How to Buy an LCD Television with Good Picture Quality

All LCD TV's are not created equally. With so many models to choose from, how can you ensure the best picture quality?

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. The darkness of the screen is important. A darker screen provides better contrast and therefore a sharper picture will be seen. Take a good look at the screens in the store and ask the salesperson to shut off the television that is on display to really look at the screen.

2. Once you have a black screen, you can test for contrast ratio. This is a measure of how bright and dark a picture is at the same time. Basically it measures the sharpness of the image. Look for a higher contrast ratio for the best picture quality.

3. Now look for pixelation problems. That is when you can see the small colored squares that make up the picture image. When shopping for LCD's make sure you are looking at models with high resolution to avoid pixelation.

4. Color quality is another aspect to consider. If the subjects look unnatural and have reddish or lifeless tones, this cannot usually be fixed by adjusting the color scale and is an indicator of an LCD that is poor in picture in quality.

5. If you notice light spots on the television this could be backlight bleeding. An LCD is backlit from behind by a several light sources. The LCD will block out the light that is not needed for the picture. When the light is not fully blacked out, it will "bleed" into the corner of the screen or even through the screen. You will see light spots and the screen will not look fully black. To avoid this, look for models that are not known for backlight bleeding.

Tips & Warnings

• Watch a movie that has dark scenes on your television. If you play it, you will be able to test the tv for a dark black screen, backlight bleeding, contrast ratios and pixelation! Do this at the store and when you get home to test the tv.
• If you aren't satisfied with the television, return it.
• My choice: Sharp Aquos 42" LCD.

[2dogs3eyes]

on 8/13/2009 Thanks for this. My plasma just 'blew up' yesterday. Literally. :(

[jrofosho1]

on 7/28/2009 really great advice

[miketobbs]

on 2/22/2009 I found a great site called http://EverythingHDTV.com has a short list of the best HDTVs for the average buyer. They don't list the cheapest nor the best (read bleeding edge) - but the guy's conclusions on the best hdtvs were about the same as mine after i did my due dilligence. Its worth checking out at least for a starting point.