Spending money on a television which has extra features is like buying popcorn and soda at the movies. You don’t really need it but it makes the experience a lot more enjoyable. However, knowing what feature you do and do not want can help save some cash.

Media Connectivity:
The ability of a television to connect with media in the outside world is called connectivity. Certain TVs offer more connectivity options than others. For example, some televisions have memory card slots and/or USB ports on them which allow devices to be connected directly. You can pull up things like videos and picture on the screen by simply connecting your device to the back or side of the television. Such connectivity options can serve as a great way to play your MP3 files from your portable player on your booming surround sound system. One cool feature on some of the later models is an integrated iPhone and iPod dock which makes it even easier to connect. This 32 inch flat screen TV has some great connectivity features.

LED Backlights:
Conventional LCD televisions use CCFL fluorescent bulbs as their back-light. The “new kids on the block” use LED bulbs instead of fluorescents. They cost substantially more than their predecessors, but use less energy and sometimes have better picture quality (if they use local dimming, that is). Besides having extremely thin screens, the high initial price of these systems to relatively low benefit makes them not very competitive with regular LCDs. Unless the price comes down, CCFL LCDs will remain mainstream. Plasma screens are not included in this section since each of their phosphor-based pixels generates its own light.

Try not to pay much attention to the “refresh rate” specification on televisions. While higher refresh rates result in a smoother screen in theory, most individuals do not notice enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. If it really matters to you, this Samsung 32″ LCD has a high refresh rate.