What size?
Do you REALLY need that 80" TV? Can you get away with a 32"? The size of a TV is how far across the TV is measured diagonally and there's really 2 important factors to think about here. First is your budget, obviously if you can't afford a 60" TV, it doesn't matter how big you wish it was. Second, is how big of a room will it be in, and how far will you sit from it?
THX recommends measuring where your TV will be to the center of your couch, and then using the following guide:
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| 80" Sharp LED : $3,995.00 |
- 3.5-5 feet away: Get a 35-inch class TV
- 4-6 feet away: Get a 40-inch class TV
- 5-7.5 feet away: Get a 50-inch class TV
- 6-9 feet away: Get a 60-inch class TV
Resolution
More often then not unless you're looking for a TV under 32" you'll never even see an option for anything below 1080p. The other, newer option that's coming out is 4K. At this point in time, there's not many services offering anything higher than 4K but the future is coming faster than you'd think. 4K TV's are dropping in price, and if you're looking for something long term you might want to invest in it if you don't want to buy a new TV in the next 5 years to get the best picture.
Plasma or LED?
Realistically, LED is the way of the future. For a long time plasma was a great option and many(including myself) loved it for it's deep, dark blacks and the 600hz refresh rate, much faster than any LCD based TV has yet to achieve. Unfortunately, even Panasonic the leading plasma TV developer has announced it's no longer going to produce such devices. LED is lighter, brighter, better in high light situations and of course takes up much less energy.
Ports ports and more ports!
Most everything these days is through an HDMI port unless you're looking to connect up to the internet via ethernet(although most have built in WiFi in so called "smart" tv's).
Even Google Chromecast hooks up to an HDMI port. Count up all your goodies you're going to hook directly into the TV - Games Consoles, Blu-Ray, Cable boxes - and make sure you've got enough to start. The time this doesn't matter is if you're going to use a surround sound receiver that has all the ports you could ever need, which will then plug into your TV with a single HDMI cord.
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| 6.5 ft HDMI cable - $5.79 |
Refresh rate
The refresh rate determines how fast the TV can update the image, meaning that in faster moving movies, sports or games it will have smoother motion without the blur. Most TV's now have at least 120hz, although some smaller ones still offer 60hz as well as some "off-brands". 240hz is a great upgrade, but when you reach 480hz it's very hard for the human eye to tell the difference. You'll also want to make sure it's a true refresh rate, and not a software system smoothing it out as these can make mistakes and ruin parts of your favorite daytime drama.
3D...or not
3D TV is cool now and again in theaters, but do you really want to sit on your couch and wear those horrible glasses to watch a 3D Blu-Ray movie on your 42" TV?
Probably not. Most companies have abandoned the idea of 3D programming at least for now, but if you'd like to invest feel free.
Final thoughts
In the end, it all depends what looks best to you. Hit up a few local stores and see what brands you like, do some research and pick what's going to be best for you. A lot of the times with TV's like most things, you can find better deals online.
Get out there, snag yourself a great deal, and enjoy your new purchase!!
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