Flatpanel TV questions answered

WHAT size screen will best suit my room?
Before the flatpanel TV revolution, the size of your TV screen was decided by how much space you had between you and the TV.
Sitting too close meant you'd see the individual pixels and the lines that make up a TV image. Not pretty. The effect is like viewing a photograph through a magnifying glass.
These days, the pixels in a quality high-definition flatpanel are a lot finer and smaller -- and there are many more of them. You can sit within a metre or so of a 37-50-inch TV and you won't see a grainy picture.
Bottom line: The size of your new TV screen is more likely to be determined by the physical size of the set and your room than viewing distance. But you'd have comfortable viewing a 37 to 50-inch TV in an average to medium-sized living room.
Where should I put the new television set?
MOST of us imagine we'd like an LCD or plasma TV hanging on a wall, just like a work of art.
Truth is, research shows that 70 per cent of flatpanel TV buyers put the new TV on a cabinet.
So which is the best option for you?
In comparisons I've done using two identical sets -- one hung and the other on a cabinet -- the wall-mounted set had a more pleasing picture quality.
The simple explanation is that your eyes are automatically drawn to wall-hung flatpanel TVs, because there's nothing else to distract them.
So if picture quality is paramount (and it should be), hang your new LCD or plasma on a wall.
Bottom line: Buy a wall bracket.
What should I buy: a plasma or LCD TV?
THE crucial question. The biggie. And the one readers ask Connect all the time.
Picture quality is a matter of personal preference. It is, and should be, in the eyes of the credit-card holder. So exercising my right as a consumer,
I would buy a premium-grade Japanese plasma because, to my eyes, it stomps all over an equivalent LCD, and then some.
In my opinion, plasma has better contrast, brightness and black levels, and it handles motion better than LCD. Plasma has a wider viewing angle and, more importantly, is cheaper than an equivalent-sized LCD.
Yes, LCD sets are lighter, have fewer screen reflections and are immune to image burn-in.
Well-built plasma and LCD TVs have the same long life span as a solidly built tube TV, about 60,000 hours. And image burn-in isn't an issue with most modern plasmas (below).
And as for dead pixels, it can happen to LCD and plasma TVs, especially if you move them when they're powered. Having said that, in eight years of reviewing Japanese plasma TVs, only one set has lost a pixel, and that was from a TV that had been carted all over Australia.
The handful of salesmen withholding this kind of information from you are not worthy of your business.
Bottom line: Between 42 and 61 inches, plasma wins hands down. Plasma isn't made smaller than 42 inches, so under this size LCD is, by default, the only choice in flatpanel TVs.
Should I buy a high-definition model?
GETTING high on the pixel count is the only way to go. We're living in a high-definition (HD), high-resolution world.
So your new TV should be able to reproduce the best Australia's digital TV system can offer.
Which isn't saying much, because right now the highest-quality digital TV programs are made up of 1920x1080 pixels.
This means each picture is built up using 1920 individual bits of information horizontally and 1080 vertically.
But clearly this is going to be a more detailed picture than a standard-definition (SD) digital TV broadcast that uses 852x480 pixels.
If this doesn't convince you to bypass standard-definition sets, Blu-ray (the DVD's replacement) also has a 1920x1080 pixel resolution.
Bottom line: Look ahead and future-proof your new TV by choosing a 1920x1080-pixel model. High definition is the future.
Should my new TV have a built-in digital tuner?
WHETHER we like it or not, the Federal Government will eventually bite the bullet and force the TV networks to switch off their analogue transmissions.
When that day arrives, won't you be pleased your telly has a built-in tuner instead of a set-top box?
This is why most of the latest LCD and plasma TVs have built-in digital tuners as a standard feature.
And for anyone who's bought a standard-definition flatpanel TV in the past five years, the good news is you can add an SD or HD set-top box.
The downside to adding an HD set-top box to an SD TV is your set won't display the extra detail the 1920x1080 HDTV program offers. What you'll see is an 852x480 program.
Bottom line: A built-in set-top box is a real bonus.
The salesman told me I should also buy expensive hi-tech cables to improve the picture and sound of my TV
WITH slim profit margins, you can understand why stores would want to make a few extra dollars on accessories.
A good cable can enhance the performance of your new set. Just don't get carried away and spend $200 to $300 on, say, a component or HDMI cable when you can buy decent equivalents for a quarter of that amount.
Component cables certainly improve picture quality and HDMI improves picture and sound. But before you leap into HDMI, make sure your TV and DVD player are compatible.
Bottom line: Good cables can enhance a TV's performance, but try before you buy and don't pay over the odds.
Should I go for DVD or a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player?
WITHIN three to five years one of these new high-definition discs will take over from DVD.
Right now, they're expensive for all but those who can afford to pay $1999 for the latest-generation player and about $999 for a model released last year. For the rest of us, it's a case of letting the dust settle and waiting for prices to fall a lot more.
Bottom line: High-definition TVs signal the arrival of movies on high-definition, high-resolution discs -- at a high cost. Wait until prices fall another 30 to 40 per cent. But Blu-ray will replace DVD sooner rather than later.
Does a 1080p TV improve digital TV broadcast quality?
ALL things being equal, the answer is "yes". Unlike 1080i interlaced TVs, which generate an image in two sweeps of the screen, progressive-scan models build the same image in one pass using a series of sequential lines.
This means you get more of the same information at any given time. The result is a smoother, more stable image but no extra picture detail.
Bottom line: 1080i is the new standard, but videophiles who can afford the latest and greatest will choose 1080p.
Do I need to upgrade my aerial to get digital TV?
GENERALLY no. If your aerial is in good condition and provides you with a decent analogue reception it should also pull in digital TV broadcasts. But it's worth noting that different areas require different types of antennas. One that works in Footscray may not work as well in Bendigo, which is why Australian manufacturer Hills builds up to 60 types of antennas, including one model for digital-only viewers.
Bottom line: If your existing antenna provides a good analogue reception it should do the same with digital signals.
How do I keep my TV screen clean?
USE a new paintbrush to remove dust and particles that gather on the front of plastic LCD screens or the glass panel on the front of a plasma or tube TV.
Once all the dust has been removed, clean the screen with an ever-so-slightly moist lint-free cloth and finish off with a dry lint-free cloth. The result should be a spanking-clean screen without as much as a scuff mark or, heaven forbid, a scratch.

Camp to cure internet "addicts"

YOUNG Chinese internet "addicts" will go to camp to be cured.The experimental 10-day program would accept youngsters aged between 14 - 22 once they had undergone a psychological test and evaluation, the China Daily said. About 2.6 million - or 13 per cent - of China's 20 million internet users under 18 were classed as addicts, it said. The 40 youngsters at the summer camp would be treated for depression, fear, unwillingness to interact with others, panic and agitation. It would appear to be offering a softer option than the internet Addiction Treatment Centre near Beijing which uses a blend of therapy and military drills to treat children addicted to online games, internet pornography and cybersex. Concerned by a number of high-profile internet-related deaths and juvenile crime, the government is now taking steps to stem internet addictions by banning new internet cafes and mulling restrictions on violent computer games. According to government figures, there are currently 113,000 internet cafes and bars in China. The newspaper cited the case of one student accepted to East China University of Science and Technology with high marks. "He could not adjust to Shanghai campus life without burying himself in computer games," the China Daily said. "He would play day and night, skipping classes and avoiding friends, until he was pulled out of the internet cafe by a supervisor." In a joint effort with the camp, Shanghai's education commission has organised a volunteer group to patrol the city streets and stop minors entering internet cafes.