Who knew a rectangular box that displayed colored light would be one of the most influential devices we would own for a decent amount of our lives? Television is often a hot topic of conversation since the majority of us own at least one which we religiously watch on a daily basis. Not to mention, televisions are so much lighter and thinner these days that so many public establishments have them displayed for their customers to enjoy.
Through the decades, television has evolved from the lovely tube, to projection/DLP, and of course the flat screen style. Manufactures at the most recent CES show just released their latest creation, the curved television. Gimmick or not, this will be the trend for years to come.
Now that this year’s CES in the books, and football season is coming to an end, this is the perfect time for you to be in the market for a new television. The latest trends and newest features have been released for this year so now the ball is in your court. WhiteFence has put together an informative guide for purchasing a new television in 2014.
Here is WhiteFence.com’s ultimate buying television guide for 2014:
Research
The best place to start researching your purchase is by searching online for the most popular and highest rated televisions on the market this year. There are numerous sites that test, review, and provide an in-depth analysis of electronic products. After you have read a substantial amount of articles, narrow down your choices to the televisions that are best suitable for your particular needs.
Also, take note of the brand, model, and price of these televisions. This information will be valuable for future reference.
Along with researching online, it is a great idea to talk to your friends and family members that have purchased a television in the past few months. Not only can they provide useful information about their shopping experience, you actually have the benefit of watching the television in a home style setting.
Plasma vs. LCD
This has been the ultimate debate for the past decade in the television market.
Plasmas particularly offer warmer colors, great black levels, the smoothest most natural motion, and they are generally cheaper most of the time. This is a great option if you enjoy watching movies and or shows that produce a large amount of black or dark colors.
Another reason to consider a plasma TV is that manufacturers are slowly moving away from the plasma style TV. This is particularly good in terms of a reduction in cost, so you should be able to get your hands on one for a fairly good deal.
However, the biggest issue with plasmas is that they omit the most amount of heat as well as using the most amount of energy out of the two. It is clearly not the most environmentally friendly product but is great if you enjoy watching movies!
On the flip side, LCDs are generally lighter and thinner than plasmas and are noticeably brighter as well. If you plan on watching action sports during the day in a brightly lit room, this would be the optimal choice. You can virtually watch from almost any angle comfortably. If you are concerned about not receiving the smoothest motion for action sports, you should make sure the refresh rate you choose is 120 or 240 HZ.
LCDs are also usually competitively priced for the budget conscience consumer. This is why most of the TVs you see in homes or public places tend to be the LCD style. They are affordable so there really is no reason why you shouldn’t own one or more of these.
LED TVs
Traditionally, plasma and LCDs have been the most purchased type of television. Currently, the LED television is becoming more popular among the TV buyers, especially since the price for one is more affordable.
The key difference between a LCD TV and a LED TV is the backlighting method. LCD’s use fluorescent backlighting to light the TV, and then green, blue, and red color filters are used to manipulate the colors on the screen. LED TVs, on the other hand, actually use LEDs as the light source instead of fluorescent backlighting. This LED technology makes tuning the colors more precise as well as making the TV more energy efficient.
3D TVs
For the past 2-3 years TV manufacturers have looked towards the 3D feature to entice consumers to purchase their product. Though the trend sounds cool to the common person, this really isn’t an innovative piece of technology that is brand new. I distinctly remember watching 3D movies when I was a child and all we had to do was put on a cool pair of red and blue shaded glasses to view the movie.
Not much has changed since then, especially since a pair of glasses is still required to view 3D content. Not to mention, 3D glasses are expensive and everyone in the room would need a pair to view the content together. The other big issue is 3D content. There are only a couple hundred 3D Blu-ray titles that are available and only a couple of channels which offer 3D programming. These on-demand channels never really took off like the providers thought they would so expect the majority of 3D channels to disappear this year.
Lastly, the 3D option is an inexpensive feature TV manufactures add on to a model to drive the cost of the TV up. Yes, it’s nice to view 3D content from time to time however it should not be the deal breaker when you’re ready to purchase your television.
Smart TVs
Another feature more manufacturers are incorporating into each model is the addition of the smart TV feature. Some call it a dashboard or tiled-like design of applications which serve as a starting page for all your content. Depending on whom the manufacturer has partnered with, applications such as Hulu, Netflix, and Youtube is integrated on your TV. With the addition of apps that are easily accessible on your TV, the headache of constantly having to connect your computer to your TV just to stream content is becoming less existent.
Curved TVs
Yes, as you should know by now, the talk of the town at the most recent CES convention was the curved television. It was only a matter of time until a unique new shape would surface, and apparently this is the shape of the future. The reason manufactures are working on producing this style is primarily based on the viewing angle.
Basically, the view is enhanced when multiple people are sitting in a row a certain distance away from the curved television. Depending on the size, each person should be able to view the same amount of screen size as the person in the middle is viewing. Essentially since the screen is curved in, each person on either end should have the same viewing experience as the people sitting in the middle based on the fact that the screens edges are curved towards them.
Is this really true and worth the money? We can only wait to see how this all pans out since the curved television is currently the sexy trendy choice for those of us with extra expendable income.
4K or Ultra HD TVs
Is money not nearly a factor in your decision with your next television purchase? Enter the 4K or ultra HD television. This type of television was introduced at CES last year as the TV with the clearest, richest, and most intensely colored picture on the market. This year that facts remains the same, however prices still remain in the $2,000 and up price range.
Buying a 4K TV at an expensive price point is just half of the deal. The other issue lies with providers that offer 4K programming. An ultra HD TV is respectively not worth the purchase without the optimal programming format. This technology is fairly new so providers are still in the process of rolling out this programming for those select few who demand it sooner than later.
Retail Store Shopping
Do you have a clearer understanding of what TV you are in the market for? The next step is for you to visit your local electronic store and check out the televisions in person. There’s nothing like watching the actual television right in front of your own eyes. This is the perfect time for you to get with a sales representative to ask every question on your mind and to inform them of the type of television you are interested in. The sales rep should be able to tell the you what the top rated televisions are, which televisions were bought for what reason, and most importantly which television is best for your budget.
After listening to the rep’s sales pitch, it’s also a good idea to ask about the televisions that you researched earlier. This is when that information proves to be most useful. You should take a closer look at the brands you were most interested in earlier and check what the store price is currently. Is it cheaper or more expensive than what was seen online? If it happens to be cheaper online, it is always a good idea to ask a sales representative if they can beat online prices or are able to price match the price online. If they are able to price match, purchasing it in the store is a great option especially if you are concerned about shipping costs and delivery.
The only downfall about purchasing a television in store would be having to pay sales tax on that particular purchase. In some cases some, sites promote no sales tax and free shipping. Just make sure it is the exact same item and the specifications match up accordingly.
Additional Television Notes
After you buy your awesome new television, programming should be the next step on your mind. If you feel like your provider is currently not meeting your needs, this would be a great time to consider switching. Visit WhiteFence.com and we can help you switch providers today. You just have to enter your address, compare all the providers in your area, and then place your order!
