Chances are you’ve heard the term HD TV by now - also known as high-definition TV. But what exactly is it and do you need to upgrade?

What is HD TV?

HD TV broadcasts are the highest resolution digital broadcasts available. This means superior pictures and sound to standard-definition (SD) TV. But not all HD TVs are created equal. Within the category there are four distinct types, and the higher the number, the better the quality: 1080p (resolution is 1920×1080 pixels), 1080i (1920×1080 pixels), 720p (1280×720 pixels) and 576p (852×576 pixels).

The “p” and “i” stand for progressive and interlaced respectively, and without getting too technical, interlaced content has more pixels and lines, while progressive content is rendered in a smoother manner with less juddering.

Only 1080p can be referred to as “Full HD”.

When buying a HD TV for your home, you will see one of these numbers in the specifications, indicating what content that TV is capable of displaying. This issue is quite a complex one to understand, so if you’re interested you can read more.

CRT HD TVs

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions - the old-style TVs that most of us grew up with - are rare when it comes to high-definition, but they do exist. They tend to be much cheaper than their flatscreen and rear projector counterparts, so this is the budget option.

Many people believe that CRT TVs provide superior picture quality to most flatscreens. Unfortunately, CRT TVs are bulky and they generally only go up in size to 34 inches.

LCD HD TVs

LCD is the most popular technology when it comes to HD TV and is the logical choice for someone upgrading from an old-style CRT set. In the world of flatscreens, LCD technology is generally preferred for screens under 50 inches, although some manufacturers do make them in sizes larger than this. Plasma TVs perform better in larger sizes, and larger TVs are obviously more expensive than smaller TVs.

Samsung LCD TVs are an ever-popular choice with Australian consumers.

LED HD TVs

A new flatscreen technology to arrive in Australia is LED, which is quite similar to LCD technlogy but performs better and is more energy efficient due to a different type of light being used. You can read more about it here.

If you’re interested in LED TV technology you will probably come across a Sharp LED HD TV at some point.

Plasma HD TVs

As mentioned above, plasma TVs are better at larger sizes, so if you want a big flat HD TV (and you have the money for it), a plasma HD TV is the way to go. For anything upwards of and including 50 inches, plasma is recommended.

Panasonic Viera plasma HD TVs usually perform well.

Rear-projection HD TVs

Do you want to go really, really big with your HD TV? Say, up to a whopping 73-inches? Then rear-pro is for you. Keep in mind that a HD TV at this size could be too large for your living room, so make sure you do your sums first.

Rear-projection TVs aren’t flat (due to the projector being contained within the box itself) and often work best when recessed into the wall in a home theatre situation. There are several different types of Rear-projection HD TVs, including DLP, LCoS and the familiar LCD and CRT. Rear-projection HD TVs tend to be more affordable than plasma HD TVs of the equivalent size.

Sony Bravia rear-projection HD TVs are highly regarded in the industry.

Buy a cheap HDTV on sale

Guide originally published November 13, 2009; updated July 29, 2010.

By Caroline Warnes

Australian designer fashion fans, rejoice - clothing hire site Dressed Up is selling off some of its old stock.

The Dressed Up sale has some pretty frocks from the likes of Nicola Finetti and Wayne Cooper on sale for a fraction of their RRP (plus free shipping).

My favourite is this White Suede dress, which is marked down to $100 from $320 (I am currently trying to talk myself out of buying it).

The sale ends at 5pm tomorrow.

By Caroline Warnes

The new MSI Wind U160 is a fairly standard netbook in most respects, with its battery life being one of its few standout features.

The extended battery life is thanks to its six-cell battery, which MSI claims offers up to 15 hours of performance. (Though this quoted figure of course depends on how you’re using the computer - more intensive applications will not give you 15 hours of battery life.) Unfortunately, the battery adds a fair bit of bulk to the back of the unit, which is somewhat of a contradiction when you consider most people buy a netbook for the portability factor.

