HDTV sets are here to stay. With costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars up into the thousands, it's important to do your research and find an equitable review. Even though the sales rep at your local fry's is perhaps a good guy, you can often find some great HDTV deals on the Internet as well if you know what to look for. You need to know things like the type of HDTV you want, which resolution you desire, what inputs the TV has, the right viewing angle, and the best contrast proportion to get. If all that confuses you be sure not to let it. I'm here to help make sense of all the tech language and find the right television for you.

Most likely you are a digital cable television or satellite customer. Either way, the first thing you should do is see what kind of HD channel lineup your cable or satellite supplier delivers. Many major digital cable service suppliers like Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, and Cox have great high definition channel packages with some great promos and rebates for new purchasers. Dish Network and DirecTV have the satellite picture covered through similarly powerful HD tiers. Your digital TV provider should have nearly each HD channel currently broadcast on hand, but double check just in case before you get a new HDTV.

Once you have gotten a great high-definition channel package from you cable or satellite provider, you'll need to decide whether you would like to go with LCD, LED, plasma, or projection. Rear-projection based HDTV's are built on the oldest technology and generally have lower resolutions, contrast ratios and viewing angles. I typically advocate staying away from rear-projection HDTV's, but if price is a large hurdle you'll be able to find some really good deals on rear-projection televisions and you can at least put your foot in the high-def universe. If your budget is not as restricted, most HDTV's build today are LCD based. There's wide range of LCD HDTV's available but for the top picture target TV's that have a 1080p resolution and stay away from 720p screens. These numbers refer to the screen resolution and dictate how sharp your picture will be. 1080p is what you should shoot for and recommended for nearly everyone. You'll find some HDTV's that have a 1080i resolution. Although it's typically a better picture than 720p, the "i" in 1080i implies that it's an "interlaced" resolution which is not as smooth or clear as a 1080p "progressive-scan" picture. However , if you find a great promotion on a 1080i HDTV, the price difference may justify the marginally lower picture quality. Plasma screen HDTV's were the 1st high-res TVs which actually made everyone see what a difference HD made. The first plasma screens that came out, though, were exceedingly pricey costing thousands of bucks. Today, with competition from LCD HDTV's, the costs have come down considerably. Both plasma and LCD screens have benefits and disadvantages over each other and usually it comes down to personal preference. LED HDTV's are the newest innovation in the market. LED screens are LCD's that make use of LED back-lighting to lift color range and contrast ratio while reducing energy consumption. Naturally they cost more than standard LCD HDTV's and are targeted to those looking for the newest and best. For TV connoisseurs, though, LED's offer the best picture and the slimmest profiles you can currently buy.

After you have decided which HDTV format is right for you it is time to look at the tiny features and make sure the television you are thinking about buying has what you need. Ensure the HDTV's you're looking at has all of the connections you need. These include audio and video input/outputs and computer connections. Next, read the fine print for the set's greatest viewing angle. This is how far you can stand to the side of a TV and still watch a sharp picture. The bigger the viewing angle the better the HDTV and the more places in your living room you can enjoy the picture besides in front of it. Lastly, take a look at the HDTV's contrast ratio. This is a benchmark of how dark the dark colors are and how bright the light colors are. Ideally you desire a high contrast ratio, but because each manufacturer may employ a different system for working out the ratio you usually have to choose for yourself by looking at the picture. Avoid picutres that produce blacks that appear grey or whites that are dull and lack "pop".

Even with all of the confusing promoting hype the base line is HDTV is fantastic. Prices have come down greatly over the last few years and now you can get an enormous TV and easily stay under $1500 or even a grand. But if you don't have a clue about what to look for you can end up with a low resolution picture with faded out colors. I am hoping my article has helped you know exactly what to look for when you head online or to the electronics store for a new TV. When you get the right HDTV it will change forever how you watch TV.