Best LCD TV Models - Buying Advice

The battle about who has “the best LCD TV” is a constant theme among the TV vendors.

As with many other aspects of the LCD TV market, what’s “best” is constantly changing and depends on what it is you’re looking for from a TV.

Screen size
Picture quality, especially say with sport
Connectivity/flexibility
Aesthetic factors i.e. does it blend in with your decor
Whether you have a preferred brand
And of course price.

There is an ongoing game of claim and counter claim by the various TV manufacturers that they have the “best panel” and a superior picture processing technology that delivers images to a screen that are “more natural”, “brighter”, “clearer”, “faster” etc than their competitors.

Are there differences between LCD TVs? Yes for sure.
Do these differences change over time? Also Yes for sure, so Brand A might be the leader right now but won’t necessarily still be the leader 3 or 6 months from now.
Do product reviews turn up different results? Yes (i.e. the same products are not always preferred by different reviewers).

So by all means read TV reviews, but our recommendation has always been and still remains, make sure you look at and listen to several different LCD TV models, ideally spread across your budget range.

Take your time and keep a DVD with you so you can use the same picture source for each comparison. Typically the shops will be using a special DVD that makes the TV look extra good. To find the best LCD TV for yourself you need to answer questions such as:

Does the picture look natural? Bright and vivid pictures look good at first glance but can be tiring and unnatural for extended viewing.
Are the TVs settings on ‘normal’?
Is the fine detail clear?
What is the picture like with broadcast TV signals vs DVD replay?

If you find an LCD TV in your budget that you think is clearly better than the others to your own taste, then your job is to get the best deal for that particular model.

Remember also local warranty and support with set up and/or installation if you want that are also worth real money.

Some low cost, online retailers have poor track records, so if somebody you don’t recognise is offering the best price it’s worth researching their customer service history on the internet at review sites. In the broader scheme of things, it’s usually worth paying a little more for local service.

Good shopping.

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