The screen size advertised and published is always the size of the television and not the actual display. To know the exact size of the display screen, remove another inch or so from the published screen size.

The screen size of the TV is measured diagonally. It is the length from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner and is usually measured in inches. Curently in India, screen size for LCD televisions range from 15 to 52 inches; for Plasma and Projection televisions it ranges from 37 to 70 inches; for CRT televisions it ranges from 14 to 34 inches.

Screens available today can be broadly classified into 6 categories 1) Regular (Conventional), 2) Semi Flat (FST and FFST) and 3) Flat and 4) Plasma 5) Projection and 6) LCD.

The Black Stretch circuit in television improves upon the black level of signal proportionately and in doing so enhances the contrast of the picture. Normally, if the white and black portions of the picture are next to each other on the screen, then the black picture looks a little less black. To overcome this problem television manufacturers have tried to increase the black level-calling it black stretch.

It improves contrast and hence improves the picture quality.

The PIP feature can display more than one screen on your television as a smaller sub-screen. Any of the sub-screens displayed can be chosen for main screen viewing at the touch of a button on the remote control. Some televisions offer upto 9 sub-screens on the TV screen.

This enables the viewer to simultaneously view two or more channels. However, the soundtrack is of the main screen channel. This feature is useful for large families where everyone wants to see their own favourite channel.

A control on the television (and on the remote control) that aids in altering the sharpness and clarity of the picture.

In dimly lit conditions (such as the night), a very sharp picture could strain your eyes. In a well lit room, you would need a sharper picture to view the picture on the television screen. Thus the settings of the sharpness may need to be adjusted using the Sharpness Control. Some televisions are also provided with preset picture settings for different ambient conditions.

You may need to alter the sharpness settings for a more relaxed viewing that is less strenuous for your eyes.

Resolution refers to the number of pixels, or dots, used to create the image on the screen. Applicable to High-end televisions to measure ability to display image with millions of colours.

The number of pixels horizontally (Lines of Resolution) by the number of pixels vertically, this is how many independent dots of colour the screen can display. Following are the types resolution available. VGA (Video Graphics Array) 640 x 480, SVGA (Super VGA) 800 x 600, XGA (Extended Graphics Array) 1024 x 768, SXGA (Super XGA) 1280 x 1024, WXGA (Wide Extended Graphics) 1366 x 768 and finally Full HD or True HD Resolution of 1980 x 1080 pixels. Full HD resolution is highest resolution available in televisions, where one can enjoy entertainment from sources displaying 1080i or 1080p signals. Currently in India we do not receive High Definition broadcast but one can enjoy it if connected to sources like Blu-ray or HD-DVD players, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Higher the resolution better the picture quality.

Contrast ratio is measured as the difference between the brightest and darkest colors on the screen and is associated with LCD, Plasma and projection televisions and monitors. TVs with a higher contrast ratio are considered to be better than ones with lower contrast ratios.

There are two ways of measuring contrast ratio. The first is True or On-screen Contrast Ratio and the second is Dynamic Contrast Ratio. True or On-screen contrast ratio measures the difference between the brightest and darkest images a TV can produce simultaneously or at the same time. The ratio of the brightest and darkest images a TV can produce over time is called dynamic contrast ratio. Dynamic contrast measures the display twice, once with a dark screen and once with a bright screen. Dynamic contrast ratio is often four or five times higher than the static specification, so while comparing make sure you are considering them at equal terms. But in the end it is always advisable that you inspect competing models yourself for their contrast performance before purchasing.

Brightness on display units is measured in candelas per square metre or cd/m2 (1 cd/m2 is sometimes called a nit).

Brightness Sensor Function automatically adjusts the screen brightness depending on the room brightness, helping to reduce power consumption. Features like Golden Eye, Digital Eye in televisions denote that they have Brightness Sensor.

It is screen reaction time, ie the time it takes for your screen to react to any command. The pixel response time in milliseconds is the time it takes for a pixel to go from black to white and then back to black.

In the earlier days of LCD display technology, higher response times meant that in fast moving scenes, the panel would not be able to draw each rapidly changing frame in time, and a slightly blurred, ghosting effect could be seen in some places.

Pixel Response Times apply to LCD Televisions only, as Plasma Displays use a different type of technology. So choose LCD TV with lesser response time than 8ms.

Aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio of a visual image. Standard NTSC televisions have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (4 units wide by 3 units high). Widescreen televisions have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

A Comb Filter is a device that separates chrominance (colours) from luminance (light) to improve picture resolution, to minimize picture distortion and to reduce distortionary colour artefacts, such as dot crawl and shimmering.

The noise reducer reduces the snow-flake effect caused by bad signal reception.

When there is a poor signal or bad satellite reception in your area, the television emits disturbing snow-like particles on the screen thus distorting the image. This is video noise. The Noise Reducer significantly reduces the disturbance caused to the image.

It enhances image quality on your television set.

PMPO stands for Peak Music Power Output. A high PMPO suggests a higher maximum volume achievable by the television set. Most Indian brands measure sound output in terms of PMPO. However, audiophiles feel it is RMS (Root Mean Square) and not PMPO that is the more correct way of measuring music power output. Roughly 8 watts of PMPO power is equal to 1 watt of RMS power. The higher the PMPO (or RMS), the louder you can play your music. Around 30 watts PMPO per channel should be sufficient for easy listening pleasure in a small room.

NICAM (Near Instantaneous Compounded Audio Multiplexing) broadcast, is an audio signal.

This is a Digital Stereo System that is built into the television set. Ask your cable operator to tell you if your area receives NICAM broadcasts.

You can enjoy CD sound quality on your television.

Stereo playback enables you to connect or route the sound signals from your TV to the audio system. You can also have an audio amplifier that can power the regular speakers of your TV set giving you a stereo playback.

Produces clear dynamic stereo sound when connected to external stereo devices.

Composite Video Inputs are the most common ports available in projectors/televisions to connect compatible devices like VCRs, camcorders etc. Composite Video Inputs produces lowest resolution at 200-220p.

This input is useful if in case your source device lacks superior S-video or component video outputs.

Televisions with Component Video inputs have 3-jack connection, which facilitates the ultimate in color accuracy with a Component Video Output compatible DVD Players and other devices, and virtually all of todays DVD players include it.

They separate the video signal into 3 component parts, and improve resolution, picture detail, and have great color accuracy. A single component video input includes three RCA jacks & one for the brightness (luminance) section of the video signal, and two for the color (chrominance) section. Due to these separations in component video connections, they offer even higher-quality video transfer than S-video connections, with improved color accuracy and less bleeding.

Higher quality video input than composite video connection available in television/projector, which can be connected to the devices like DVD player and camcorders. S-video inputs connection that segregates chrominance and luminance signals for optimum reproduction from high-quality video sources such as SVHS, Hi8 and DVD players.

S-video inputs connection are better than traditional composite video inputs.

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video interface standard designed to maximize the visual quality of digital display devices. DVI is the best way to connect to a computer, for using the TV as a large monitor.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is a new connectivity standard that carries high definition audio and video signals on the same cable. It is a digital cable and connection that supports digital data transmission. Unlike DVI, which supports only video transmission, HDMI supports both high definition video and audio.

HDMI is superior to component and DVI. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio.

VGA Input is a Computer Input Some high-end TV sets have that allows the TV sets to be connected directly to computers.