TIPS to think about before buying:
Turn down the bright screen – when shopping check the brightness of the tv, have the salesperson lower the settings, they usually have the brightness up really high. When comparing 2 or more tv’s try and lower the brightness of all tv’s til they look equal.
#2 More bright lights- our homes, basements & club rooms are never as bright as the show floor. So see if you can block the lighting that may be shooting on the tv screen you are interested in or ask them to turn down the house lights in that area so you can get a better sense of the screen in your real environment.
Don’t watch their programs- The best way to test the quality of the picture is to bring your own DVD (PG or G pleaseeee!!!) movie and play it on the screens you are comparing. Most stores will have tv programs on them and some tv sets may be running off of a dvd while others are running off of a TV signal. Make sure you ask about the programs and make sure you know, so they don’t try and fool you by selling you a lesser-quality TV that was showing a DVD movie on it.
View the varying modes- Make sure the tv’s you are comparing also are set to the same picture mode. One tv could be on Sports while the other is on Movie. This can change how they look and it’s not an apples to apples comparison.
Lastly, view from all angles- only you know, if the room where the tv is going is bright, dark small room or large space. So measure the distance from where the tv will be placed and where viewers will be seated and take that measurement with you to the store. Also, be sure to notice at home if viewers will have to watch your tv from an angle or if they will be viewing dead-on center. Be sure to look at the tv from at least the 45-degree angle and see if the picture is still viewable and clear-this exercise alone will rule out some tv’s for you.