A Buying Guide for TV. Here’s What You Should Know?

There are several points to consider before buying a TV. What screen size should you choose? Is LED better than LCD or Plasma TVs? Which ports should you look for in a TV? Is it worth paying extra for networking related features? HD (720p) or Full-HD (1080p)? Which TV brand should you go for? And finally, is 3D necessary?

LCD, Plasma or LED?

There are basically two types of TVs - LCD and Plasma. The other category, LED, is actually a type of LCD but one that is slimmer (looks matters) and consumes less electricity than regular LCDs. I haven't had a chance to compare the picture quality of equivalent LED, LCD and Plasma HDTVs side-by-side but most online material seem to suggest that Plasmas offer the best picture quality.

The other point in favor of Plasma HDTVs is the viewing angle. LCDs and LEDs are best viewed from the front but if your room’s seating arrangement is such that people may have to watch TV while sitting at either sides, Plasmas may be a better option as the have a wider viewing angle. That said, if your TV room is brightly-lit or has too many windows, the Plasma screen may carry glare or reflection. LCDs have a matte screen and thus don't have the reflection problem.

Size of the TV Screen

HDTVs are available in various sizes and the one you should choose depends on two factors - the length of your room and obviously your budget.

As a rule of thumb, the ideal size of the TV screen should be anywhere between .3x and .6x where x is the distance between your sofa and the TV. For example, if the viewing distance is 6 feet (or 72 inches), you can go for a 24" - 48" screen.

TV Input Ports

Most newer TVs have HDMI and USB ports but what's also important is the location of these ports. If you are planning to wall-mount the TV, make sure that there are enough free ports at the sides of the unit because, once you mount the TV, it will be inconvenient, or rather impossible, to use the back ports for connecting your gadgets to the TV.

Screen Resolution – 720p, 1080i or 1080p

The next factor is the screen resolution where your choices are 720p, 1080i and 1080p - also known as full HD. Unless you are getting a small screen TV - like 32" - go for 1080p resolution and here’s why. More and more TV channels are becoming available in high-definition, the HD picture quality is vastly superior but you need a 1080p TV to experience the difference.

Jason Bonney adds – “Although I see no reason NOT to get a TV supporting 1080p, it's currently only really needed for Blu-ray. Broadcast HD TV is only 1080i and most video games (XBox 360/PS3) are native 720p being upscaled to 1080. So you can get by with 1080i if need be. I had an HD DLP 1080i for years before upgrading recently, and for HDTV and my 360 games it was still great.”

3D or 2D?

All brands are working hard to sell you 3D-capable TV sets but is 3D worth the extra cost or should you just settle for the good-old 2D? It depends.

We have a joint family and the TV is placed in a common room so we mostly watch it together. In order to enjoy 3D content, one needs to wear 3D glasses. If there are four other people in the room, they also need to wear compatible 3D glasses. The glasses are expensive but cost aside, I highly doubt if folks at home would be willing to wear a pair of glasses for watching a movie or a TV program. Also, there's isn’t enough 3D content available anyway – especially in regional languages - so we decided to go with 2D.

Network Connectivity

The other important feature to consider while deciding a TV is network connectivity. The expensive TV models often have built-in WiFi (or Wireless LAN) while others are WiFi-capable meaning you can attach an extra dongle, always old separately, to connect the TV to the home network or for watching web videos - like YouTube - on your TV wirelessly.

All Internet-ready TVs have an Ethernet port so if you can stretch the LAN cable from the router to the TV, you can go for the WiFi-capable model but without spending on the USB wireless adapter. Also look for DLNA support as it will become easy for you to stream photos, music and videos from your computer and mobile phone to the TV screen.

One more thing. TV vendors like Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and LG bundle various 'apps' to help you watch YouTube videos, Flickr photos and other web content on the HDTV. However, the number of apps offered by these vendors is still small, they have no built-in browsers, no web search and you are thus limited to a very tiny portion of the web.

So what we finally picked is a 50" Panasonic Viera Plasma TV, full HD, lacks 3D, Internet-ready but without built-in Wi-Fi. It is definitely not “razor-thin” but since the unit is mounted on a wall, you rarely notice the thickness. Also, Panasonic offers limited Internet apps but not that we have connected it to Logitech Revue (read review of Google TV), family members can access almost the entire web in the living room.

