UPDATE - HELP BUYING AN HDTV

[Pipedream24]

Here is the nuts and bolts on buying a HDTV (some of this has been mentioned):

1080P becomes noticeable at normal viewing distances on TV's 50" and larger. Anything smaller it is really not necessary.

120 HZ will reduce motion blur slightly on LCD's. It's most noticeable on the tickers that move on CNN or ESPN. On higher end Tv's they allow a software program to add in frames of animation for a smoothing effect (different companies call it different things on my Samsung it's called Auto-motion Plus). You need to turn the effect off for gaming because it can cause controller lag. So it really is not necessary for gaming.

Response time is an important feature for LCD's. The faster the response time, the less blurring you will have while gaming. I would try to get something 6ms or under. On slower response time TV's, when you rotate the camera, you will get significant blurring.

Contrast Ratio: Contrast is really important to a Tv. It's what makes colors look bright and blacks look dark. The problem is that their is no standard on how to measure it. Companies just create their own measurement and put out this huge number. The only true way to see if you like the contrast of a television is to adjust the TV yourself and see it with your own eyes.

HDMI Inputs: At this point, I would not purchase a TV with less than 3 HDMI ports. You may not need them now, but you will.

Brand: Sony,Samsung,Sharp,Vizio all make quality low to mid level priced LCD TV's. Shop around and find the best TV in your price range. If you can go to Sam's Club or Costco, you can get great deals there. Also look at Open Items. You can get a discount on a TV and still get the same warranty.Finally check TV reviews on CNet or another site that reviews epuipment. It should help with the pros and cons of any tv you are thinking of purchasing.

Hope this helps.