Buying an HDTV ![[Answers]](http://www.mikeyp.com/css/external.gif)
is really tough today. With all of the competing technologies, various resolution "standards", poor quality control, and price points that range from chump change to second mortgages, it's no wonder so many people just buy "the flat one."
One main reasons that buying an HD set is so difficult is the incredible amount of misinformation available. HDTV manufacturers have created plenty of expected marketing speak, and press amateurs have fumbled countless "reviews," but the vast majority of hype, misunderstanding, and just plain wrong-headedness comes from the various user forums on the net. Just spend 30 minutes googling for the difference between the various DLP chipsets or the virtues of EDTV plasma screens, and you find page after page of outrageous claims and garbage usage "tests."
Between the hype, there are some useful sources of technical information. The ExtremeTech site has a fantastic four-part analysis of competing display technologies (though it does occasionally read like an ad for DisplayMate).
When armed with the right technical information, and a resolve to stay within your set budget, the main thing you really need to do when choosing the right HDTV is actually quite simple:
Trust your eyes…
Oh, and make sure your retailer has a generous return policy. 
Who needs an analysis of the Fantastic-Four? Not my favorite superheros by a long strech.
Just my .02.