On the inside, the U160 isn’t vastly different to other netbooks. It features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and GMA 3150 graphics card, plus a 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and the Windows 7 Starter Edition operating system. Similarly, there’s nothing too remarkable on the outside either - the screen measures 10.1-inches with 1024×600 pixel resolution and connectivity consisits of a VGA port, three USB connection and an SD card reader.

The MSI Wind U160’s Australian RRP is $549.

Buy a cheap MSI netbook on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

Not much news to report from the world of bargain buys today, but I do have another exciting update on the jeggings front.

I don’t think this picture needs a whole lot of introduction, so I won’t ruin the moment with lots of words. But let me just say one thing: you know how I said yesterday that large prints tend to be flattering? These jeggings have proved me wrong.

If you have rocks in your head and actually want to buy a pair, they’re reduced (I’M SHOCKED!) TO US$16.85 at ASOS. They were originally US$50.54 (again, SHOCKED).

By Caroline Warnes

We are giving away $5000 worth of prizes to celebrate the toy sales in the Lasoo We Like Toys! competition.

Each week we will be giving away four Lasoo gift cards valued at $250 each to be spent as cash at the toy sales.

This week’s category is action figures.

Find out more about the We Like Toys! competition.

Competition terms and conditions

It may be a smidgen early for most of us to be thinking about our spring/summer wardrobe, but if you’re super-organised, then sussing out summery dresses is probably high on your list of things to do.

Personally, I’m planning a summer of wearing maxi dresses, floaty kaftans and other loose-fitting apparel to hide the after-effects of a crapulent winter involving food, wine, TV and… well, not much else.

To that end, I already have great plans for this Forever New rose-printed maxi dress, which not only has the maxi dress silhoutte working in its favour, but also a large print (believe it or not, a large print makes you look smaller by comparison. It’s the small prints you should avoid if you’re trying to appear slimmer.)

It sells for $199.99, which isn’t cheap but it’s something you could get a fair bit of wear out of.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re new to digital cameras and want something cheap and cheerful with minimal bells and whistles, then the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S2100 will be right up your alley.

It’s the manufacturer’s brand new entry-level digital camera (and the only Sony camera to use AA batteries), and as such offers minimal functionality and image quality for the bargain RRP of $129.

In all respects, the S2100 offers exactly what you’d expect from an entry-level camera, including 12-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom and a 3-inch LCD viewing screen. It comes with the standard shooting modes (Intelligent Auto, Easy, Program, Scene and Movie), digital image stabilisation and face detection.

On the plus side, it’s a fairly sturdy camera and isn’t unattractive to look at, coming in three colours (black silver and orange) - all finished in brushed metal on the front. But of course, the most attractive thing about this camera for most people will be the price tag, which is squarely aimed at those buying into the market for the first time.

Buy a cheap Sony camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

You have to love it when Australian designer fashion labels team up with chain stores to offer their designs to the masses at more affordable prices.

The latest pairing involves Sportsgirl and Aje, which is a relatively young label that specialises in designs that are both cutting-edge and feminine.

Aje has designed a seven-piece collection for Sportsgirl, which is available online today and in-store next week. There are some really pretty pieces here, including the baby pink hot ruffle skirt and loose-fit t-shirt pictured here, which will set you back $200 all up - a great buy when compared to the pricing of the main Aje collections.

By Caroline Warnes

The soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy 3 is the manufacturer’s latest pass at a budget Android smartphone, and at this stage it looks promising.

Positioned as the little brother of the Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy 3 does well enough in the specifications and features department to satisfy entry-level users, but will most likely fall short for those wanting the latest and greatest phone.

The most glaringly obvious money saver here comes in the form of the 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD screen. While it’s of a decent size, the resolution is rather unusual (400×240 pixels), which means that some apps may not render properly on it.

The phone itself feels sturdy enough, without being bulky (it’s just under 1cm thick). Connectivity options are excellent (HSDPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and A-GPS) as is multimedia - you can use the phone to play back audio and video and there is a built-in FM tuner. Content can be stored on the internal 170MB memory, expandable via microSD card.

Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy 3 will be confirmed before its release.

Buy a Sony Ericsson phone on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

And the winners are:

C. Diano, 4508; G. Galletly, 4068; awaiting response from two winners.