More and more people today wish to have a HDTV installed in their living room, where they could watch with family and friends great picture quality television. Whether you are a fan of sports, or you just watch documentaries, or movies, you will not be able to ignore the gap in quality offered by the new HDTV’s now available on the market, when compared to the old tube TV. The most important question rises: how to choose the best HDTV? If you are a budget minded consumer, you need to know what kind of model can be the best purchase for the money; also, you have to consider where your new TV will be placed, and how to increase the quality of watching television, even if you cannot afford to purchase the top of the line products. Making proper research on model reviews and guides for buying the most appropriate HDTV can throw more light and give you proper answers to all these questions.

We do not intend to beat around the bush. It is the naked truth that you get what you pay for, no matter what goods you want to purchase. Still, there is a certain level of variation in this truth, and, for products that are in the same price, we can identify some that are of a greater quality than others. That is why it is important to have a picture in your mind about how your ideal model of HDTV (in terms of price, screen size, resolution, picture quality) looks like. You can also get a clearer picture if you are interested in relying on more information from a HDTV buying guide.

And that is one of the biggest questions of them all, when we talk about the best HDTV. Both types of HDTV, plasma TV and LCD TV, have their portion of the trade, and their die hard supporters, but you should ask yourself which is the one for you.

For that, you need to know where each type of HDTV performs best. If you read a little about Plasma vs LCD TV, you will see that it is not at all the same thing if you purchase a plasma or you take home an LCD TV.

For instance, if you want to buy a smaller HDTV, you will soon discover that small plasma TV’s are not so easy to find, while LCD manufacturers thought about such needs, producing LCD TV’s with screen sizes as small as 32 inches.

Another issue that you have to consider is the light in the room where you will have your HDTV installed. In a very brightly lit room, an LCD will generally behave better than a plasma, but manufacturers of the later thought about this and invested more research in reliable anti-glaring coating for their screen. On the other hand, if what you look for is a great viewing angle, then your choice should be inclined towards a plasma TV, as it performs better than an LCD TV.

As you can see, the most important decisions that will lead you towards buying the best HDTV, depend solely on your particular needs and preferences.

We have already mentioned that the main point for buying a HDTV is to get a visible improvement in picture quality. Both plasma and LCD are far better than your old TV, that is for sure, but, when used for different purposes, they will provide you with a different experience.

In the same guide mentioned above, things are explained accurately. In brief, we can tell that there is an ongoing battle between plasma manufacturers and LCD makers, and each of them tries to produce newer models, with better black levels, more accurate colors, and more adjustable settings.

If you wish to buy a HDTV, so you can play games, then you should know that an LCD is the better choice. Plasma TV’s, too, can be used for such a purpose, but with caution, and only for limited amounts of time, as the sensitive screen can develop what is called “burn in”, when an image that was exposed on the screen for too long may remain as a ghostly contour on the screen forever.

In their intentions for covering better the market, LCD manufacturers are trying hard to promote some ideas. You should know, however, that a few of such ideas are just marketing strategies, and you may fall into an advertising trap, paying more for a model that does not deliver as promised.

In the guide called 120Hz LCD TV, it is explained why all the buzz around this new term is only ad mythology. Because the response time for LCD TV’s (the time taken by the screen to change from one picture to another) is big, compared to plasma, which makes fast moving sequences to look better on the later, the companies producing LCD’s thought about concocting this marketing trap: the 120Hz LCD TV.

While they try to make you think that a bigger refresh rate has something to do with a lower response time, they actually want to trick you into buying something more expensive. Basically, don’t go for a higher refresh rate, if you want crisp image; look instead for lower response time.

Another guide dealing with myths and marketing traps is this second part of the HDTV buying guide that points out some misconceptions regarding 120Hz, 1080p/24 mode, lighting, contrast ratio, viewing angle and glare.

In your search for the best HDTV, it is almost impossible to not stumble on the term resolution. There is an entire talk about 720p vs 1080p, but we are not going to enter into too much details here, as you can find them all in guides like this, that exists all over the Internet.

A few things deserve to be mentioned, however:

One is that you need to know the optimal distance you have to sit from the screen, and this is highly dependable on resolution or screen size.

Second, you need to know that for 1080p you will pay extra. When such an expense is recommended, you can find out by reading the guide recommended above.

What one person considers to be ideal for them may not be true for another. That is why it is important to read as many reviews HDTV, best plasma TV, best LCD TV, as you can. With this kind of information on your side, you can no longer be fooled by marketers and sales persons, whose only purpose is to determine you to get more money out of your pocket for the latest product they have on sale. Find in-depth expert reviews. Don't settle for superficial reviews that just describe the features, find reviews that analyze the HDTV performance.

I will give you a head start. I've already done the research and selected the best HDTV (plasma and LCD) models on the market. Check these out first because they are the best flat-panels out there. This is not a top of the best selling HDTVs but one of the best rated models throughout the HDTV expert reviews. Models at the top are the best and more expensive, while models at the bottom are cheaper but not as great. They are all the best in their price class, however.

The lists below are for 50 inch (or close to 50 inch) models. If you want to see models of other sizes, you can find best HDTV models by size on our site. We also have a short overview with pros and cons for each model so you can easily find the one that suits you best.