There are a ton of great buying guides on Overstock.com that talk about TVs, the technology and which options to pay attention to. The size of TV depends on how far you're sitting are from you TV. The contrast ratios aren't really a reliable way of choosing a TV, so ignore those. Check refresh rate (higher is better), pixel response time (lower/faster is better, 5 ms or less) and the connection ports (that match your DVD/Blu-ray player, surround sound system, etc). Otherwise, I'd recommend going with an LED TV with a higher refresh rate (120 Hz - 240 Hz). Also, lots of HDTVs include an Ethernet connection, so you can actually access the Internet through your TV, stream Netflix directly to your TV, listen to music on Pandora. So I'd look for Ethernet and Internet connectivity, too.

I'm no electronics expert, but I was in the same position as you a few weeks ago. I'll share a few pieces of advice I was given about HDTVs. 1. Bigger isn't necessarily better. When deciding on the size of the TV, you need to take into account the distance and angle you'll be sitting away from the screen, in order to truly appreciate the high definition benefits. If you do a Google search for "screen size vs. viewing distance" you'll find plenty of charts that will help you calculate the right sized screen for your room. 2. If you can afford it, get an LED lit screen. LED lit screens are brighter and use a lot less energy. Not to mention, since the LED lights themselves are so small, it reduces the thickness of the television, making it sleeker, sexier. (Yes, I consider my new television to be sexy.) 3. HDTV's now come with smooth motion features, which refer to the rate at which the picture is refreshed. These higher refresh rates are great for watching sports where the camera is moving quickly to keep up, but if you're watching regular tv shows or films, you may want to change it to a lower setting, otherwise it looks a bit unnatural. My tv defaulted to the high setting when I bought it and it took me awhile to figure out the settings. 4. Make sure you do plenty of comparing and read reviews. There are so many little things to consider with a big purchase like this. Even some of the top brands have been known to have quirks, such as failing HDMI connections. Reviews are good for learning about a particular model's strengths and weaknesses before buying. Have fun! Once you're enjoying high definition, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Ha! Looks like me and the digihog were writing up our posts at the same time. Good info!

LED tvs are nice but LCD tv has gotten so cheep it is hard to resist. On overstock they have a really good selection of refurb lcds for super cheap. The one thing to look out for is to read reviews on refurbs from that brand. Because the factory does the refurbishing I have found brands are pretty consistent across models in terms of quality of refurbs. Vizio and Samsung both have great reviews. Some others have polorization in the reviews saying the tv worked perfectly or it broke right away (not as bad as it sounds since there is a return window).

I am looking to purchase an 82" tv. I need easy game connect and terrific for football games.

Hi graydawg, It looks like the largest screens that we have at Overstock.com are 55". You can check them out here: http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Televisions/2171/cat.html?sort=Highest+Price I hope that this helps, and good luck on your search.

Again please look up these things before you comment. LEDs on a LED Tv does not display the image. A LED tv uses LED lights as the back light and a LCD screen to display the images. They are not better in contrast than newer Plasma's. Plasma's are the only current consumer product that does not use a back light. LED tvs are better but there are differant levels of quality. Edge lit are only slightly better than standard LCD backlighting.

Quote indyguycb25:

Again please look up these things before you comment. LEDs on a LED Tv does not display the image. A LED tv uses LED lights as the back light and a LCD screen to display the images. They are not better in contrast than newer Plasma's. Plasma's are the only current consumer product that does not use a back light. LED tvs are better but there are differant levels of quality. Edge lit are only slightly better than standard LCD backlighting.

Hi, many thanks fo your advice, Now I have more info in order to do my best choice of a Tv, Dieudonne <LINK REMOVED>