High-definition TVs

You're buying this for: anyone who loves to watch movies or sports at home.

Price range: $700-$5,000

Coolest features to look for: A 42-inch screen or larger (although you'll pay more), and picture-in-picture. You'll also have to choose one of three technologies: liquid crystal display, plasma or digital light processing.

LCDs are thin, lightweight and produce a bright picture. But images on the screen are difficult to see if you're looking at the screen from an angle. Plasma screens have excellent color reproduction and black levels (great for sci fi and horror movies). But they're heavy and susceptible to images being permanently burned on the screen. DLP screens have stellar color reproduction and are relatively lightweight, but images can sometimes produce a blurry rainbow-effect.

What they don't tell you: Don't put the wallet away once you pay for the television. To watch high definition DVDs, you'll have to buy a high-definition DVD player (there are two competing and incompatible technologies).

You'll also have to pay extra every month for high-definition cable channels. (You also can pick up HDTV signals free over the air with a rooftop antenna.) If your screen will be mounted on the wall instead of resting on a stand, more cash will be required for professional installation. Our picks:

Panasonic (TH-42PZ7OOU), $1,400-$2,000

This 42-inch plasma TV is one of the most expensive plasmas of its size. But reviewers at CNET.com and Wired magazine said it was the best. On the down side, this model doesn't have a picture-in-picture feature. Reviewers said the TV is also very heavy and has a stand that's difficult to assemble.

Westinghouse (TX-47F430S), below, $1,500

This 47-inch LCD TV performed well in tests, displaying correct color after a few tweaks, according to Wired reviewers. On the down side, the menus were slow.

Vizio (VP42HDTV), $1,000

Reviewers at Wired magazine were disappointed in this 42-inch television's limitations. Even after tweaks, the picture was oversaturated and too red, they said. Reviewers at CNET said the picture quality was decent for the price.