O wondrous consumer. Thou art graced in the art of HD purchasing. But why tell me do you buy? Is it to watch a screen full of moving images of the highest imaginable quality? Why yes of course, but HD is so much more. As a visual treat to your senses it is too good to be true.

But indeed it is so much more.

Try these little titbits out and you’ll never go back!

1. The HDTV experience:

HDTV is like no other, with a multitude of channels to choose from, HD quality telly is simpley the business.

2. The HD Video experience:

Like HDTV this is a must. Now that Blu-Ray is the winner of the HD video format theres noting stopping you slapping down the cash and snapping up a spanking brand new PS3 and watching Bladerunner in all its luminous glory.

3. The Sound Experience:

You could be left wondering where sound fits into the equation, but like any decent mediazation of a room sound can never be left on the back burner. What HD brings to the table is HDMI cables capable of carrying your high quality sound as well as video. One less cable is always a winner.

4. The HD Gaming Experience:

The PS3, XBOX360 and to a lesser extent the Wii all benefit greatly from the super dooper image quality that is matched by no other.

5. The HD Flat Screen Experience:

Flat screens in on themselves are just plain cool.

Not only does they give you bags more space, they physically change the standard definitions of livingrooms by dumping that rectangular space occupied for so many years by the cathode.

6. The HDPC Experience:

If you’ve never done it just do it! Check your laptop for a DVI interface, if you’ve got one get a HDMI-DVI connector and a HDMI cable. Hay presto (well if you have a macbook) instant mega PC screen. Games, Youtube, Email DVD, you get the picture. In a crazy attempt at decableization (and as much of the hardware that goes with it) use you Laptop as a media center , bingo no more cables!

7. The Wall Mounted Telly Experience:

Trust me, for a truely Zen like experience, put your HDTV on the wall, clear away all the cables into a nice white plastic pipe & use a macbook as a media system. No gadgets , no cables just pure entertainment.

8. The HD Media Experience:

Blu-Ray the movie……

9 The Big Picture Experience:

I love the cinema but now with a 40” HDTV the popcorns alot cheaper and I get home super quick.

10: The Technolust Experience.

All of the above

Yes Folks, tis’ the season to be jolly and what could bring more joy to the comfort of your living room than a nice brand spanking new HDTV set?

Yes indeed, bar a lottery win (or in the case of some models, without a lottery win this may be as close as you get :)) a new HDTV can bring the entire family together or rip them apart (who’s the ‘king of the remote’ in your house?). Well I’ve slapped together a tidy list of the hottest models available in the UK this Christmas. So for the next few days in the run up to christmas we are looking to the latest and greatest to adorn your living room, car, boat or spaceship if you are so inclined. So prepare yourself for a little seasonal technolust and without any further ado, HDBLISS presents the first of it picks for the top ten HDTVs this Christmas.

10

Samsung LE26R51BD

Want a HDTV on the cheap. Looking for something that your better half can get without breaking the bank, you could do alot worse than the Samsung LE26R51BD. Yes indeed my friends, for a paltry 150 quid this model can be got online, at 26 inch its not the largest screen in the world (save that for later) but with DNIe Picture Enhancement Technology, HDTV Ready, up 30 Freeview channels, Nicam Stereo Sound, HDMI Connectivity, Component Input, Table Top Stand Included, Wall Mountable, S-Video Input, SVGA Compatible you can’t argue with the Price.

9

Venturer SHD7001

This shouldn’t really be in the list for two reasons. a), it doesn’t actually exist yet with an expected release date of the 29th Dec (it is seasonal though) and b) it is’nt actually a HDTV. But at an expected retail price of 220 quid for a real godfearing ’so this is what all the fuss is about’ piece of HD DVD Player its worth every penny. Its great to be an early adopter if you dont mind being shafted at the next round of technology upgrades or piling out a ton of cash for what might be the next best thing but at this price you could do not wrong. It may not be a 1080p but at 1080i its more than good enough to move from the reruns of Fools and Horses to the crisp snap of Spiderman III in Hi Def. A catch and a half, not only for the price but for that beautiful sucking sound of a market in price freefall. Bring it on boys.

Theres one thing that can be said about the Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U and that is that it ain’t small. In fact it is very very big. So big infact that you may need a livingroom that is about the size of a small planet but man is the picture fantastic. It difficult to know where to begin with a piece of quality work such as this but I’ll try.

HDTV Image quality generally depends on many factors apart form the basics such as digital (HDMI) connections and full HD 1080p resolution. The most important ones to look out for are the ‘black level’ , ‘viewing angle’ , ‘contrast ratio’ and ‘response time’.  In all cases the AQUOS LC-52D62U is a winner. The black level on this model is superb, probably one of the best on the market today, and the 10000:1 enhanced picture contrast is breathtaking. One aspect of HTDVs that drives my crazy is ghosting effects introduced by poor response times. Not with the LC-52D62U though. The high 4ms response time really smooths out the on screen wrinkles and adds more realism to your viewing experience. The wide viewing angles of 176º by 176º is really necessary on a model of this size but its nice to know anyway.

With both analog and digital TV tuners built in this is an excellent model if you have the right environment (read massive living room), put it this way you would be hard pressed to do better.