While everyone has different requirements or “wants” and there’s no such thing as ‘perfect’ when it comes it to buying electronics, the above points may help you make a slightly more informed decision and get more value for your money.

Give your Eyes a Break with the 20-20-20 Rule

If you spend a good part of your day using the computer, the 20-20-20 rule, that I recently learned recently from my doctor, might also help you relax your tired eyes

The rule goes something like this.
The screen is bright and therefore, if you don’t blink your eyes as often as you should while working at the computer for long hours, you can have dry eyes sometimes even followed by redness.
To help you deal with this problem, the 20-20-20 rule suggest that after every 20 minutes, you (the computer user) should take a break for at least 20 seconds and look at objects that are 20 feet away from you.
Since it is nearly impossible for any computer users to remember that they have to take a break every 20 minutes, there are free software programs that can help you in your mission.
For instance, there’s a Windows utility called Eye Defender that sits in the system tray and, after a fixed interval, it will auto-run a visual training (see video below in full screen) for the eyes on your screen.
You are supposed to follow the pointer on the screen and this in turn should help relax your eyes.
Work Rave is another handy app that reminds you to take breaks at regular intervals to prevent computer related stress (including eyestrain).
It offers two kinds of breaks – micro-breaks, these are short and are mean to relax your eyes, and then there are rest-breaks where you are supposed to walk or stretch a little. Workrave also has a built-in wizard that demonstrates the various types of stretching exercises that you can do during these breaks.

Keep your Mobile Phone Safe at a Public Charging Station

This is not an uncommon problem. Your cell-phone is running out of battery, you need to make an urgent call but left the charger at home. What do you do next?

If you are at an airport or a shopping mall, it is not that big a problem because these places often have charging stations installed that can be used to charge the battery of almost any mobile phone. It doesn’t matter whether your phone requires a Micro-USB connector, a Mini-USB or a 2mm charger, the kiosk will have a suitable charging port for you.

Mobile charging stations are convenient but at the same time, there’s a level of security risk associate with them.

Security researchers have warned that public charging stations may be configured to upload malware on your phone and, at the same time, data can also be downloaded from the mobile phone while the battery is getting charged.

Keep your Phone Safe While Charging at a Public Kiosk

There are basically two ways to charge a mobile phone’s battery. You can either use a power cord that plugs directly into an electric outlet or you can use a USB based charger that draws power from a computer’s USB port. If a charging station internally uses the latter option, it may put your phone data at risk.

It is however relatively simple to keep your phone secure even while charging it at a public kiosk. Just remember to power off your phone completely before connecting it to the charging station and you should be safe.

The mobile charging stations installed at airports can be considered safe but the same may not always be true for other public kiosks that are operated by unknown people. If you have no option but to use such kiosks, do turn off the phone first.

Sex And The Single Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, exalted to the realm of  Mahatma in 1920 by no less an authority than Rabindranath Tagore, became a convict for the second time in 1908. His crime was an appeal for self- respect in South Africa. Prime Minister Louis Botha justified the political decision to send Gandhi to Jail for two months by explaining that this was the only way to check Indian Fanaticism.

                                      On August 16 , Gandhi had inspired a gathering of some 3000 a the Hamidia mosque in Fords burg, near Johannesburg, to burn their residential permits I protest against new immigration laws. In October , he led a peaceful march into forbidden territory , Transvaal, and was arrested. This highly successful lawyer and leader of the community  was paraded through the streets in prison dress before being thrown into the native cell at Fort, a prison later to be distinguished by the presence of Nelson Mandela as well. On his first night, Gandhi was threatened with rape by first a black and then a Chinese inmate. A terrified Gandhi Stayed Awake all night, as the two went to a native lying in bed where they exchanged obscene jokes and uncovered each others genitals.

Gandhi a Modh Baniya from a distinguished Guajarati Family with a law degree from England. Gandhi had the courage to rise above secrecy in his sexuality. He shunned privacy. Gandhi had no secrets after celibacy, which is why shunned privacy. He did not sleep behind closed doors. Some of his preferences, like message, could be easily in terpreted to have sexual connotations, and there is little doubt that Kallenbach did massage him. But if every massage him. But if every massage were sexual, there would be no legitimate spa today.