# Teach me how to buy a television set these days **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700 "2015-09-27T15:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/21 "2015-09-28T22:28:46Z")
Use the chart [here](http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/Tv-viewing-distance.html) to get an idea of what size tv to get, and if you want to avoid the whole big black box thing, leave the tv on and let you Chromecast show pretty pictures. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/22 "2015-09-28T22:43:47Z")
We just bough the biggest not-smart LED fom Walmart for less than $500 that day. I happens to be an LG. Then we got an [Intel® Compute Stick](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=intel+compute+stick&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=) [~$150] and a remote keyboard and mouse on sale for $29. We use ATT boadband and Netflix and a little OTA antenna from RCA. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/23 "2015-09-28T23:00:21Z")
If you plan on using the TV’s built in speakers, listen to them in the showroom. When digital TV came along I bought a small flatscreen for the bedroom. In the store, the display model had the best picture for that size but it was hooked up to the instore video network and with all the TVs blasting the same thing I didn’t notice how crappy the built in speakers were. I bought a small, cheap bookshelf stereo system and ran the audio through that and have been satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/24 "2015-09-29T04:16:13Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > A second on the caution against Smart TVs or even streaming video support in DVD players. The UI tends to limited, slow and seldom updated compared to Roku, Fire or AppleTV. > > [OLED](http://www.techradar.com/us/news/television/oled-tv-what-you-need-to-know-1056228) looks very promising (as it has for years) but it has yet to prove itself and carries a price premium that can be significant. > > 4K sets look great but actual 4K content is still rare. It is the future, but you are just switching to high definition - just that will blow you away. Is it though? I’ve read articles that suggest that at the typical viewing distance / TV size ratio you are unlikely to notice the difference in quality. Of course you notice it in the TV store, that’s because you’re walking up close to the TVs, but at 10’ away the differences become marginal. I’ve just bought a new flatscreen TV. I found that at the size point I wanted (around 70 inches), I couldn’t really choose to have a non-smart TV anymore than I can choose to have cell phone without a camera. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/25 "2015-09-29T09:18:38Z")
People whose views on the matter I trust advise me that the new OLED TVs are awesome, but they’re way out of the OP’s price bracket. Something I’ve not seen mentioned above is the number of HDMI inputs the TV has. You will need at least four: one for your BD player, one for your DVR, one for your cable TV box, and one for your games console / PC. It will be worth your while hunting out a plasma TV - Panasonic, Samsung, or Pioneer. Yes, they’re old technology, but the image quality is the best. 4K content requires significant bandwidth on the OP’s internet connection. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/26 "2015-09-29T12:32:57Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Is it though? I’ve read articles that suggest that at the typical viewing distance / TV size ratio you are unlikely to notice the difference in quality. Of course you notice it in the TV store, that’s because you’re walking up close to the TVs, but at 10’ away the differences become marginal. > > I’ve just bought a new flatscreen TV. I found that at the size point I wanted (around 70 inches), I couldn’t really choose to have a non-smart TV anymore than I can choose to have cell phone without a camera. I bought a 4K Vizio specifically for displaying my photos (using a Raspberry Pi, and some software I wrote). I can tell you that the difference is VERY noticeable - but static images are certainly a more critical test than moving ones. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/27 "2015-09-29T12:38:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > People whose views on the matter I trust advise me that the new OLED TVs are awesome, but they’re way out of the OP’s price bracket. > > Something I’ve not seen mentioned above is the number of HDMI inputs the TV has. > > You will need at least four: one for your BD player, one for your DVR, one for your cable TV box, and one for your games console / PC. This depends on your setup. For me personally, I have no interest in cable TV, the game console and blue ray are the same device and the DVR is an external hard drive connected by USB direct to the TV. End result is there is one HDMI between the receiver and TV, one HDMI from Playstation to receiver, a USB to the TV and the aerial cable to the he TV. So only one HDMI required on the TV. Of course it has many more. