Some common questions that people have when conducting their own HDTV comparison is what is the best? or whether they should buy a 720p/1080i or 1080p set. What should I look for when comparing HDTV displays? What screen size should one buy? One should really understand one of the most important factors in HDTV technology and what most people care about: the quality of the picture. People really want the best picture quality that their money can buy.

When buying your HDTV you may want to decide on the optimum screen size that would benefit the room size you have available to you. Here are some recommended viewing distances. (please note that ideal distances will depend on many different factors including signal quality)

30 inches - recommended distance of 3.75 - 6.25 feet

42 inches - recommended distance of 5.25 - 8.75 feet

50 inches - recommended distance of 6.25 - 10.5 feet

62 inches - recommended distance of 7.75 - 13 feet

70 inches - recommended distance of 8.75 - 14.75 feet

Another factor to look for in your HDTV comparison shopping is to be aware of the resolution the display is capable of producing. What you want to watch for is the native resolution. The minimum native resolution you should consider is 720p which is 1280x768. That is 1280 pixels horizontal and 768 pixels vertical. If you are really wanting the best picture quality you should look at resolutions of 1080p which is a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.

How does the HDTV display standard definition? Standard definition (non high definition) sources include regular cable signals, DVDs, some satellite signals (satellite also provides high definition content). Some HDTV displays will produce a great high definition picture but will display a poor picture when connected to a standard definition signal.

The best tool you can use when conducting your HDTV comparison is use your eyes. If possible take your favorite movie, DVD, or even ask the store clerk to show you some high definition content, preferably the type of content you plan on watching on the HDTV display. Will the HDTV be used mainly for watching movies? what type of movies? action, documentary, animation, computer generated graphics sports, or standard definition?. One thing you should take note of is that HDTVs are not calibrated for the best possible picture at the most stores, they are usually displayed with their "out of the box" default settings. Other factors you may want to take note of is the lighting of the room you plan on watching the HDTV display in verses the lighting inside the store.

Many HDTVs are available online and you are not really able to see the picture quality in person. One solution is to read the user reviews, these reviews are comments from individuals who already own the HDTV in question and have seen the picture quality in person. Some of the comments can be very useful.

There are many other factors to consider such as video processor or the microchip that the HDTV uses to process incoming signals and other more complicated factors that the normal shopper can ignore unless you are a hard core enthusiast. The bottom line for most is the best band for the buck and most shoppers can decide based on the factors mentioned in this article and from their research on the internet.