Page 10 - shopping tips

If you are shopping for a new TV this holiday season, especially a flat-screen to fit in your TV lift cabinet, and you have a naturally bright living area or den, it is important to know which kind of television works best for rooms with lots of light.

Between LCD TVs and Plasma screens, both will provide outstanding picture quality and major advances in technology, such as app-capable systems and 3D-viewing. However, each TV will give you entirely different results based on their environment and viewing angle.

If you plan on viewing your TV from an angle, an LCD screen is not the right choice, as the LCD screen uses backlight and pixels, which open and close like a shutter. The further you move to the side of this “shutter” the greater the variations in picture brightness across the screen.

Plasma screens are self-lighting, which means they contain two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels between them. Each pixel contains three gas-filled cells – one for red, green and

If you are shopping for a new TV this holiday season, especially a flat-screen to fit in your TV lift cabinet, and you have a naturally bright living area or den, it is important to know which kind of television works best for rooms with lots of light.

Between LCD TVs and Plasma screens, both will provide outstanding picture quality and major advances in technology, such as app-capable systems and 3D-viewing. However, each TV will give you entirely different results based on their environment and viewing angle.

If you plan on viewing your TV from an angle, an LCD screen is not the right choice, as the LCD screen uses backlight and pixels, which open and close like a shutter. The further you move to the side of this “shutter” the greater the variations in picture brightness across the screen.

Plasma screens are self-lighting, which means they contain two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels between them. Each pixel contains three gas-filled cells – one for red, green and

Do you consider yourself a “trendy” TV-owner? Do you get a couple goose-bumps every time you raise your flat screen TV out of your TV lift cabinet? Are you also either planning to upgrade your TV or give one as a gift this holiday season? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, check out this list of the Top 5 Trendy TVS for 2010!

Before we launch right into the list, you should have a basic understanding of what makes a TV worth its weight in pixels. As you know, TVs range in price and quality, and if you don’t know what all those numbers and refresh rates mean on the sticker, you might get more than you need or, worse, not enough bang for your buck.

So let’s start with contrast ratios. Especially for larger TVs, resolution is highly important. The contrast ratio is the difference between the darkest and brightest colors the TV can display. It’s important that this number be very high. Good televisions offer at least a 6,000:1 contrast ratio.

Another important factor for buying a

Do you consider yourself a “trendy” TV-owner? Do you get a couple goose-bumps every time you raise your flat screen TV out of your TV lift cabinet? Are you also either planning to upgrade your TV or give one as a gift this holiday season? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, check out this list of the Top 5 Trendy TVS for 2010!

Before we launch right into the list, you should have a basic understanding of what makes a TV worth its weight in pixels. As you know, TVs range in price and quality, and if you don’t know what all those numbers and refresh rates mean on the sticker, you might get more than you need or, worse, not enough bang for your buck.

So let’s start with contrast ratios. Especially for larger TVs, resolution is highly important. The contrast ratio is the difference between the darkest and brightest colors the TV can display. It’s important that this number be very high. Good televisions offer at least a 6,000:1 contrast ratio.

Another important factor for buying a

Do you consider yourself a “trendy” TV-owner? Do you get a couple goose-bumps every time you raise your flat screen TV out of your TV lift cabinet? Are you also either planning to upgrade your TV or give one as a gift this holiday season? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, check out this list of the Top 5 Trendy TVS for 2010!

Before we launch right into the list, you should have a basic understanding of what makes a TV worth its weight in pixels. As you know, TVs range in price and quality, and if you don’t know what all those numbers and refresh rates mean on the sticker, you might get more than you need or, worse, not enough bang for your buck.

So let’s start with contrast ratios. Especially for larger TVs, resolution is highly important. The contrast ratio is the difference between the darkest and brightest colors the TV can display. It’s important that this number be very high. Good televisions offer at least a 6,000:1 contrast ratio.

Another important factor for buying a

Happy Black Friday!

Landing on Mashable’s list of Top 10 holiday gifts for 2010, the VIZIO XVT3SV Series TV is expected to be one of the, if not “the,” hottest-selling TVs this year because of its value and high-tech features.

