Buying a new TV

This is a Learning Centre article, a multi-part series to be expanded regularly.

So, you're looking to buy a new television. Or maybe, you've bought yourself a TV and are looking to make the most of it. Where do you start?

You've probably pored through a Harvey Norman catalogue or two and been a bit confused by all the options. A flatscreen is a flatscreen right? Surely you just need to get the cheapest one you can? Well, no. There's a lot more to consider than that. But it need not be a navel-gazing experience. You just need to consider a few quick, simple things to ensure you're getting the right screen for your needs. There's no point picking up a cheap TV, getting it home and then feeling bitterly disappointed. We can help you find the display for you and take some of the mysticism out of the jargon used as well.

If you have a TV already we can definitely help you there. While you've obviously worked out whether plasma or LCD is the technology for you there are still some things to consider: things such as "how do I get the best possible picture" and "how do I add a surround sound system"?

Through this set of tutorials we'll walk you through everything you'll need to know to make informed choices about home cinema technologies. Even if you're well-practised in the art of building a home theatre cinema system we hope you'll also find something useful in these pages.

Where do I start?

We've broken the process down into chapters for you beginning with how to choose between LCD and plasma — the two biggest display technologies. Then we'll cover some tips and tricks on how to get the best deal on a television. If you already have one, then you simply skip to the next section. Then we'll cover how to set-up the TV — even if you've had the set for a while it may not be optimised for your room, which means it could be causing you eye strain or other problems.

In future sections we'll cover sources such as DVD and set-top boxes and how to get the best picture out of them.