TV guide

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Feb 24, 2008

YOU'RE ready to buy a new telly. But do you go for plasma screen or LCD? Or even a home theatre projector? CARAMEL QUIN guides you through the new technology... and casts her eye over some great TV stands.

LCD

These flat-screen, back-lit displays are generally the best option for the home now that they are available in larger sizes - up to 42 inches).

BARGAIN

Philips 19PFL 5602D pounds 299 Dinky HDready TV with a 19-inch screen is perfect for kitchens and bedrooms (www.philips.co.uk, 0845 601 0354).

BEST BUY

Philips 47PFL 9632D pounds 1,499 Plasma is generally used for large screens and LCD for small... but LCD has caught up. This 47- inch boasts full HD and in-built Freeview (www.philips.co.uk).

BLOW OUT

Monroe bedstead with TV pounds 2,449 (plus pounds 699 for TV) Brown leather bed with built-in Sony Bravia TV (www.marksandspencer.com).

PLASMA

A better choice for the true movie buff as colour saturation is better and images a bit clearer but plasmas use up a lot more energy than LCD.

BARGAIN

Panasonic TH42PX70 PED pounds 799.95 This 42-inch is Freeview and HD-ready... and has pounds 200 off (www.richersounds.co.uk, 0870 900 1000).

BEST BUY

Pioneer Kuro from pounds 1,800 The full HD picture on this stylish plasma has great bright colours and deep blacks (www.pioneer.co.uk, 0870 600 1539).

BLOW OUT

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 9 pounds 14,500 This 50-inch, full-HD plasma has a large speaker and in-built harddisk recorder (www.bangolufsen.com, 0800 138 0525).

PROJECTOR

What you might see down the pub, projectors are great if you're looking for a home theatre feel... and you've got the room.

BARGAIN

Toshiba ET20 pounds 560 Cute projector has short "throw distance", so you can put it on a table and point it at the wall. Not HD-ready, but has a built-in DVD player (www.amazon.co.uk).

BEST BUY

InFocus IN76 pounds 999 Impressive large picture from this high- definition-ready projector (www.csesolutions.co.uk, 01423 359054).

BLOW OUT

InFocus IN82 pounds 2,999 The best fully-HD projector you can buy, with an excellent, bright picture (www.csesolutions.co.uk, 01423 359054).

WHAT TO LOOKOUT FORON THE BOX

FREEVIEW: Unless you subscribe to Sky or cable, be sure you buy a TV with a Freeview tuner built in. You'll get extra channels and beat the analogue turn-off in 2012.

DOWNLOADS: You can download shows on demand using the BBC's iPlayer or Channel 4's 4oD. But you'll need some gizmos to hook your TV up to your computer.

TV ON DEMAND: Services such as Virgin TV On Demand, Sky and BT Vision let you pick from a list of shows to watch whenever you want. But there's a small fee.

HIGH-DEF: High-definition TV offers better picture quality... but only with a Sky box will you be able to get high-def broadcasts. The BBC aims to catch up by 2010.

TV ON THE GO: The next big thing will be mobile TV, whether on your 3G mobile phone or streamed on to hand-held computer consoles such as the Sony PSP.