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Television buying guide Updated 29 Mar 2011

Connections

TV sets don't always come with the right connections. Check carefully and talk to the retailer about the best setup for you. Make sure you get this sorted before you take delivery.

For a top-quality picture, always use the best available connection. Ideally, this would be a high definition signal via DVI or HDMI to a high definition screen.

These are the connectors you may find on your TV set, starting with the most basic:

Connection type	What it looks like
RF connector
This used to be the only connector on a TV. If that's all you have, then connecting to a DVD player or games machine usually means getting an RF adaptor. Connecting to an HD source is probably out of the question.
Composite video (AV)
Composite video input is the standard system - most post-1995 screens have at least one set of these. Composite video uses two (video and mono sound) or three (video and stereo sound) cables. The brightness and colour signals are combined into the single video signal (yellow RCA connectors); there are also mono or stereo audio channels (red and white RCA connectors).
S-video
This offers a better picture-quality than composite because the brightness and colour signals are kept separate - but you'll need separate audio cables because S-video doesn't carry sound. S-video can be identified by a small round four-pin plug (mini-din).
Component video
This is the best picture-connection option for conventional TV sets, but it's not always available. LCD and plasma sets almost always have this connection, and some can even accept a high definition picture this way. It separates the picture into brightness and colour signals, and so provides better quality. Three video (red, blue and green RCA connectors) and two audio cables (red and white RCA connectors) are required.There are two component options: RGB; and Y,Pb,Pr. RGB is the type of signal generated by a professional video camera, and is not so common. The more common version is Y,Pb,Pr, which is encoded so that it uses less of the signal bandwidth. The one you use may be determined by the connections on your DVD recorder and screen. (You can't send an RGB output to a Y,Pb,Pr input or vice-versa.)
SCART
This stands for Syndicat francais des constructeurs d'appareils radiorecepteurs et televisieurs, and is also known as a Euroconnector. It's a single-plug 21-pin connector for analogue video and sound. It can carry S-video, RGB component video, composite video, and audio channels.
DVI (digital visual interface)
This is a high definition connector for video and is usually found only on plasma or LCD screens. It can carry digital and analogue video signals to a screen capable of displaying them. It's compatible with HDCP.
HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface)
This is an all-digital connection for both video and sound in one cable. It's not usually fitted to conventional tube TVs, but is a standard - and primary - connection on high definition TVs. It's HDCP compatible.