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/28 "2015-09-30T16:58:12Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Mmm…your mileage may vary. I purchased a 50inch Samsung for my elderly mother to replace her 29" CRT. She was speechless for a while and not in a positive way. > > Fundamentally the problem was that her modest living room became dominated by a big black screen in the corner. To her (and my sister) there was almost an ominous presence, a sort of black hole sucking attention out of the room. I agree with this. I mean, I have a 92" projection screen, but it’s in a separate room, not in the living room. I’d never want something that big in a room that wasn’t 100% devoted to watching the screen. If we were going to have a tv in our main gathering/socializing space, I wouldn’t want it to be any larger than 40ish inches. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/29 "2015-09-30T17:18:18Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I agree with this. > > I mean, I have a 92" projection screen, but it’s in a separate room, not in the living room. I’d never want something that big in a room that wasn’t 100% devoted to watching the screen. If we were going to have a tv in our main gathering/socializing space, I wouldn’t want it to be any larger than 40ish inches. We are the same way in that we do not subscribe to the “bigger is better” belief. You need to weight optimum viewing distances for the size of the t.v., else your viewing experience can be significantly diminished. Additionally, we do not want the television to be this giant focus point in the rooms where we have televisions. We spent far more than a t.v. costs in furniture, area rugs, lighting, etc., to have it all completely overwhelmed by a “bigger is better” black rectangle that completely dominates the space. _shiver_ ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/30 "2015-09-30T19:04:39Z")
First of all - look at the TV in the store and see if you like the picture. Make a list of what you require, like what are you connecting to the TV : Sat, DVD, PC, Sound system Beware, that the modern flat screens have poor sound, compared to the old type CRT. You will most likely want to connect a sound system to it. The “Smart TV” part of the TV set is mostly a waste of time - rather connect a PC, Laptop or Android box (Roku, etc…) to it. However, most SmartTV’s are decent TV’s to start with. If you are unsure about specifications, stick to brands like Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, etc… and pay the extra 100 bucks for it and you’ll usually fare well with it these days. Any screen size from 32" on-wards must have at least a resolution of 1080p aka FullHD (1920x1080) otherwise the image will look to blurred. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/31 "2015-09-30T19:55:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > People whose views on the matter I trust advise me that the new OLED TVs are awesome, but they’re way out of the OP’s price bracket. > > Something I’ve not seen mentioned above is the number of HDMI inputs the TV has. > > You will need at least four: one for your BD player, one for your DVR, one for your cable TV box, and one for your games console / PC. > > It will be worth your while hunting out a plasma TV - Panasonic, Samsung, or Pioneer. Yes, they’re old technology, but the image quality is the best. > > 4K content requires significant bandwidth on the OP’s internet connection. Nobody is manufacturing plasmas anymore. Pity. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/32 "2015-10-01T13:14:05Z")
I don’t think that I’ve seen it mentioned, but I used [CNET’s buying guide](http://www.cnet.com/topics/tvs/buying-guide/) when looking for a new TV. It is pretty helpful, I think. Most of what I would say has already been said. You will need HDMI cables, and they can be purchased cheaply online at such places as monoprice. I will note that monoprice has a fairly high shipping rate, so Amazon may have cheaper options. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/33 "2015-10-01T14:00:22Z")
Let me try to offer a more … holistic way of thinking about the purchase. First, think about how comfortable and enthusiastic you are with computer technology, because IMO your first decision is SMART TV or DUMB TV. Do you want or need another computer in the house? 'Cause a SMART TV is just that, and it’s a relatively dumb computer. A parallel question is how much streaming video you expect to play, like Netflix. You can play anything streaming by connecting your computer to your dumb TV with 1 HDMI cable, but you run a risk of making your computer into a slave of the TV --if you’re using it all the time as a video player, you may end up with your computer permanently in that role. I bought a SMART TV, and just about the only SMART thing I do with it is play Netflix. There’s probably a cheaper alternative. As far as screen size, I suggest that you measure the distance you’ll be sitting from your screen at home, bring your tape measure with you to the store, and watch some programming from the same diistance away. Just pick what seems a good size. I suggest getting the largest size that works. IMO the other major consideration is the number of inputs the TV has. In my experience the price of the TV is more closely related to the number inputs than any single thing. Cheaper sets have 1 or 2 HDMI inputs, and with more of them the price goes up. Think about how many thing you might plug in right now – Tivo, Blue Ray, some other source like Roku … Then get a TV that will take them all at one, + at least one more for future growth. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/34 "2015-10-01T22:48:56Z")
