Television Buying Guide 3

Air Antenna Receivers
The law requires most television sets sold after March 2007 to include a built-in tuner that can receive high-definition programmes broadcasted on air by a simple antenna. If the television is not equipped with such a tuner, an external tuner or box is required to watch these programmes. So most televisions (not monitors) sold after that date, must comply with the aforementioned law to accommodate DTV (Digital Television) transition.

Digital Television Transition
A bill has been passed by the congress that requires over-the-air stations to switch to digital broadcasting between 17 February and 12 June 2009. After the final date, televisions with old NTSC tuners will be unable to receive over-the-air programmes. So many people who use “rabbit ears” or rooftop antenna and their televisions do not have a tuner, will stop receiving broadcasts. As a result, a subsidy program has been created which provides $40 coupons (limit of 2 per household), that can be used toward a digital converter box.

Television Buying Guide 1

Soon after posting the previous notes, I received feedback from several people to write in simpler and more practical terms and also shorter; this brings me to the following series of posts which are a short and simple guide to buying a new television.

Introduction
Televisions are expensive equipments, but price-wise they can be put into a few categories. Here comes a small chart that can match your funds with the types of television you can actually afford, which might be far from what you have pictured in your dreams.


Selecting the best size
Now that you have narrowed down your budget, you need to decide the proper size for your television. Obviously, larger screens cost more, but television should have the right size for the room in which you are intending to put it. Here is a small chart that gives the proper distance from your television.

Generally, 30" and smaller displays work great in bedrooms but they are too small for the living rooms. Larger displays are suitable for the whole family to enjoy but they would be too much for small bedrooms. If the television is put in an entertainment centre, make sure it has enough room for ventilation. Nowadays, many televisions come with dedicated stands that can even accommodate other components such as cable boxes and DVD players.

The Beginning

It has been my intention to write about the "Wonders of the Digital Era" or "Our Digital Age" for quite some time now. Yet, somehow I could not or rather want not gather the courage or better say stamina to actually step forward and start doing it. Noteworthy is that I am not new to this field and that before coming to Canada I was already penning articles for a rather nice computer & communications magazine, which was interrupted with my migration to this beautiful and friendly country.

Busy as I am with my ongoing research and efforts toward a graduate degree, I will try to relate stories about stuff and experiences I find of use to other people. With this post, I shall begin working on this blog, in hope that stories within will shed light on someone else's problem or be interesting enough for others to read and follow.