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A Little TV Research

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’d like to purchase a lightweight, flat-panel TV to replace my heavy analog one before my daughter starts walking. All of the articles I’ve seen about TVs toppling over on small children have this new mom very nervous.

I need to put aside money for the TV so that I don’t get tempted to charge. It’s possible that by the time I have the money saved, my little girl will likely already be walking. For now, as I wait for my savings account to grow, I’ve been researching TVs online so that when the time comes, I know what I’m buying and where I can get the best deal on it.

Looking at TVs solely on a computer screen, however, doesn’t give me all the information I need to make a final decision. I’d like to get either a 32-inch and a 37-inch screen, but without an in-person view, I’m having trouble choosing between the two. I’m all for the smaller and likely less expensive TV, as long as it isn’t so small that I have to squint to see it from my sofa.

So, while running an errand at Walmart the other day, I detoured through the electronics department to see how close the 32-inch screen measures up to our current TV. This didn’t help much. So, I tried to stand back from the 32-inchers at a distance comparable to that between my sofa and TV, and I discovered I’m not all that good at judging that either.

I did see something interesting, though: Next to each TV was an yellowish-orange tag showing its estimated energy usage. It looks like this:






People who’ve been TV shopping lately have likely already seen these, but this was new to me, and since I’m trying to trim our electric bill, I’m glad I can see this information at a glance. Since then, I’ve also seen the same info while shopping online at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Best Buy and Target, so I should be able to compare energy usage no matter where I shop. The lower the number, the more likely I am to buy.

More thoughts on these tags in Monday's post.
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