It has only been a couple of weeks now but we continue to be fascinated at well our new arrangement described above works. > [@](#): > > We just bough the biggest not-smart LED fom Walmart for less than $500 that day. I happens to be an LG. Then we got an Intel® Compute Stick [~$150] and a remote keyboard and mouse on sale for $29. We use ATT boadband and Netflix and a little OTA antenna from RCA. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/35 "2015-10-01T22:56:29Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Just a thought, you might want to consider a home theater system reciever, which everything will plug into (satellite/cable box, DVD, Roku, Apple node, etc. will plug into). […] > [@River\_Hippie](#): > > […] didn’t notice how crappy the built in speakers were. I bought a small, cheap bookshelf stereo system and ran the audio through that and have been satisfied. > [@ethelbert](#): > > […] > You can connect your audio to your stereo in the same way you do it now, using the audio out jacks on the tv. […] Our current setup is weird, and I don’t remember how exactly we got to it. We now have to turn on the television set to listen to the stereo. I remember it had to do with limited input and output options on something somewhere… and something that worked kind of funny… What I do know is that we have some speakers built into the walls, and we have to run them quite loud (Mrs. Napier is hard of hearing). I definitely want to keep using them, and not even mess with built in speakers. I’d pay a little more for a television set that did NOT have speakers in it. I want to use these wall speakers for television content and for the stereo. Is the best approach to use a new stereo receiver to amplify the television set audio output? or to have the television set drive the speakers and get a patch cord from the stereo to an audio input on the set? Or wind up with some goofy little switch box for speaker power itself? In other words, to what should the speaker wires get connected? Great great stuff, by the way, thank you all!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/36 "2015-10-02T04:02:36Z")
Given that you have some speakers you want to use, I would guess that the A/V receiver might work for you. Take a look at the back of this[basic A/V receiver](http://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RXV379/Yamaha-RX-V379.html?tp=179#&gid=1&pid=3). There are 4 HDMI inputs on that unit. You would plug in your DirecTV unit into one, your DVD Blu Ray player into another, and perhaps a Roku box into a third. Then connect the HDMI output (labeled ‘HDMI Out’ on that receiver) to the HDMI input on your new TV. Then connect your CD player and Apple node to the RCA input AV2 and AV3 so you can listen to sound from those devices. (or use the coaxial or optical inputs if those devices have them). Then connect your speakers to the A/V receiver. You’ll use the receiver to select what you want to listen to and/or watch, and to control the volume. You’ll turn the volume on the TV speakers to zero so they won’t play at all. If you wanted to, you could add more speakers and a subwoofer for surround sound. Not needed, the receiver will play plenty loud through your existing speakers. Now, if you do this,you’ll have the remote from the TV to turn the TV on and off, the A/V receiver to select the source and control the volume, and the DirecTV remote to select TV channels. A single [Harmony](http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-remote-650?crid=60) remote will take care of all of this with one remote. Not required, but a nice thing to have. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/37 "2015-10-02T05:18:10Z")
You can cut down on a lot of the equipment you have. Your DVD player is perfectly capable of playing CDs and you can get a modern AV receiver with builtin wifi connectivity, Apple Airplay, Spotify, internet radio, etc. If I were you I would try the following setup up: Direct TV and DVD player connected via HDMI to a new AV receiver. TV connected to the AV receiver “out” HDMI. Speakers connected to the receiver. Computers play iTunes music through the receiver via Apple Airplay or some other network connection that is built in to the receiver. You can get rid of the CD player and the Apple node. The receiver handles all switching, audio output, and local wifi connections. The TV is effectively just a monitor that does nothing but display the video content from the receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/38 "2015-10-02T08:52:05Z")
The November issue of _Consumer Reports_ has an article on just this topic. Give a formula for calculating the screen size appropriate for your room, and also ratings of various models. It should be available in your local library. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/39 "2015-10-02T16:36:59Z")
What if you want a headphone jack? Are they common? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700/40 "2015-10-02T16:48:21Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > What if you want a headphone jack? Are they common? No, not on TVs. It’s pretty common to send your TV sound into a stereo system. which likely does have a jack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700.md?page=3)