Stroll through an average Aussie home and you're bound to stumble upon at least a couple of TVs. TV watching has become an obsession of the young and old alike. It seems that finding the best TV screens for a new home is on its way to becoming one of our favourite national pastimes.
Given the enormous variety of displays, it's a job that's tougher than picking up a set at the local department store. In addition to standard analogue TV sets, there are now wide-screen TVs, HDTVs, rear-projection TVs, plasma screens, LCD screens and various types of video displays. No one type of TV is better than the rest. Rather, each offers certain performance advantages in different types of viewing environments.
The size of a room, the amount of natural light that washes into the room, the viewing preferences of your family, how you want the TV integrated into the home theatre (built into a wall or special wall unit, for example) and, of course, your budget, are all factors to consider before buying a TV. Consult an audio/video specialist for the best advice.
Planning Issues
What You Need to Consider: Do you watch mainly DVD movies or network programs? Maybe most of your TV watching is dedicated to news and sports. And when you watch, are the lights on or off? Finally, how big are the rooms in which a TV will reside? You don't want a screen that's too small to see; nor do you want one that overpowers the room.
Here are a few pointers: DVD movies look best when presented on a wide-screen TV. Network programs come in sharpest on HDTVs (if your TV station transmits in HDTV).
Standard picture-tube TVs, plasma screens, LCD screens and rear-projection TVs all remain sharp and bright when the lights of a room are on. Video projectors require dark rooms.
Find the best size of TV by dividing thedistance from the planned location of the couch to the planned location of the TV by 2 or 2.5. This dimension is the appropriate screen width. If space is tight, flat screens (a plasma screen or an LCD screen) are ideal.
Windows: Sunlight is notorious for washing out a picture. It's an idea to build a dedicated home theatre in the basement or another room that has no windows. Otherwise, make sure that you install draperies that are easy to close over the windows and that will successfully block out the light.
Built-ins: Despite the attempts by furniture manufacturers to design technology-friendly entertainment cabinets, the only way to truly achieve the perfect fit between a cabinet and a TV is to buy the TV first and have the furniture custom-built to fit around it.
Alternatively, request that your builder leave enough room within the wall cavity so that a TV can be mounted inside, leaving only the screen visible. No matter where the TV resides, make sure you and your audio/video installer can easily access the back of the TV and other video equipment (ask your builder to construct a closet behind the entertainment centre).
