- LCD vs. Plasma TVs
- CR Quick Recommendations
- Ratings
- Features
- Important features
- Complete features glossary
- Repairs & reliability
- How to choose
- HDTV types
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Important features LCD TVs
LCD HDTVs typically have all the features you expect on a higher-priced television. Most LCD sets with screens 26 inches and above have 16:9 wide screens. Because some TV content is still formatted for the more squarish 4:3 screen, wide-screen sets have stretch and zoom modes that expand or compress an image to fill the screen better. This helps to reduce the dark bands that can appear on the sides or top and bottom of images if you watch content that isn't formatted for a wide screen. (The picture might be distorted or cut off a bit in the process of stretching or zooming.)
A film-mode feature improves the appearance of movies converted from film to video, including the majority of cinematic movies on DVD and some movies broadcast on cable, on satellite, or over the air. This feature is also called 3:2 pull-down, motion compensation, or brand-specific names such as CineMotion and Film Mode. It helps compensate for the difference in frame rates between film (24 frames per second) and video (30 frames per second) so moving images look less jerky and jagged around the edges. Progressive-scan DVD players have this feature as well. When watching DVDs, try enabling the feature first on the DVD player and then on the TV, and use whichever makes the images look smoother.
All TVs have menus with settings that enable you to adjust the video, audio, and more. With more sources for video available all the time, it's handy to have a feature that allows you to customize settings for each input, such as the one you routinely use for your cable box or the DVD player. For example, you might want sharpness set to its lowest level when watching high-quality DVDs routed through the HDMI input, but a higher sharpness setting to improve the appearance of standard-definition programs coming in through the component-video input.
CableCard slots let you use a card, provided by the cable company for a small rental fee, instead of a cable box. There aren't many LCD TVs that are CableCard-ready currently on the market. When the card is inserted, the TV can receive scrambled digital-cable content, including high-definition programming. This eliminates the need for an extra piece of equipment and cables, but there is a downside: Current CableCards are one-way, so they don't provide an interactive program guide or video-on-demand, and pay-per-view ordering via the remote control. But some TVs have a built-in program guide, such as TV Guide On Screen, that displays eight days of programming in a searchable, interactive format.
Picture-in-picture (PIP) lets you watch two channels at once, one in a small box, the other as a full-screen image. It's useful if you want to browse the onscreen guide while keeping an eye on the program you're watching, or keep track of a sports event while another program is playing.
A single-tuner TV requires another device with a tuner, such as a VCR or cable box, to display two programs at once; dual-tuner models are able to display two programs simultaneously on their own.
One of the most important points to consider with any TV is the number and type of inputs it has. There are several types that can handle high-definition signals: HDMI, DVI, component-video, and RF (antenna/cable). HDMI and DVI inputs provide a digital connection to devices such as DVD players, digital-cable boxes, and satellite receivers. HDMI carries audio and video on one cable. DVI carries only video and must be used with separate audio cables; they are much less common than HDMI and show up mostly on smaller sets that can double as a computer display. The digital-to-digital connection might enhance picture quality, though that hasn't always been the case in our tests so far.
Component-video inputs are analog; they use red, green, and blue RCA jacks to carry the video and must be used with separate audio cables. Most new TVs have two component-video and two HDMI inputs; some have three or four HDMI connections. The RF input can be used to get digital signals, including HD, from an off-air antenna. Other analog inputs on new TVs include composite-video and S-video, used mostly for equipment such as VCRs. Inputs on the front or side of a set are more accessible than those in the rear, but also more visible.
Some LCD sets have a memory-card slot. This enables you to view still photos or videos from a digital camera. You can connect a camera or camcorder directly to the TV if it has a PictBridge, USB, or IEEE 1394/Firewire input.
A VGA input lets a TV accept signals from virtually any computer; DVI inputs are compatible mostly with newer midrange computers.
A headphone jack is handy if you want to listen to a TV show or a DVD without disturbing others.
An illuminated remote—either backlit or with glow-in-the-dark keys—is handy in a dim setting. Backlighting is preferred since glow-in-the-dark keys fade quickly.
In addition to such universal features, others are more specific to this type of set. The location of the speakers is one example. On some LCD models, the speakers are on both sides of the screen; on others, they're below it. That affects the width of the set and could determine whether it will fit into a niche in an entertainment center, for example. On some LCD TVs, speakers are detachable. That can be a plus if you want to fit the TV into a particular space or position the speakers away from the screen.
