Lost in the HD shuffle? Let me clear it up for you.

Shopping for TVs now has become quite an event. Do you get CRT, plasma, LCD, DLP, HD? The list goes on and on. Well first off you have to get an HD television, no if's ands or buts about it. The picture quality for HD television is UNBELIEVABLE!! And if you're a movie buff, seeing your favorite film on a large HD screen is pure movie goodness. you'll never go back to the theater again. Why is HD so good? Its the resolution (or picture detail). Your standard TV receives a standard definition signal which has 480 lines of resolution. An HDTV has the ability to receive and display an HD signal which transmits in either 1,080 or 720 lines of detail. That explains the difference in the picture quality. On a standard TV you see the football field and the player's face. With an HD signal you see the blades of grass on the football field and the sweat on the player's face. On average you local cable provider currently has anywhere from 10-30 channels being broadcast in HD. There was a bill passed that says ALL broadcasts will be in HD by 2007. Yes that means the "Adult" channels too. Ahhh, HD goodness. So now that you understand why HD is the way to go the next decision is which kind of TV to buy. Rest easy friends, I'm here to offer some help there too.

Let's start with Plasma TVs. Plasma images are created by thousands of red, green and blue pixels containing gas converted into plasma by an electrical charge. Plasma TVs have a picture that is bright and colorful even in a well lit room, the screen has a wider viewing angle than other HDTV types, it's lightweight and normally less that 4" thick, and can be mounted on the wall (you know, like EVERYBODY does on MTV's Cribs). Now you may remember that there was an issue with image burn (i.e. leave a static picture up on the screen and it would "burn in") but that is no longer the case. The only other issue is how long you get life from the plasma pixels. Sure they don't burn out but they might dim over time.

Next up, Liquid Crystal Display or LCD TVs. LCDs use the same technology as flat panel computer monitors, just bigger. The combination of a white backlight and thousands of liquid crystals that open and close like shutters generate pixels that create a bright, smooth image. LCD TVs are normally more expensive than plasma TVs on an inch for inch basis, slim and lightweight, can be wall mounted and arguably offer color accuracy and sharpness superior to plasma TVs.

Last but not least (and my personal favorite, not just because a 48" Toshiba) are the Digital Light Processing (DLP) TVs. DLP, a technology created by Texas Instruments, uses microchips with thousands of mirrors to create an image on the screen. DLP TVs come closer to reproducing the source material than other technologies, are available in front or rear projection models, are sometimes bulkier than plasma or LCD but usually more affordable. My 48" Toshiba DLP HD TV weighs around 50 lbs and is about 14" from front to back but the picture is gorgeous and it only cost me in the neighborhood of $1,200 (thanks to a great "Black Friday" sale).

So just like the old G.I. Joe cartoons used to say "now you know and knowing is half the battle". Go out, shop and join the HD revolution.