What to Look For in a Flat Panel TV

Plasma and LCD television sets have been around long enough now that their prices are finally coming down into the "reasonable" range. These days it's quite possible to get a flat panel TV with at least a 50-inch screen and a ton of great features for less than $2,000 -- which would have unheard of just five years ago. But with so many different televisions on the market, it can be difficult to figure out which one is best for your viewing needs. Here's a quick guide to some of the basic features you need to look for in your next flat panel TV.

The most important feature when considering one of these high-end television sets is the image quality. This is why you're buying HDTV in the first place, right? You want the picture to be crystal clear with sharp images, crisp colors, and fully adjustable settings. Most of these characteristics can be ascertained on the showroom floor as you examine the flat panel TV in person, but you might want to read some product reviews too, just to be sure. There's no sense in investing a lot of money in a set that doesn't perform as advertised.

Another feature to look for prior to purchasing a flat panel TV is connectivity. In this day and age, a television is not just used for watching sitcoms and sports. Instead, you've got to make sure that there are HDMI ports so you can connect your PlayStation 3 and other advanced gaming systems to the unit. In addition, more and more plasma and LCD televisions are being manufactured with built-in USB ports and PC inputs. This allows you to play music and look at photos right there on your screen, as well as use your television screen as a computer monitor so you can surf the web, watch YouTube videos, and do a number of other Internet-related tasks from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy.

Many people also want their flat panel TV to be energy efficient. Not all models are created equally in this regard, so be sure to look for the Energy Star sticker on the unit. In addition, many manufacturers are including energy-saving features to help reduce electricity usage. For instance, some Sony flat panel TV models come with a "presence sensor" setting that turns the power off if no movement is detected for a certain amount of time. Whether or not something like this is important to you is of course a matter of taste, but a lot of folks appreciate the extra savings this kind of feature can yield.

A piece of equipment as complex as a flat panel TV obviously has a number of additional features that you should examine carefully before making a purchasing decision, but the three listed here are the ones most commonly required by average users. This is a good enough starting point for most consumers, and then you can go ahead and check out other functions and capabilities as you see fit.