Great TVs have never been more affordable, so let us help you choose the right model to suit your lifestyle.

This handy guide explains the technical differences between different types of TV and, if you haven't already gone digital, will help you understand why now is the perfect time to switch.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TV

A 'sandwich' of liquid crystal between two panels. It's the most common flat screen technology, and is used in most flat screen TVs under 37 inches.

Plasma TV

Plasma TVs tend to be larger flat screen TVs of 37 inches or more. The panels are narrow like LCD, but are heavier than LCD screens. Here, ionised gas is sandwiched between two panels. Invisible UV light is emitted then converted into visible light to produce the picture.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) TV

Basically an LCD TV with one crucial difference. The handful of fluorescent lamps that light up the TV screen have been replaced by hundreds of smaller LEDs - or light emitting diodes.

There are a range of benefits that LED TVs have over LCD TVs.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred technology, it’s time to consider the other features you’d like.

Screen Size: visible screen size is the standard used to measure all televisions. It is commonly stated in inches and is the diagonal measurement from corner to corner.

Aspect ratios: the ratio of width to height of the image.

4:3 enables standard sized images to be viewed, with a border on the left and right hand side of the picture.

16:9 enables images across the whole width of the screen (widescreen) by stretching out the image horizontally. Movies look great in this format.

Zoom: great for watching DVD films recorded in the letterbox format (displaying a widescreen movie on standard TV the way it was originally shot). The zoom feature extends the picture to the full size of the screen removing the top and bottom borders.

Brightness: the maximum illumination of a TV screen measured in cd/m² or candelas per metre squared. It refers to the light properties radiating from a one-metre square surface. The higher the figure, the brighter and more vibrant the picture. An average brightness is around 300cd/m².

Contrast: the difference between the brightest and darkest colours on the colour spectrum. The greater the ratio, or difference, the greater colour definition and clarity between the brightest whites and darkest blacks.

Resolution: the number of pixels making up the display, represented by the number of vertical columns times the number of horizontal lines, 1920 x 1080 for example. The higher the resolution, the more detail the screen can show.

Response time: the time required for an LCD pixel to change from fully active (black) to fully inactive (white) then back to fully active again. It is measured in milliseconds and the lower the number, the quicker the screen will update giving a clearer picture.

Viewing angle: the sweep across a room, from which the picture can be clearly viewed without losing quality. The larger this angle, the greater the number of people will be able to clearly view the picture.

High definition or HD allows your TV to display images with greater definition and clarity. Traditional screens consist of a picture made up of 625 lines of pixels. HD is available in two formats:

HD-Ready
• 720p means vertical lines of pixels. The ‘p’ stands for progressive scan, which means the whole picture is loaded at once rather than line by line, for a smoother sharper image. 
• 1080i is a higher resolution as the screens have 1080 vertical lines of pixels. ‘i’ means interlaced scan, which means every other line of picture is refreshed.

Full HD
• 1080p HD combines the superior resolution of a 1080 panel with the progressive scan smoothness. Perfect for gamers, 1080p is the only way to experience the true quality of Blu-ray and other HDMI DVD players. 
• HD content is currently available from Sky, Freesat and cable services, and via Blu-ray and HDMI DVD players.

All makes and models use the same range of sockets and leads.

SCART sockets: connect different pieces of equipment, such as a DVD player or digital set top box to your TV.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface): an HD-Ready TV will have HDMI inputs to accept a digital signal from HD equipment. You will need a HDMI cable to watch high definition broadcasts.

PC input: allows you to connect your PC and use the TV screen as a monitor.

S Video: uses a round four-pin connector and gives improved picture quality. The audio is carried separately through a standard phono connection.

CAM (Conditional Access Module): used for pay per view services and the CAM is inserted into the CI slot at the back of the TV.

DV in: connects extra equipment like camcorders.

Component: provides a higher picture quality connection to a DVD player but doesn't carry sound.

Composite: the basic connection for linking to old VHS recorders.

Phono sockets: usually located at the front or side of a TV depending on whether the TV is NICAM equipped.

Yellow: is the video signal.

White: is the left channel audio signal.

Red: is the right channel audio signal.

The four sound systems available in TVs are:

Nicam Stereo (Near instantaneous compounded audio multiplex): a simple, clear stereo sound that comes from built-in speakers.

Virtual Dolby: this distributes virtual sound around a room using built-in twin speakers, creating the illusion of surround sound.

Dolby ProLogic: also known as surround sound. It is similar to Nicam but instead of two audio channels (left and right), TVs equipped with ProLogic decoders can receive four channels of audio. Most programmes are broadcast in this five-speaker system.

Dolby Digital: brings cinema sound to your home. Sound is split into five channels, three at the front and two at the rear, to completely surround you. The system also includes a sub woofer to fill the room with base.

This applies to wall-mounted TVs, which should be VESA compliant. Different screen sizes require different size brackets. The standard sizes are listed below, but double check the TV before purchasing the brackets:

Over the next few years, region by region, the analogue signal is being switched off and replaced with a digital signal. After this, there will be three ways to receive digital channels:

If you don't already have digital TV and don't do anything, you won’t be able to continue watching TV broadcasts after switchover. For more information about digital television receiver visit: Link to digital television receivers.

For more information about channel availability and the switch over visit: http://www.freeview.co.uk/ http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/.