I need to buy a new T.V. What kind and type should I purchase? I have no idea there are so many to choose from?

I can tell you that LCDs give you the most bang for your buck. To cut through the techno-babble, go to the page referenced below - the TVs have been rated by both experts and consumers, and the best choices are listed.

One tip: - people should sit at a distance which is 3 times the width of the TV. So if you get a 40" TV, you should sit 120" (10 feet) away. You can work this backwards - measure the distance from the seating to where the TV will be, and buy a set approx. 1/3 that distance.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your new TV - 19 years is a long time.

Charles

You definitely want to get a TV that has the capability to display HD in 1080p as that is the highest level. Most broadcast television is in 720p or 1080i, but blue-ray is in 1080p. Plus if the cable companies increase their capacity, they might one day broadcast in 1080p.

Make sure you get a TV with a high megahertz rating. The megahertz power the refreshing of the screen and process the digital information into a picture. Nothing under 100 as fast moving images become blurry at lower settings.

The choice between plasma and LCD is not that difficult. Many people will tell you that there is no difference when it comes to the actual picture to display. Most of the technology is too new to forecast how long these TVs will last. But know that the plasma TVs have a sheet of glass over the screen which could show a glare if there is a light source/window directly opposite where you are putting the TV.

As far as size, remember that a 25inch HD TV will not be the same size as the 25inch TV you have had for 19 years. This is because size is measured on the diagonal. You should definitely measure the space you have to set the TV and look for one that will fit and you'll be comfortable with the size of the images on the screen.

Lastly, before you buy find one or two that you like and, check out the reviews on sites like cnet.com. Both the editorial reviews and the customer reviews. The customer reviews will definitely provide you with people's actual experience with that make/model.

If it was me, I would purchase the Samsung UN40B6000 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV. Not only is it an LCD unit, it is an LED model which uses a lot less energy than a standard LCD model. The television also has some other eco-friendly attributes like the fact that it is mercury-free.

I personally have a 42" LG 720p plasma, and I hate it. With plasmas you have to worry about image burn-in if something stays stationary on the screen too long, they use a lot more power than LCD models, and are heavy.

I also own a 26" Toshiba 720p LCD unit which I like and only is 60 Hz, but that is standard for an LCD of that size.

Another option is to find one of the 240Hz LCD televisions on the market which are really nice, but unless you are a movie geek 120Hz should be more than sufficient. Lastly, check the refresh rate of the LCD unit before purchasing, a good one would be around 5 milliseconds (ms) or less.

LCD for 37- 40 inch

get 1080p and 120 Hz refresh rate

go to Amazon and search for TVs. You can view other peoples reviews before you buy. Also, search google for LCD 40 inch reviews

to read about the different types of tv go to cnet.com reviews