Your Viewing Options
Here are the three most popular types of TVs
Flat-screen TV
Flat-screen, or flat-panel, TVs take up very little room (you can even hang one on a wall) and offer a sharp, colorful picture, even in a brightly lit room and from any angle. You will pay a premium for a flat-screen set compared to a similarly sized rear-projection set, though. There are two competing flat-screen technologies. The really giant screen sizes are available in plasma sets, like the 50-inch Pioneer PDP-5060HD shown here ($6,000). While LCD sets are growing larger every year, the sweet spot for this technology still rests in the mid-range sizes, like the Sharp LC-37D6U ($3,599) shown.
Rear Projection
For the most big-screen bang for the buck, go with a rear-projection model. This technology used to require enormous room-engulfing cabinets, but today you'll find big screens on relatively compact sets like the 56-inch Samsung HL-R5688W ($5,200), which can perch unobtrusively on a modern-looking pedestal less than two feet deep.
Direct View
Picture tube sets (called "direct view" in videoland) may seem familiar and fuddy-duddy in the face of sexy new tech, but don't sell the cathode ray tube short-–the high-def picture quality of a tube set is still unsurpassed, with exceptional contrast (thanks to solid, ink-dark black reproduction) and plenty of brightness. The technology is best suited to modest-sized sets: this 34-inch Sony KD-34XBR960 ($1,899) is one of the largest direct-view sets on the market, with most in the 30- or 32-inch range.