The Best HDTVs for 2012

Updated February 5, 2012

LCD televisions provide an amazing picture with a wonderfully thin screen. Use this guide as a pre-purchase manual to educate yourself about LCD, review the "must haves" for an HDTV, and check out a list of this month's highest rated HDTVs.

"Skip all of this informational stuff, and just show me the list of the best HDTVs instead!"

The scan rate of an HDTV can be either interlaced (720i or 1080i) or progressive (720p or 1080p). Today, all HDTVs are progressive -- the superior scan rate on the eyes, and for picture quality. Interlaced sets are usually still seen in other products like computer monitors.

Have you ever seen video footage of a computer screen? If so, you may have noticed how the screen seems have a constant stream of "sweeping" or blinking lines, almost like a slide show. The process is unseen by the naked eye; however, interlaced screens are known to cause the "eye distress" that adults warned you about when you sat too close to the TV set as a kid.

Progressive sets, on the other hand, refresh every line every single time, much like one long "sweep" down the screen after another. Progressive pictures are easier on the eyes and display a smooth viewing image with less "jaggies."

Summary: Interlaced HDTVs - 1080i - have basically gone extinct. All of the HDTVs you come across these days will be 1080p or "progressive."

DLP or "Digital Light Processing" is a rear projection technology for television. DLP HDTVs are immune from screen burn-in & color decay, and able to represent high speed images without ghosting or blurring effects that other television technologies suffer from. They are known to have excellent color and grayscale representation.

Older DLP HDTVs were known to suffer from a condition known as the "rainbow effect," in which bright white tones projected over black backgrounds appear in a multi-color effect. However, this is no longer an issue with current day models. If you're going for a projection HDTV, a DLP one should be considered a worthy investment for its long life, great color quality and slim size. Mitsubishi continues to dominate this market.

Summary: If you're looking to buy a Projection TV, make sure it's a DLP.

Plasma is one of the older technologies that gained popularity during the early inception of HDTVs to the consumer market. This display technology uses ionized gas to form plasma (plasma is a type of gas with ionized particles) which emits photons (a basic unit of light). Thousands and thousands of cells, coated with phosphors, give off colored light when struck with these photons. This, in turn, creates the picture you see on the screen. Did you think you'd get away without a little science lesson here?

Compared to LCD, plasma screens generally have a better color spectrum and viewing angle, as well darker black/brighter white rendition and a vastly superior response time. For years, plasma screens were notorious for suffering from "burnout," which is when a static image or some text will permanently "burn" itself on the screen if it remains for too long (i.e., a logo that sits on the screen for hours until the image changes).

Plasma traditionally suffered from "ghosting," or trails that follow objects as they move around on the screen. Advances in plasma technology have worked to lessen many of these issues, as today's plasma sets have eliminated many of these old issues.

Summary: Don't let this old technology fool you - plasma is still a great choice. Their picture will have a more fluid, natural appearance than an LCD or LED. However, they use far more power and are not very energy efficient compared to other HDTV types.

Sometimes, HDTVs will be advertised as an "LED HDTV." It's a little confusing as to why they are advertised that way...here's why: LED, or "Light-Emitting Diode" is a newer technology in the realm of HDTVs. In this sense, however, it is not an LCD alternative but simply a technology that has been used to replace the HDTV's fluorescent backlighting with LED backlighting. LED claims to give HDTVs a better color fidelity than its fluorescent counterpart.

However, LED TVs are not exactly 100% "powered by LED" as you'd seem to think from their marketing descriptions. They are simply LCD HDTVs with LED diodes.

In general, LEDs use less power, have a longer lifetime, and have a faster response time than fluorescent lighting. You're probably familiar with products like LED pointers - it's the same technology in the little bulbs within them. Note that there is no real improvement in color, contrast nor lighting with an LED HDTV. In many cases, LED HDTVs have a more difficult time uniformly displaying brightness across an image than an LCD HDTV does.

Summary: There is little benefit in paying more for an LED HDTV rather than simply getting an LCD HDTV. The whole LED market is more hype than anything else. However, they are more energy efficient than LCDs, and can be extremely thin.

Ever wonder why some HDTVs look so much better than others at the store? A common sales tactic that retailers use to upsell certain HDTV models is to modify their video signal. HDTVs with a dedicated video signal are working at their full capacity, whereas HDTVs that are all using a split signal will have significantly less strength, and therefore, not look as good. Be sure to look behind the HDTV to see if the cable behind it is leading to other HDTVs around it (split), or, if it has a cable leading directly into it (dedicated).

But wait, there's more! Some sets are purposely displayed with incorrect brightness and contrast balances. This is why some HDTVs look crisper and clearer than others: it's because the department store is trying to make certain HDTVs look more favorable -- typically, the ones whose inventory they are looking to reduce.. Don't fall for it!

You may have already seen terms here, such as "16:9 aspect ratio," and had no clue what it meant. Aspect ratio simply means "units high x units wide." So, a 16:9 HDTV is 16 units wide x 9 units high ("units" meaning the measurement of an original video production, a broadcasting term).

Wide sets allow you to see widescreen movies in their "natural mode," without the letterbox crop bars. They also allow you to watch the older, non-narrow shows as well, albeit with the black crop bars on the left and right. Overall, the newer, wider 16:9 is the winner over the older 4:3 analog television screens for their breadth of view, and ability to watch older formats, as well!

Summary: HDTVs have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which most know as "widescreen." This is why your old family videos from the 1980s will have large black framed portions on both sides when viewed on an HDTV.

HDTVs are always defined by the resolution, or the number of vertical pixels that they have. For instance, a 720 HDTV has 720 pixels per line going up and down (rather, vertically) the screen itself, and across 1,280 lines going horizontally to the other end of the screen.