A panel's ability to tilt and swivel also varies, so see whether a given model can be adjusted as much as you'd like.
LCD HDTVs typically have all the features you expect on a higher-priced television. Most LCD sets with screens 26 inches and above have 16:9 wide screens. Because some TV content is still formatted for the more squarish 4:3 screen, wide-screen sets have stretch and zoom modes that expand or compress an image to fill the screen better. This helps to reduce the dark bands that can appear on the sides or top and bottom of images if you watch content that isn't formatted for a wide screen. (The picture might be distorted or cut off a bit in the process of stretching or zooming.)
A film-mode feature improves the appearance of movies converted from film to video, including the majority of cinematic movies on DVD and some movies broadcast on cable, on satellite, or over the air. This feature is also called 3:2 pull-down, motion compensation, or brand-specific names such as CineMotion and Film Mode. It helps compensate for the difference in frame rates between film (24 frames per second) and video (30 frames per second) so moving images look less jerky and jagged around the edges. Progressive-scan DVD players have this feature as well. When watching DVDs, try enabling the feature first on the DVD player and then on the TV, and use whichever makes the images look smoother.
All TVs have menus with settings that enable you to adjust the video, audio, and more. With more sources for video available all the time, it's handy to have a feature that allows you to customize settings for each input, such as the one you routinely use for your cable box or the DVD player. For example, you might want sharpness set to its lowest level when watching high-quality DVDs routed through the HDMI input, but a higher sharpness setting to improve the appearance of standard-definition programs coming in through the component-video input.
CableCard slots let you use a card, provided by the cable company for a small rental fee, instead of a cable box. There aren't many LCD TVs that are CableCard-ready currently on the market. When the card is inserted, the TV can receive scrambled digital-cable content, including high-definition programming. This eliminates the need for an extra piece of equipment and cables, but there is a downside: Current CableCards are one-way, so they don't provide an interactive program guide or video-on-demand, and pay-per-view ordering via the remote control. But some TVs have a built-in program guide, such as TV Guide On Screen, that displays eight days of programming in a searchable, interactive format.
Picture-in-picture (PIP) lets you watch two channels at once, one in a small box, the other as a full-screen image. It's useful if you want to browse the onscreen guide while keeping an eye on the program you're watching, or keep track of a sports event while another program is playing.
A single-tuner TV requires another device with a tuner, such as a VCR or cable box, to display two programs at once; dual-tuner models are able to display two programs simultaneously on their own.
One of the most important points to consider with any TV is the number and type of inputs it has. There are several types that can handle high-definition signals: HDMI, DVI, component-video, and RF (antenna/cable). HDMI and DVI inputs provide a digital connection to devices such as DVD players, digital-cable boxes, and satellite receivers. HDMI carries audio and video on one cable. DVI carries only video and must be used with separate audio cables; they are much less common than HDMI and show up mostly on smaller sets that can double as a computer display. The digital-to-digital connection might enhance picture quality, though that hasn't always been the case in our tests so far.
Component-video inputs are analog; they use red, green, and blue RCA jacks to carry the video and must be used with separate audio cables. Most new TVs have two component-video and two HDMI inputs; some have three or four HDMI connections. The RF input can be used to get digital signals, including HD, from an off-air antenna. Other analog inputs on new TVs include composite-video and S-video, used mostly for equipment such as VCRs. Inputs on the front or side of a set are more accessible than those in the rear, but also more visible.
Some LCD sets have a memory-card slot. This enables you to view still photos or videos from a digital camera. You can connect a camera or camcorder directly to the TV if it has a PictBridge, USB, or IEEE 1394/Firewire input.
A VGA input lets a TV accept signals from virtually any computer; DVI inputs are compatible mostly with newer midrange computers.
A headphone jack is handy if you want to listen to a TV show or a DVD without disturbing others.
An illuminated remote—either backlit or with glow-in-the-dark keys—is handy in a dim setting. Backlighting is preferred since glow-in-the-dark keys fade quickly.
In addition to such universal features, others are more specific to this type of set. The location of the speakers is one example. On some LCD models, the speakers are on both sides of the screen; on others, they're below it. That affects the width of the set and could determine whether it will fit into a niche in an entertainment center, for example. On some LCD TVs, speakers are detachable. That can be a plus if you want to fit the TV into a particular space or position the speakers away from the screen.
A panel's ability to tilt and swivel also varies, so see whether a given model can be adjusted as much as you'd like.
