I prefer the regular flat screen TV'*.... I think they look better, personally.

a regular flatscreen will not fit where we want it to go. we thought about that, and theyre a lot cheaper. but its not feasible for us.

Lol! That'* part of the reason.

Have you actually compared them recently? I always had that opinion myself, but around Christmas I was in Best Buy and looked at the TV'* for the heck of it. I couldn't believe how much sharper the image was on the HD TV'* compared to the regular tubes, at least on the larger screens.

Types of HDTV'*

There are four main types of televisions you can purchase. Each of them has its own pros and cons so you will have to pick the one the suits you.

The CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube)

Pros
-Cheap.
-If set up correctly and placed in the right area they have the best display out of the four types.
-They produce an excellent black

Cons
-Do not work well in bright rooms
-Need regular maintenance
-Most cannot display computer signals
-Narrow viewing angle
-Softer images then the other four types
-Smaller screen sizes

Final Say
The CRT is an old technology and it’* dying out. Nevertheless if you are on a low budget and don’t need a huge screen, then CRT will is a good choice.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

Pros
-Light and thin compared to CRT
-Bright
-No maintenance to keep sharpness
-Most are computer capable
-Prices are dropping

Cons
-More expensive then CRT
-Are not worth the price after 32’’
-Lowest black compared to all four types
-Regular Lamp replacement
-Narrow viewing angle

Best Brands
Sony, Hitachi, Panasonic, LG

Final Say
LCD’* are a developing technology. The prices are always dropping, while the quality is increasing. If you are looking for a TV lower then 32’’ and are on a medium budget, the LCD is for you.

Plasma

Pros
-Can be as thin as 3”
-Wide viewing angle
-High quality image in the best cases

Cons
-Expensive
-Burn-in is a possibility (Burn-in is when an image becomes stuck on the screen for a long period of time. After the 1st 100 hours of watching Burn-in is highly unlikely)

Final Say
The Plasma technology has come a long way in the last few years and it continues to develop. Plasma is the best type to buy when looking at screens larger then 32’’.

DLP (Digital Light Processing)

Pros
-Good black level
-No maintenance to keep sharpness
-Computer capable
-Large screen size

Cons
-Expensive
-Needs Lamp replacement
-Makes video noise in dark places
-Have a habit of breaking down (costly repairs)

Best Brands
Samsung, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, LG, RCA

Final Say
The DLP is a new technology that still needs to develop for a few years. They may one day rule the TV world, but not today.

Resolution

Many people seem to have difficulty understanding resolution, but it isn’t as hard some people think.

There are two times of video display modes: Progressive and Interlaced. Progressive means that every single line on your TV is refreshed X number of times in one second. This will give you the sharpest image possible. Progressive is represented as a “p”. Interlaced means that every other line on your TV is refreshed X number of times in one second. This will give you slightly less sharp image. Interlaced is represented as an “i”. FPS (frames per second) determines the X. If your TV runs i at 60 fps then every other line on your TV will be refreshed 60 times every second.

Now the resolution means how many pixels are on the screen at one time. If you buy a 1080 TV then there are 1,920x1,080 pixels displayed and if you buy a 720 then there are 1280x720 pixels displayed. There are more resolutions, but these are the most used.

So, a 1080i TV running at 60fps will display 1,920x1,080 pixels and every other line will be refreshed 60 times every second.

This brings us to the question, which is better 1080i or 720p? The answer is simple, both. It all depends on what you are viewing. If you are watching or playing an image that moves slowly then 1080i is the best for that. For example, a golf game would look much better on 1080i then 720p. If you are watching an image that is fast paced then 720p is best for that. For example, a racing game would look much better on 720 then 1080i.

Make sure the TV you are buying has both capabilities, most TVs that support 1080i will support 720p, but it isn’t a guarantee so check first.

There is also a new resolution that combines both 1080i and 720p. It’* the 1080p. Now this is a new technology so not many TVs have it and like all new things it’* quite expensive. In addition, unless you are buying a giant TV (Around 40’’) then the 1080p will not make a big difference to you. The difference on a small set is almost impossible to notice.

There is one last thing you need to be aware of and that is native resolution. This is the resolution at which the TV was designed to operate on. It can still display images of higher and lower resolution, but it must convert the image making it slightly degraded.

Widescreen

If you are going to invest in a HDTV then you should also look into widescreen. What widescreen does is display an image in a 16:9 ratio. Meaning for every 16 inches of width it displays 9 inches of height. This will allow you to watch a more broad view of the image. Most movies are shot in widescreen and most new game systems will have this as well, so getting it will only benefit you. When looking into buying a Widescreen make sure the TV has Panorama, TheaterWide, or Natural settings, otherwise the image you are watching will look distorted.

Connections

Now that you have decided on your screen it’* time to look at all the ports you are going to need.

HDMI- will provide you with the highest quality of video and audio possible.

DVI/ HDCP- is much like HDMI except that it doesn’t send digital audio, so you will have to buy an optical cable and attach it to your device to get digital audio.

Blu-Ray recently announced that their Blu-ray players would not function properly without an HDMI or DVI connection. This is because the HDMI and DVI ports/ cables have copy protection technology in them, meaning that they will not display pirated discs. If you don’t have an HDMI or DVI port, then the resolution of your Blu-ray discs will be cut in half.

What does this mean? Well simply, if you bought a HDTV and it doesn’t have a HDMI or DVI port, then you are screwed because you will not be getting HDTV signals out of your blue-ray player. If you are going to buy an HDTV soon then make sure that it has either or both ports.

Extras

Here are a few things you might want to add while you are buying a HDTV.

TV Tuner- This will allow you to view channels that send HDTV signals in that form. It replaces the box you would need to pay for from your local service provider. TVs that have a TV Tuner will be marked “integrated HDTVs”, TVs that don’t have a TV Tuner will be marked “HDTV ready” or “HDTV compatible” You should only get this if you are in a largely populated area. If you are not then this is a waste of money because you will not be getting these signals anyway. A TV Tuner can also be called a Digital or ATSC Tuner.

Digital Cable Ready (DCR) – This works much like the TV Tuner. If you buy a Digital Cable Ready TV then you will be able to view Digital Cable channels in HD. TVs with integrated digital cable box will be marked “Digital Cable Ready” or “DCR” This replaces the Digital Cable Box you will need from your local service provider. If you don’t live in a highly populated area this is a waste of money, you will not get the signals anyway.

VGA (Video Graphics Array) – If you would like to connect your TV to your computer and use it as a screen then you will need a VGA port. You can also get an *-Video, but VGA has a much bigger resolution a image quality. (If you gey a TV with both a HDMI and DVI connetion then you can use the DVI for your PC, since the DVI provides a much better resoultion).

Very nice write up, pretty much sums it up . If you want more information then buy HDTV for Dummies. The above post is a condensed version done very well.

nice write up, however i am sceptical about reading comparisons about rapidly growing trechnoogies, especially when speaking in generalizations suich as that one. Keep in mid that LCD, Plasma AND DLP technology is developing and ALL of them are becoming better and better all the time..

thanks ryan.

like toast, im skeptical when it comes to developing technology - esp when we arent buying for another year or more. but that helps a lot.

When it comes down to it, just buy what you like. Just make sure if you go HD, get HD cable/satellite. Standard cable SUCKS on HDTV'*. Also, look for a blu-ray(PS3) or HD-DVD(X360) player. Amazing difference when compared to standard DVD.

the farther back away from the tv u are the better the picture gets until u cant see the tv any more. So if u are far away from the tv u may not even be able to tell the difference between the two. Also plasma'* reflect things more than Lcd'*