Buying your perfect low-cost, high definition TV

Less than 12 months ago, high-definition (HD) televisions were luxury items that only those with large wallets were shelling out for.

A year on and, thanks to mass manufacturing and technological advances, it looks like many more homes will have affordable HD-ready sets in their living rooms.

HD is, as you’re probably aware, the next big thing in TV technology. Highly detailed image quality and high-resolution screens combine to produce an astonishingly sharp picture that makes even Freeview look like fuzz-o-vision in comparison.

Of course, not all high-definition TV sets are made equal and, as such, there are a few things you should know about HD-TVs before you dive headlong into purchasing one.

Here, then, are our top HD buying tips to help ensure that you get the highest possible quality for the lowest possible price.

Why HD?
While there’s certainly no shortage of HD television sets available, it could be argued that there’s still very little in the way of HD content to watch on them. There’s Sky’s HD service and cable equivalents, but these require a monthly subscription fee.

New high-definition disc formats, such as HD-DVD and Blu-ray, are just beginning to appear but are likely to be prohibitively expensive at first.

Some DVD players, such as the Denon DVD-1730, can transform standard-definition DVD movies to high-definition resolutions – a technique called upscaling. But, while this can often dramatically improve the picture quality, it’s not true HD.

The latest generation of games consoles, meanwhile, promises HD capabilities, but with Sony’s Playstation 3 delayed until next spring, only Microsoft’s Xbox 360 currently offers HD gaming.

That said, if you’re planning to buy a new television any time soon, you would be foolish not to futureproof your investment by making sure that it’s ready for HD. After all, the average TV set lasts for about 10 years, by which time HD will be everywhere.

What to look out for
Unfortunately some HD-capable TVs are more futureproof than others. Our advice is to avoid anything that’s labelled ‘HD-compatible’ or ‘HDTV-ready’.

Only a set with the official ‘HD Ready’ logo on it will guarantee compatibility with the new standards as they are rolled out.

Without getting too technical, a true HD-ready TV is capable of displaying the 720p and 1080i HD picture formats in widescreen and features at least one digital input (HDMI or DVI) that conforms to the universally recognised HDCP copy protection system.

This combination of features will guarantee that a TV is, technically at least, ready for the joys of HD, both now and in the future. However, there are many other aspects to bear in mind before buying.

Don’t bother too much with quoted figures for technical details such as contrast ratio and response time. Manufacturers tend to measure these in completely different ways, which makes it almost entirely irrelevant to compare them.

Instead, look for a good balance of features, ease of use and picture quality. Useful features include lots of inputs (HDMI, VGA and component video in particular) and built-in Freeview.

Easy-to-use HD-ready TVs include a straightforward, familiar remote control handset and simple, easy-to-navigate onscreen menus.