Michael Patrick Brady

My most recent Forbes.com article, “Ask This Before You Buy an HDTV” ran today.

This article outlines some fundamental tips and tricks one must keep in mind when shopping for a new HDTV. It’s an update on my very first Forbes.com article, which I wrote about a year ago.

It’s the same relevant advice on seeing through a store’s marketing schemes, buffed up with some technical information that should demystify some of the specifications that are popular on TVs at the moment.

Next Day Update: I’ve been covering consumer electronics for some time now, and as I noted above, have been writing for Forbes.com for about a year. In that time, I’ve gotten the occasional negative feedback, usually about my entirely well-founded dislike for Monster Brand cables. Typically, this feedback comes from videophiles willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to achieve minuscule (some might say imperceptible) improvements in image quality.

My articles are written for the average consumer, not a videophile or home theater enthusiast. Most people just want the facts, and could care less about electromagnetic shielding and the science behind refresh rates or response times. They just want to know the essential information so they can find a high-quality HDTV they can enjoy, and that’s what I set out to provide them with.

Still, the feedback in the comments of this latest Forbes.com article are probably among the most confusing I’ve ever received. At the time of this update, there are five comments. The first one, from “dynamite jack” scolds me for pointing out that “plasma uses more energy, is heavier and produces better blacks, or that plasmas are being replaced by LCD TVs.”

All of those points are true. Take a look at this ENERGY STAR evaluation of the power consumption various HDTVs (PDF); plasma draws far more energy than LCD. Anyone who has ever looked at a plasma next to an LCD will tell you that they produce better blacks, the weight difference is clear, and if you’ve been watching the market, LCDs have certainly been overtaking plasmas as the popular choice for manufacturers and shoppers. All this has been well known for quite some time, and I find “dyanmitejack’s” criticisms very odd. Especially since he seems to think I dislike plasmas; I don’t, in fact, I recommend them as an affordable, high-quality alternative to LCDs in the article.

“Dynamitejack” is, apparently, a Circuit City salesperson, so it’s no surprise he goes on to espouse the importance of buying a $150 Monster Cable and avoiding the $6 generic cable from Monoprice.

Both “Dyanmitejack” and “evolution1″ agree that the image quality on TVs in retail stores like Circuit City are the best possible, while “grooves” seems to agree with me that they are poorly configured, often using factory settings that are tailored for the store environment and not the home. But then “grooves” says he agrees with “evolution1,” even though “evolution1″ said the exact opposite.

It’s a very weird set of comments. Contradictory, generally misinformed, and unusually combative. Plenty of people have different opinions or preferences on HDTVs and that’s fine and expected with something that depends so much on personal perception, but there are some hard and fast rules that are purely objective, and the noise in the comments on this article only serve to muddy the waters for people interested in easily finding a TV and avoiding the pitfalls along the way.