How to buy a flat-panel HDTV
With technologies improving and prices falling, could it be time for an upgrade? Get ready, get set.
Step 3: Resolution
The highest HDTV standard for resolution (how many pixels make up the image, thus how sharp it is) is called 1080p. A 1080p LCD in the 40- to 49-inch range runs $1,590, on average, according to DisplaySearch. An LCD that size with a lower 720p resolution is just $890. So which to get?
Get 720p if: You watch HD broadcasts over cable and satellite, which are usually compressed to 720p, and you watch regular DVDs.
Get 1080p if: You'll get a Blu-ray disk player or an HD video camera, you have a video-game-obsessed kid or you'll watch HD broadcasts over the air (without cable or satellite). Note that most TVs 50 inches or larger are 1080p.
NEXT: Step 4: Shop
Last updated January 23 2009: 5:54 AM ET
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