How to Design a Television Set

Many people watch television from direct satellite feeds.

Since the television has been introduced to consumers, television manufacturers have been creating more and more televisions with different aesthetics, specifications and designs. The newest wave of televisions coming out are 3DTVs, while maintaining the aesthetics that the flat-screened HDTVs (high-definition televisions) standardized. Designing a television is not entirely dependent on aesthetics--support for specific technologies must be taken into account. With over 99 percent of households in America owning at least one television, designing the proper TV has the potential to catch on quickly.

Instructions

1. Choose what kind of TV you would like to design. Each type of television set has a different standard that characterizes them, so choose what lies in your best interest. If you don't have access to high-definition television channels, you may be more interested in designing a standard-definition television (SDTV).

2. Decide on a main color for the television. Most televisions come in black or silver, leaving little room for adventuring. However, this sets the stage for a television design that could be easily characterized by its outlandish colors. If you make a television blue or green, it may fit the aesthetics of someone's room much better than others. Not everyone will be interested in a colored television, however, so keep black and silver in your catalog.

3. Choose a size. If you're designing a TV for your personal use, take the room and viewing distance into account. The Resources section will link you to the recommended size of TVs for your specific viewing distance (how far away you are from the television). If you are designing a line of products, be sure to scale the screen and the space for inputs (on the back) properly so they accommodate a wide range of consumers.

4. Determine the placement for your buttons. Regardless of how reliable most people are on the remote these days, every television needs its manual buttons on the set. Many television sets place the buttons right on the front of the TV. If you're designing an HDTV, you may want to go for the sleeker look and keep the buttons out of direct view (but accessible). Placing the buttons on the side of the TV is a great, subtle solution. Keep the buttons together and on the same side to maintain make it more user-friendly.

5. Consider what technology it will be incorporating. If high-definition, make sure you design the television to have enough space for HDMI ports (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), composite and A/V (Audio/Video) cables and whatever else you desire to equip your television with. Also, take into account the length of the power cord--not everyone has an outlet directly underneath their television.

6. Think about the remote and other accessories. Correlate the colored theme (or pictorial, if you have a certain logo you want to use) between the accessories and the television set to let the user know they all come from the same package with full support.

7. Create an icon or logo to stamp your products. Some logos are very simple and direct, such as Toshiba's. Establishing a pictorial point of reference for your product is much like the hood ornament on a car--it helps people remember your product better. Put this on the TV (not too big, as you don't want it to distract the viewer from the screen), on the remote and any other accessories that may come with the TV.

References

• Nielsenwire: DTV Adoption Now Above 99%
• Toshiba

Resources

• Crutchfield: Choosing Screen Size and Placing Your TV