What You Get For Your HDTV Budget - Why Some Mainstream Sets Are More Expensive Than Others
By Adrienne Maxwell
Although the price of HDTVs is falling across the board, you'll still see large price discrepancies between models, even at the same screen size. At a big-box chain like Best Buy, for instance, the current price of a 42-inch HDTV ranges from $550 to $1,300. Factor in the prices you might find at a discount warehouse on the low end and a specialty retailer on the high end, and the discrepancy becomes even wider. This undoubtedly causes confusion amongst consumers, as they question why on earth to pay more for one model over another. It's a valid question, so let's look at some of the benefits you can (or at least should) expect to find as you move up the HDTV price chain.
The most obvious benefits--or, should I say, the ones most easily identified on each TV's spec list--will come in the features realm. At screen sizes of 42 inches and smaller, the least expensive models probably have a 720p resolution, as opposed to the higher 1080p resolution. While 1080p is the thing to crave these days, on a smaller screen, it will be difficult to discern the additional resolution; so, if you're in the market for a smaller TV that's going to be placed across the room, you may choose to save some money and go with the 720p option. As the TV's price increases, the number of inputs should increase, as well: You'll likely get more HDMI inputs (four is rapidly becoming the norm on higher-end models), as well as a PC-friendly VGA input. Step-up models often feature digital-media connections, such as an SD card slot or USB port to play music, photos, and sometimes video. Most of the big-name manufacturers now offer Web connectivity on their mid- to high-end TVs, with an Ethernet port that allows you to access Web widgets and video-on-demand services from companies like Netflix and Amazon. A TV's aesthetic design is also a feature: Entry-level models tend to have a basic, boxy design with side- or bottom-mounted speakers and a non-swiveling stand. As you move up the price chain, you'll see more-stylish bezels, swiveling stands, invisible or detachable speakers, and/or a super-slim cabinet depth.
Of course, the big question is, what kind of performance improvements will you see in a more-expensive TV, and are they worth the extra money? Good performance is not exclusive to the high-end realm; lots of HDTVs, at various price points, will serve up an attractive high-definition image. It takes a major performance flaw to make HDTV or Blu-ray look bad, but there are certainly varying degrees of "good." Higher-end models tend to excel in certain key areas to deliver a better-looking image. First, a deep black level is the foundation of any good image: The deeper the blacks, the better the picture's overall contrast. Darker scenes in DVD and Blu-ray movies will look richer and less washed-out, and you should be able to see more fine black detail. This is especially important for nighttime viewing in a dark room. If you plan to watch a lot of movies at night on your new TV, you want a model with a deep black level. In the LCD realm, the best blacks come from the new crop of LED models with local dimming, which demand a premium over traditional LCD models. If most of your viewing will involve brighter HDTV content during the day, then it's not quite as crucial to get the very deepest blacks; a less-expensive model with an average black level might get the job done.
Other performance improvements may involve the TV's bit depth and color. Bit depth (or color depth) describes the number of possible color gradations a TV can reproduce; a 10-bit panel can reproduce 1,024 shades for each primary color, while an 8-bit panel offers 256 shades. A lower-priced model may not be capable of reproducing as many shades of gradation, which means you may see more noise in backgrounds and more uneven steps (or rings) in light-to-dark transitions. Many TVs have exaggerated and slightly inaccurate color out of the box, but the higher-end models usually provide access to advanced picture controls to fine-tune the image. Lots of people love the vibrant color and snappy whites that HDTVs offer out of the box, but the more-discerning video fan should look for a TV with precise white-balance controls and a color-management system with the ability to adjust different color points independently. One benefit of paying more to go the specialty-retail route is that video calibration is usually part of the cost. Buy a budget model from a discount warehouse, and it's less likely that the TV will have as many advanced image adjustments--and, even if it does, you'll have to figure out on your own how to use them or pay for a professional calibration.
One critical area that often distinguishes higher-end models from entry-level TVs is the handling of standard-definition content. Top-shelf models often use better video processors and therefore do a better job of upconverting SDTV and DVD images, which is especially important at larger screen sizes. On a lower-end TV, standard-def images can often look soft and noisy, with more edge enhancement and digital artifacts.
Finally, if you plan to use the TV's audio system, make sure you demo the internal speakers. Entry-level models can have lower-quality speakers and fewer audio adjustments. While many TVs include a feature that claims to even out the sound-level differences between sources (for example, between HDTV shows and commercials), most of these generic offerings are not very successful. Some higher-end models are beginning to add Dolby Volume, which more effectively addresses this issue.
Ultimately, there's no guarantee that a more-expensive HDTV will outperform a mid-level model or have a better feature set, but this guide should give you a general idea what to expect (and what to look for) as you shop for your next mid-level HDTV.
