The WOW! Buzz

Over the past several weeks, we have discussed a number of technologies associated with the newer LCD HDTV sets. I hope this has been or will be helpful in cutting through the sturm und drang of the video store experience. The good news is there is a lot of great equipment out there, capability is up, prices are down, and better video is within the reach of almost every household.

After all the technical discussion (and specifications are reflective of the quality of design and manufacture), I think it’s important to note that ultimately your eye is the best judge of overall picture quality and should be given significant weight in the final choice. HDTV sets have evolved to the point that slight differences in specifications don’t generally translate into discernible differences in the produced image, and that’s important to remember in the final purchase decision.

In actual fact, there is more perceived differences in sets on display in most “big box” stores simply because they have been adjusted differently. If you like a particular set, but aren’t crazy about some aspect of the picture you’re seeing, ask the salesperson to adjust it. This has the dual purpose of not only tweaking the picture to your taste, but also to demonstrate the usability (or lack thereof) of the set interface. While most menu changes are reasonably straightforward on most mainstream brands, some are inherently more intuitive than others, and over the lifetime of the set can be a significant factor in your satisfaction with the product.

If the big box store isn’t your cup of tea, there are video salons in most suburban areas that are staffed with knowledgeable folks who can be very helpful in this process. Unlike a big box store, most salons take pains to adjust each of the demonstration sets to their optimum picture quality, allowing some real comparison to take place rather quickly. My prior advice holds in that you should still get a demonstration of the menu interface and tweak the picture if something doesn’t suit you. The down side of using a salon is that you will typically pay more for the same product–but usually that comes with an extra level of support that the big box stores simply can’t match, and that can be worth the difference in price.

If you’re quite sure of what you want, there are reputable on-line vendors as well for equipment of this type. For example, Amazon offers “white glove” delivery and set up for high end sets, and gets pretty good reviews for customer service and support. Prices can be very competitive from an on-line vendor, but if you shop on line for the best price only, prepare to have a frustrating experience. Some vendors have chosen to exploit the “arms-length” customer-client relationship inherent with internet business to the detriment of their customers. Read customer reviews of the online vendors and take them seriously.

Whatever you do:

1) do a little research before heading into the store,

2) don’t be rushed into a decision, and

3) take sales talk with a grain of salt.

See you next week.