MHz, ratio's, diodes and burn-in are terms that may cause some of us to throw up our hands and surrender to whatever them smooth talking salesmen have to say. But we all know that when it comes to larger purchases, protecting our pockets requires a little research. So here's a brief summary and explanation of all those TV tech terms that may throw us off, as well as a star rating system to keep things simple and sweet.

Most important to remember, however, is that at the end of the day, which TV you buy should be highly dependant on what your personal personal viewing preferences and functional needs are. There is no specific right or wrong, or any one 'best' TV. And if you are not an avid gamer, you don't need that R15,000 800Hz LED TV the sales assistant may insist you do! So best advice? Before you even enter the store, have a solid idea of what functions will prove useful with regard to your lifestyle needs, and stay on the alert for what functions, albeit awesome, probably won't.

(Also, remember that this is speaking very generally with regard to the middle of the range, average screen of each type, and there may be a few exceptions to the rule dependent on the specific TV. So best to always check with regard to the TV you may have your eye on).

Rating Scale

Best: 

Second place: 

Third place:

Plasma? LCD? LED? WTH?!

Basically, Plasma screens are made up of small gas cells sandwiched between two plates of glass. These cells are individually lit up, creating bright, crisp images which we see as a picture on screen. LCD TVs (Liquid Crystal Display) work by selectively filtering a white light. This light is produced by cold cathode fluorescent lamps at the back of the screen. Tons of grid style shutters open and close at different times, to allow a specific amount of colour filtered light through, creating pixels. LED TVs are basically TVs with LCD screens that have LED (light emitting diode) lights behind the screen, backlighting the display.

Burn-in:

Is the term referring to a picture or icon that has been etched onto the screen as a result of the picture remaining in the same place on screen for too long (for example, when a picture is paused). However, these days, most TVs have minimal burn-in risk or have burn in reduction features.

*All of these TVs have an equal, small chance (on average) of experiencing burn-in.

Contrast ratio:

Refers to a TVs ability to display detail in high contrast area's of the screen. This is perhaps one of the largest deciding factors in overall picture quality.

Plasma     LED     LCD  

HDR (High Definition Resolution):

Standard definition TVs have a display resolution of 480p, and for those of us who would like this in english, 480 lines of detail across the screen (creating those itty-bitty squares we call pixels). Your HDR TV comes with a display resolution of 720p, 1080i or 1080p lines of detail or more (making far more squares and hence a clearer picture). Obviously, the higher resolution is the better quality image.

Viewing angle:

This is the physical range in which the TV produces the image on screen with no loss of contrast or colour. A narrower viewing angle means that there is a smaller range in which to view the picture at it's best. Large viewing angle's are particularly important if the TV is going to be watched by many people, sitting in different positions in the room at the same time.

Plasma      LED      LCD

Aspect ratio:

This is the ratio of the screen's width to its height. Regular HD width divided by its height is generally indicated as 16:9, also known as widescreen. The regular SD (standard definition) ratio is 4:3, the square(ish) image that SABC broadcasts.

Black level:

How dark (truly black) black appears on screen.

Plasma      LED      LCD 

Hertz (frequency)...

 Refers to the rate at which the picture refreshes itself per second. Standard frequency is 50 Hz (50 times a second). This number is increasing as the technology is advancing. TVs with a faster computer processor allow for a faster refresh rate.

Light Output...

This is basically how bright the screen appears.

LED      LCD      Plasma

Energy consumption:

Basically how much power a TV needs to run.

LED      Plasma      LCD

Now you can go wow them sales folk and man friends alike with your tech savvy know-how like it ain't no thang. And save those purse strings too.