An incredible, mercury-free and energy-efficient display that includes TruLED backlighting, which has the ability to brighten and dim the TV image independently across the entire screen, not just along the edges, the VIZIO XVT3SV’s 1080p full HD video display is available in 42-inch, 47-inch and 55-inch models. Exceeding the new ENERGY STAR 4.1 Guidelines, the VIZIO XVT3SV will also not drop the bottom out of your energy bill every month.

With its super-sharp 10,000,000-to-1 contrast ratios and 240Hz SPS Refresh Rate, it can project more accurate black and white levels than nearly any other competitor in its price range. But what really sets this unit apart is the accessibility to Vizeo’s Internet Apps and ability to stream media services like Amazon Video On Demand,

Happy Black Friday!

Landing on Mashable’s list of Top 10 holiday gifts for 2010, the VIZIO XVT3SV Series TV is expected to be one of the, if not “the,” hottest-selling TVs this year because of its value and high-tech features.

An incredible, mercury-free and energy-efficient display that includes TruLED backlighting, which has the ability to brighten and dim the TV image independently across the entire screen, not just along the edges, the VIZIO XVT3SV’s 1080p full HD video display is available in 42-inch, 47-inch and 55-inch models. Exceeding the new ENERGY STAR 4.1 Guidelines, the VIZIO XVT3SV will also not drop the bottom out of your energy bill every month.

With its super-sharp 10,000,000-to-1 contrast ratios and 240Hz SPS Refresh Rate, it can project more accurate black and white levels than nearly any other competitor in its price range. But what really sets this unit apart is the accessibility to Vizeo’s Internet Apps and ability to stream media services like Amazon Video On Demand,

Happy Black Friday!

Landing on Mashable’s list of Top 10 holiday gifts for 2010, the VIZIO XVT3SV Series TV is expected to be one of the, if not “the,” hottest-selling TVs this year because of its value and high-tech features.

An incredible, mercury-free and energy-efficient display that includes TruLED backlighting, which has the ability to brighten and dim the TV image independently across the entire screen, not just along the edges, the VIZIO XVT3SV’s 1080p full HD video display is available in 42-inch, 47-inch and 55-inch models. Exceeding the new ENERGY STAR 4.1 Guidelines, the VIZIO XVT3SV will also not drop the bottom out of your energy bill every month.

With its super-sharp 10,000,000-to-1 contrast ratios and 240Hz SPS Refresh Rate, it can project more accurate black and white levels than nearly any other competitor in its price range. But what really sets this unit apart is the accessibility to Vizeo’s Internet Apps and ability to stream media services like Amazon Video On Demand,

Likely to be the hottest TV gift this holiday season, 3D TVs are steadily rising in popularity and in technological capabilities. Couple that with a steady drop in prices, what more could customers ask for?

As the media entertainment envelope continues to be pushed, moving from HD to Blu-ray and now 3D, the movie industry will continue to play to the highest bidder, and right now that’s the 3D niche. In 2010, there were 25 3D movies released in theaters, and all of those, of course, were or will be released in 3D DVD versions. In 2011, the number of 3D movies is expected to top 30.

And by now everyone has heard that Lucasfilm Ltd. will be rereleasing the entire Star Wars saga in 3D, which will of course be followed by 3D DVDs. In Europe, Sky 3D is the world’s first full-time 3D TV station, which brings sports, movies and entertainment to its customers in 3D 100 percent of the time.

Many of the 3D TV holiday specials this year will feature TV kits that include free 3D-viewing glasses (required

Likely to be the hottest TV gift this holiday season, 3D TVs are steadily rising in popularity and in technological capabilities. Couple that with a steady drop in prices, what more could customers ask for?

As the media entertainment envelope continues to be pushed, moving from HD to Blu-ray and now 3D, the movie industry will continue to play to the highest bidder, and right now that’s the 3D niche. In 2010, there were 25 3D movies released in theaters, and all of those, of course, were or will be released in 3D DVD versions. In 2011, the number of 3D movies is expected to top 30.

And by now everyone has heard that Lucasfilm Ltd. will be rereleasing the entire Star Wars saga in 3D, which will of course be followed by 3D DVDs. In Europe, Sky 3D is the world’s first full-time 3D TV station, which brings sports, movies and entertainment to its customers in 3D 100 percent of the time.

Many of the 3D TV holiday specials this year will feature TV kits that include free 3D-viewing glasses (required