Where do you start on Digital TV

AM pretty new to forums and very new to widescreen/digital tv, but have a wealth of knowledge around datacomms that I am happy to exchange in return for ANY help you rmembers can give me on choosing Digital TV. Things I have problems with are:

If it is digital, does that mean widescreen automatically?
If it is widescreen, does that mean digital automatically?
Are these silly questions?
Are there a list of requirements I can quote in order to get the best fit for my budget?
Is there an unwritten list of companies who are best for say, picture clarity, sound, quality etc.

Be extremely grateful for any helpful replies.

[sconepanman]

butty,

I have been researching the market for awhile now and here is my (albeit small) knowledge of what is going on:

If it is digital, does that mean widescreen automatically?

I have yet to se a non-widescreen digital (ie. digital tuner equipped) set.

If it is widescreen, does that mean digital automatically?

Not necessarily. In fact, most widescreen sold today don't have digital tuners. Let's be a little more lucid on this. We have digital tuners, which receive free-to-air digital signals and TVs with digital signal processing (like 100Hz). Some TVs have both, some just have the 100Hz processing. I am not sure if there are those WITH dgital tuners and WITHOUT 100Hz, but I doubt it.

Are these silly questions?

No such thing. Only silly answers, which I hope mine are not.

Are there a list of requirements I can quote in order to get the best fit for my budget?

Have a look at 100Hz vs 50Hz pictures side-by-side. If after 5 or 10 minutes, who cannot notice much of a diff, then why pay for 100Hz processing? Look at a variety of channels (always both the same, and preferably from a digital source like SKY or DVD). Do you want the Free-To_Air digital service? If so, you may want a digital tuner, but remember you can always get a set top digital tuner for £100 which plugs into your TVs scart. If you watch Sky, then a digital tuner may be redundant for your needs. Other things to consider are size and audio style (5.1 or Nicam only).

Is there an unwritten list of companies who are best for say, picture clarity, sound, quality etc.

All I can say here is read the threads and shop around. Generally, you get what you pay for. Low budget TVs (like Alba and Goodmans) trade quality for price, although LG seems to be upping the stakes in this deptartment. Mid price players each have there strengths and weaknesses. You will have to do your own research here as it is personal.

Hope this helps.

Sconepanman,

Many thanks for your common sense answers - I am starting to get a grip on things - so thanks for taking the time. Much appreciated.