Enjoy Watching 2008 Olympics on these HDTVs

That magical, good luck date of 8/8/8 (August 8, 2008) is almost here. It’s still time to run out and get an HDTV set and upgrade your cable or satellite service to high definition. NBC has promised to make this Olympics a high def extravaganza using over 1,000 HD cameras to create thousands of hours of high def programming. Everything looks better in high def, even the commercials. All swimming finals and some of men’s and women’s gymnastics and beach volleyball will all be televised live in prime time. In addition to NBC, NBCU cable networks CNBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC and Oxygen will also televise Olympic events.

To make the job of choosing an HDTV set we've singled out a handful of big screen HDTV sets for some exceptional quality.

Plasma TVs
The Panasonic TH-50PZ700U VIERA Plasma TV: Consumer Reports raved about this Plasma TV calling it the best Plasma TV they had ever tested. Users agree, giving it high marks for image quality. The price has dropped more than 40% in the last 4 months possibly due to the introduction of the Panasonic 50PZ800U which rivals Pioneer plasmas for deep black levels and color quality.

LCD TVs
Samsung LNT5265F: The Samsung LNT5265F is a 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV. It has 3 HDMI ports and gets high marks from most reviewers with the exception of PC Magazine who found it deficient in many areas.

Samsung LN52A650: The newer Samsung LN52A650 offers 120 Hz refresh with "Auto Motion Plus" to reduce blurring of fast action programming and gets very high marks from users.

Westinghouse Digital TX-52F480S : The Westinghouse Digital-TX-52F480S is a 52 inch 1080P HDTV with 4 HDMI ports. It gets high marks from reviewers and is available at Costco for a very low price of $1499. The only drawback is that it features HDMI 1.2, not the latest version, 1.3 which gets you "Deep Color."


Rear Projection TVs
Mitsubishi WD-57734 TV : The Mitsubishi WD-57734 TV is a 57 inch DLP rear projection TV that supports 1080p resolution and has 4 HDMI ports including one on the front of the TV. It gets good marks from users for a clear and bright picture.

Mitsubishi WD-73734 : You can move up to the 73-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV for a few dollars more. Rear projection TVs offer the best value in these super sizes. This set gets very good marks from users although there is a new model which just came out, the Mitsubishi WD-73736 which promises to deliver a bright picture and natural colors.

Projectors
Epson Ensemble HD Home Cinema : It's not cheap but for $6,999 you get a 1080p home theater projector, a 100 inch motorized screen, an upconverting DVD player (alas no Blu-ray), a 5.1 speaker system, mounts, cables, and everything else you need to hook up everything up.

Optoma HD72 : If you can live with a 720p projector, the Optoma HD72 DLP projector offers a highly rated home theater projector for well under $1,000.

Some Best Buys on HDTV

Are you out looking for the best buy on HDTV? There are various brands which are offering HDTVs at affordable prices with the latest features and technology. The first thing to find the best HDTV is to know the basic facts about it. HDTV can come with LCD or plasma monitors. Here are a few popular models and their specifications for the new HDTV buyers.

Samsung offers you many versions of HDTV screens. Samsung's HL-T5087S DLP HDTV is one of the best products from Samsung. This product is well-built and slim. Its rear projection DLP user manual is good and extensive, and the remote is intuitive. The energy-efficient 50" screen features a powerful, long-lasting LED light engine that turns on almost instantly. Full HD 1080p resolution and Samsung Cinema Smooth technology deliver a wide range of brilliant colors, with bright images and a crisp definition. The blackest of blacks, brightest of whites and nuanced tones are yours with a 10000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The sound is great, but if you have the resources to add a 600W 5.1 surround system, you will hear the difference.

The Panasonic TH-50PZ77U is the 50" class 1080p plasma HDTV with anti-glare filter, EZ sync HDAVI control and built-in GalleryPlayer-capable SD card memory slot. Panasonic believes to provide the latest in HDTV technology in its models. This television has the most beautiful picture display with deep, rich colors, very good viewing angles, and detailing in the blacks that an LCD can't touch. The TV is a bit heavy and this prevents it from accidentally falling. Overall, this is a remarkable TV.

The S Series is the latest offering from the Sony Bravia line of high-performance and sleek styling LCD TVs. Sony BRAVIA KDL-32S2000 32" LCD panel features the latest in Sony's unique S-PVA technology, which delivers vivid and accurate colors along with wide viewing angles and a blazing 8ms response time. Other features such as PC input allow the user to connect a PC for viewing content in a 16:9 high resolution environment. And with integrated HDTV capabilities, you can enjoy digital programming with enhanced audio and video reproduction. While the KDL-32S2000 is value priced, it also offers an elegant flat panel design that can be placed anywhere at home.

Toshiba is another favorite in the market with a screen size ranging till 47 inches and embedded with Cinespeed LCD panel and Pixel pure technology for good picture and sound. It builds upon its heritage by delivering the industry's most innovative, high-quality solutions. The Toshiba 57HM167 has great picture, amazing sound quality and an attractive design. It looks great in 720p and just think, if EA sports would have made the game in 1080p for ps3. If you want a "Full HD" at a very reasonable price, then this is it. Very easy to use TV with great options.

Buying HDTV? Avoid these Mistakes

Buying and owning an HDTV can be challenging. There are many things to consider and problems to avoid. Here's a list of some common mistakes for buyers and owners of HDTV sets.

1. Keep chemicals away from TV, ammonia in Windex can damage coatings. Liquids sprayed on the screen can seep in between the bezel and panel and cause all kinds of problems. Best to use a damp cloth preferably not wood-based paper products like newspaper or paper towels which can create tiny scratches.

2. Don’t buy a Plasma TV if you’re going to be watching TV in a brightly lit room with a lot of windows. Unlike LCD TVs plasma TVs have thick glass panels which can create a lot of glare.

3. Don’t pay too much attention to those formulas that use room size to determine screen size. Buy the biggest TV that fits with your furnishing. Also keep in mind if you don’t have an upconverting receiver or upconverting DVD player, a lot of programming that comes from DVDs and standard def programming that shows up on your screen with big black borders around it.

4. Don’t pay extra for big brands. Many of the smaller LCD brands like Olevia, Vizio, and Westinghouse use the same LCD panels and even the same electronics that the big brands use.

5. Don’t leave the brightness up too high. Many TVs ship with the brightness setting 21 in “showroom” mode. In a normally lit living room a lower brightness level is perfectly adequate and saves energy too. Some new TV sets have light sensors built in that automatically adjust the brightness according to ambient lighting conditions.

6. Don’t get fooled into buying expensive add-ons from the saleperson at your local big box retailer. Most HDMI cables work just fine for most programming. You may want to consider a higher bit rate HDMI cable for 1080p programming or high end HD audio.