Shopping Tips
Before heading for the stores with your wish list in hand, here are some fundamentals to keep in mind.

Stick with Reputable Brands and Retailers
Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true — especially online. While megastores can offer a big selection and big discounts, specialty retailers may have dedicated home theater demo rooms and can offer much more personal service.

Consider Spending a Little More than You’d Planned
You may find that going a little over budget will get you a bigger screen, noticeably better picture quality, or useful features that might be costly or impossible to add later. Over the long haul, you will almost always be happier if you go ahead and spend the money. Remember: the average time to replacement for a new TV set is about 10 years! On that basis, even an extra $1,000 is just $100 per year.

Bring Demo Discs You Know and Love
The video feeds to TV sets in dealer showrooms vary enormously in quality and are often rather poor. Taking along some well-made, familiar DVDs of your own can make evaluations and comparisons easier, more accurate, and more reliable. The Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up DVD is excellent for evaluating video performance. Also excellent are the Avia Guide to Home Theater from Ovation Software and Digital Video Essentials from Joe Kane Productions.

If Possible, Optimize Each Set’s Picture Before Evaluation
Manufacturers typically ship TVs with their picture settings adjusted for maximum “pop” on a showroom floor. Contrast, color, and sharpness settings will almost always be too high out of the box. Like a speaker with pumped-up bass, the TV may seem impressive on first look, but it won’t wear well over time. And the picture will look worse in a critical viewing than it would with correct settings. Make things right if you can before you evaluate picture quality. The Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up DVD is an excellent tool for this purpose, but just switching to a preset labeled something like "Movie" or "Pro" and selecting the "Warm" color-temperature setting often helps a lot.

Take Your Time
Don’t let anyone rush you. Sure, you’ll probably want to buy something right now, but resist those impulses.

Don’t Neglect the Boring Details
Make sure the TV will fit where you intend to place it. Sounds obvious, but . . . And make sure you have the types and lengths of cable you need. Once you get your gear home and are ready to set it up, you’re not going to want to go back to the store to get a longer component-video cable or an HDMI-to-DVI adapter.

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