Your home design questions answered.
QUESTION: I love the look of flat-screen TVs. What should I know about them before I go out to purchase one for my family room?
ANSWER: Andrew Garman, vice president of Creative Systems (creativesys.com): The two kinds of flat TVs—LCD and plasma—have subtle differences in the way they reproduce video images. But plasma TVs have a wider viewing angle, better color fidelity and crisper motion tracking. No matter what you get, be prepared to spend a little bit more for quality. One of the hardest parts of picking out a new TV is determining what size will work the best. We recommend cutting a piece of cardboard to the size you’re envisioning and placing it in the room to get a sense of proportion. We’re long past the days of rabbit ears. There are many devices out there that require different connections: DVD, HDTV, Xbox—the list goes on. It’s also important to understand the process of installing a flat-screen set—especially one that’s going to hang on a wall. Most specialty retailers have installers who can mount it to the wall safely and make the end result look great.
Have a question for an expert? E-mail tbehan@mainlinetoday.com.
