right for you
There is a TV for virtually every room in the house nowadays. To help you decide we've put together a guide to talk you through these exciting features, what all the jargon means and how you can confidently choose the right television for you.
Television technology explained
Screen size
The distance between the TV and where you'll be sitting to watch it will affect what size will give you the best viewing experience. As a general rule TVs up to 22" are best for distances of 1.5-2.4m, up to 32" for less than 3m away, up to 42" for less than 3.6m and the biggest screen sizes for any distance above 3.6m.
Freeview
Freeview is the easiest way to enjoy digital TV and radio for free. There are up to 48 digital TV channels and over 20 radio stations, all with no subscription, no contract & no fuss. All Freeview TVs are ready for the Digital Switchover. You will need a traditional aerial to receive Freeview. A more detailed guide to Freeview can be found here
Click here to read more about the Freeview guide
PC input
Many televisions offer a PC input so you can hook up your PC. Gaming enthusiasts will love bringing all the HD enhancements to their favourite games.
LCD v Plasma
There is no longer a significant difference between LCD and plasma TVs in terms of picture quality - they are simply two different types of technology. However it is worth bearing in mind that LCDs are lighter and slimmer and therefore generally easier to wall mount.
Buy a Plasma TV from Tesco.com
HDMI
To link HD equipment together HDMI cables must be used so that the high-definition image and sound quality can be transferred from the device to the TV without any loss in quality. The more HDMI ports the TV has, the more HD equipment can be connected at any one time.
Click here for more info and an LCD TV buying guide
Programme guides
An electronic programme guide, or EPG, is an electronic version of a TV guide that easily lets you see which programmes are on what channels and when, up to a week in advance.
Full HD & HD ready
HD ready TVs offer a stunning picture compared to traditional CRT and older LCD TVs. Full HD TVs offer the best picture quality currently available, with unbelievable definition and amazing clarity.
100Hz
This technology takes any signal - be it standard or high definition, from a TV broadcast, games console, DVD player or any other source - and makes the action on the TV smoother than ever before. TVs with this technology are perfect for watching sports and movies or for playing games on.
Contrast & brightness
Contrast is a measure of deep colours and shadows. Brightness gives an indication as to how powerful the screen is. Generally speaking the higher the number the better the TV picture, however high brightness is only a real benefit if the TV is used in a very bright room. Buy a TV from Tesco.com