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Hopefully, you now have a better grasp of what to look for when buying a HD Television. Once you purchase your HD TV how will it be set up at home? and how will you choose which Satellite (or cable) box to buy?

When setting up the HD TV you will need to think about how far back from the HD TV will you sit. Too close and you will sacrifice quality (and your eyes perhaps!), too far back and you’ll miss out on the detail. As a general rule, you should be back from the screen at a distance of about 2x the screen size. So a screen of 37 inches should have you at about 74 inches (a little over 6 feet or so) from the screen. Furthermore, you should not be looking up or down too much at the screen. It should be about eye level while sitting on your sofa or recliner.

How will you support the television? Though thinner, HD TVs are still very heavy and have a smaller surface area for easy support - they can be less stable due to their vertical size and the thinner depth. Wall mounts are a great way to support your HD television, but there are many to choose from.

The following points will help you decide:

1. Each wall mount has a minimum and maximum size limit. Be sure to read the specifications that come it to ensure it supports your HD TV.

2. Make sure the mount is certified to the maximum weight - look for an industry based UL rating which certifies the mount holds 4x the maximum rate stated for more than 30 seconds.

3. Mounting holes: You will need to check out the layout of the mounting holes and ensure that the mount holes correspond with the HD TV. Even if the mount says universal be sure to check the HDTV specs.

4. The last thing you may want to think about is the motion of the HD TV. Swivel, tilt or extend.The larger the television the less options you will have due to weight.

How about the service provider? Whichever service you will choose you will need a HD TV Satellite (or Cable vision) box and they range widely in price. The higher priced boxes may come with a PVR capability which allows you to record your favorite shows while you are away. They can be viewed and deleted.

Blu-Ray will be the future of HD TV and video viewing. To learn more about this look at http://www.blu-ray.com/info/. The website not only explains Blu-Ray but also has a listing of components to buy.

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High Definition (HD) programming on television stations has not yet matched consumers’ consumption and desire to switch over (and up?) to HDTV. Yes, programming is increasing, yet a larger percentage of programming still remains in the current NTSC, SECAM or PAL television systems. Special channels such as sports and HBO etc do offer more choice, but they also cost more.

The manufacturers have been very effective in creating the both the product and the desire in consumers to buy. As a result, the market is now creating the need for back end (product) creation. The consumers have stepped up to the plate, have dished out capital for their products in order to view the better product.

You have purchased your HDTV, your dish or cable service system and your installation paraphernalia, now you want to watch HDTV. Enjoy! Be forewarned not all channels or programming will let you see the wrinkles in Oprah’s forefinger knuckle. It is coming.

LiveLearnShop promotes forward looking lifestyle products, technology, opportunity and knowledge creation, yet we also feel the need to educate, critique and discuss the process and implications.

Feel free to add your voice to this and other posts.

Making the switch? Chances are we all will be soon. Some things you’ll need to think about before making your decisions on switching.

Which kind?

As of this date there are three general kinds of high definition televisions: Plasma, LCD, Projection Televisions. Projection televisions are not as popular today due to their size - they are bellied in the back of the screen thus requiring more storage space. The picture quality is good to excellent.

LCDs are the new kid on the block, so to speak, telling us that Plasma technology has had a longer time to develop. For the most part, there are not huge differences in terms of quality. Plasmas have a stronger contrast and black level when compared to LCDs, and there are somewhat wider viewing angles on Plasmas. Basically, walk to the side of the television as you are watching it can you see the whole screen? If you can see the picture as you look at the screen from the side then the viewing angle is great!

Something to think about; Plasmas burn a little more energy than LCDs.

When going to make a decision use the net to look at the following as it relates to price:
- size, manufacturer, true contrast ratios (the higher the better - ie. 2000:1+), response time (4-8ms (milliseconds) is great), dynamic contrast ratio (10,000:1 is now quite common)

Now that you may be closer to choosing a TV, its now time to decide on the other necessary accessories:
1. are you going with cable or satellite?
2. are you going to set up a home stereo system to augment the sound -highly recommended!)
3. how are you going to set up the tv - on the wall or on a cabinet?

Over the next few days we will address these extra necessary needs with some advice.

LiveLearnShop promotes forward looking lifestyle products, technology, opportunity and knowledge creation, yet we also feel the need to educate, critique and discuss the process and implications.

Feel free to add your voice to this and other posts.