Everyone has a television. It used to be simple to buy one. Not any more. Do you buy ED or HD? LCD or Plasma? Or even DLP? No one answer works for everyone. First thing you should do is make a list:
Budget
Room size
Screen size
Use
From there you can start making sense of the alphabet soup swimming in your brain. These days HD is the way to go. Much of the broadcast industry has embraced High Definition. And it's becoming more and more available. Soon everything will be high def. Once you've seen the extremely crisp HD picture, "true to life" will no longer be a cliche.
Whether you choose an LCD or a plasma you'll have a great picture. But as of this writing screens larger than 45" are less expensive in plasma. That could change tomorrow. (If it does we'lll keep you posted). Plasmas also have deeper blacks and a better viewing angle. Which means that you don't have to be sitting straight in front of the set to enjoy the action.
On the other hand, if you or your kids intend to play hours of play station, the LCD is a better choice. In early versions the plasmas were vulnerable to burn-in from repeated or stagnant graphics. Translation: If the same picture stayed on for too long a time, it'd remain in a ghostly version on your set. There's been much improvement in this area with the use of built in screen-savers.
Monitors are measured diagonally across the screen. Plasmas start at 32" and rise to 63". Most common sizes these days are 42" and 50" with 55" and 60" rapidly gaining ground due to dropping prices. Most screens smaller than 42" use LCD Panel technology, and models larger than 60" are typically rear-projection televisions. LCDs typically start at 13".
Usually smaller screens can be viewed from 6 to 10 feet. 42" and above require anywhere from 10 to 16 feet.
Some of the most popular plasma brands are Panasonic, Pioneer, Hitachi. While Sony, and Sharp lead the LCD market.
In terms of budget think $1200 and up for big screens. And while you're at it, remember that to enjoy a new high def set you'll also want to have sound as good as your picture.
That could mean a new home theatre system (receiver, speakers, subwoofer) if the TV's built in speakers aren't your ideal. Add to that the cost of wall-mounting or possibly a new piece of furniture to house a mammoth set. And if all this seems a bit much, remember how much it costs to go the movies. You could save a small fortune popping your own pop corn at home and putting your feet up in your living room.
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