In contrast, a 1080 HDTV has 1080 pixels per line going vertically, with 1,920 lines going across, horizontally. In these cases, the 1080 HDTV set is the better of the two - since more pixels means more detail.

Note that the resolution and the actual size of the screen in inches are not directly related: therefore, a 22" 1080p HDTV and a 22" 720p HDTV can both exist (don't assume that smaller screens are always 720p!)

Summary: If you're looking to get an HDTV that is 50" or over, make sure it is a 1080p. For screens smaller than this, the difference between 720 and 1080 won't really be noticeable to the naked eye at a distance. It's always best to stick with a 1080, but not a crisis if you don't, in this case.

When I bought my HDTV, I read through the warnings in the manual...one of which said that HDTVs emit a magnetic field that can destroy magnetic storage media (VHS tapes, BETA tapes, etc). I asked a professional in the field and found out that it's true: you'll want to keep your VHS tapes away from your HDTV. Perhaps, not anywhere within the cabinet that your HDTV is resting on, to be safe.

Use the information reviewed above to narrow down your final decision! Here's a concluding list of what to look for in your next purchase:

• LCD vs. LED: There's really no such thing as an "LED HDTV," just an LCD that uses either edge or back-lit LEDs. LED is widely a gimmick intended to make an LED HDTV sound more technologically advanced (therefore, higher priced) than an LCD HDTV; however, comparisons between the two have proven that the LED HDTV simply isn't worth paying more money for. If there's a huge jump in price between an LED and LCD you're looking at, then stick with the LCD. Note that LEDs are more energy efficient, though.


• LCD/LED vs. Plasma: Plasmas have refresh & response rates that simply blow all other technologies out of the water. That means a more fluid picture that looks great, even when something high-speed is being watched...and even at an angle. They also display darker black tones than LCD or LED, but use vastly more energy than both. As you can see, this is a choice of your personal preference amongst these sole attributes.


• 3D or no 3D?: 3DTVs have both a 2D and 3D mode, and their 2D mode is as good as any other run-of-the-mill HDTV on the market. It's up to you. Note that this is still a market in its infancy, that is constantly being improved and updated. Anyone purchasing a 3DTV today is doing so in a very rapidly changing market. If you want to watch movies in 3D, you'll also need a BluRay 3D player, and will also need to buy all of your movies over again in BluRay 3D format. There are various TV broadcasts in 3D, however, not many.


• LCD/LED/Plasma vs Projection HDTV People who buy rear-projection HDTVs do so because they want a mammoth sized screen at the sacrifice of picture quality. If you're looking for a projection HDTV, look for a DLP one.


• HDTV Size: While there are complicated diagrams showing the optimal sized HDTV for an exact room size, nobody truly follows those charts. 46" is what you'll find to be the most common HDTV size, and it fits nicely in most rooms. Why not measure out 32", 46" and 55" with your tape measure to see what makes the most sense, if you're concerned about getting something too big or too small?


• DTV Ready: Today's HDTVs are DTV ready and can receive digital TV signals without the need of an external device. You won't have to research this anymore.


• Resolution: If the HDTV is over 50", get a 1080p. If it's 50" or less, there will be no visible difference between 720p and 1080p, so either is fine.


• Refresh Rate: HDTVs with higher refresh rates (i.e., 120 Hz) will show fast scenes more smoothly than those with low refresh rates (i.e., 60 Hz). The higher the Refresh Rate, the better...both for picture quality, and on eye strain. Know that 120 Hz is pretty much your standard refresh rate.

Now with superior picture and sound "digital TV" (DTV) signals replacing analog TV signals, the consumer public had to ditch their old rabbit ears and replace them with digital converter boxes and compatible antennas. Thankfully, your new HDTV won't be subjected to that, it's already built-in! I wrote up a guide about the digital TV converter and DTV switch, if you'd like to learn more about them.

(If you will be using an HDTV that does *not* have a cable connection, you'll want to read this!) So, you've gotten that new HDTV, plugged it in, and see a wonderful screen that says "NO SIGNAL!" Yes, that's right. You can't simply plug a TV in the wall and flip channels like the good old days - you actually need an HDTV antenna, like it or not.

If you're looking for a higher-end indoor/outdoor antenna to plug into your new HDTV, look toward the Winegard SS-2000 Squareshooter (MSRP: approx. $90). This UHF-only amplified antenna can be used indoors or outdoors, and will get signals from up to 40 miles away (that's not a typo!). The more affordable Winegard GS-2200 Sensar III (MSRP: approx. $50) can be mounted to a mast and has a 20-45 mile span, designed for getting signals in metropolitan areas. For a true budget indoor antenna, consider the RCA ANT111 rabbit ear model (MSRP: approx. $15). If your HDTV is sitting on a stand, you can easily hide this antenna behind the HDTV, even with rabbit ears fully extended.

When it comes to the cost of an HDTV antenna, it's basically irrelevant. I own an HDTV antenna that cost me under $20, and another that was $60. Both serve the same purpose, and both receive the same channels. This is an item where you don't have to feel bad to pay less, unless you're a technophile.

HDMI or "High Definition Multimedia Interface" cables act as a replacement of the old RCA cables (those were the ones with three male ends: red, yellow and white). It's a single-ended cable, and all you need to know is that it really transmits the full potential of your gaming console or Blu-Ray player to your television.

Today's HDTVs all include at least one HDMI cable input slot, simply look for it on the back of your HDTV. Connect it to your Blu-Ray player, or your PlayStation (or other console). It's as simple as that.

The difference between HDMI and RCA cables are very visible - you'll never go back to RCA again!