LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE WHEN BUYING NEW TELEVISION FOR THE WORLD CUP

With the World Cup looming lots of football fans are rushing to invest in high definition television sets so they can enjoy England's sporting action in detail.

HD television gives you crisp, clear pictures with brilliant colours and up to five times more detail than a standard definition television.

However, with technology moving fast, how can you select an HD television that will stand the test of time from among the confusing variety on offer?

John Sutton, Electrical Co-ordinator, the Heart of England Co-operative Society's expert in Electricals, said: "If your priority is to have the technology that is most likely to be future-proof you want to choose an 'HD Ready 1080p' model or an HDTV 1080p.

"These televisions combine the highest resolution available with the smoothest method of delivering the picture on the screen, called a progressive scan image.

"They will enable you to enjoy the best picture quality for HD programmes as well as showing home entertainment such as Blu-ray discs to the best advantage."

The HDTV 1080p models come with a digital tuner incorporated in the set while the HD Ready 1080p models require the purchase of a separate HD receiver.

Televisions described simply as "HD Ready" do not have as high a resolution as the 'HD Ready 1080p' sets but do have the same smooth progressive scan.

"If your budget is tight you can still get an amazing picture quality compared to a standard television from an 'HD Ready' television," continued Mr Sutton.

"While these are not as sophisticated as the HD Ready 1080p models, they will give you twice as much detail as a standard television when watching HD programmes and provide better picture quality for Blu-ray Discs ™, Playstation 3 games and upscaled DVDs."