> - Some of the units claim a contrast ratio of 500:1. Some say 700:1. 
> Others claim 1,000:1. Which is fair enough.

Yep, that's the real contrast.

> But then some claim 10,000:1. (And yet have similar or identical prices.) 


That is "dynamic" contrast.  What it actually means is that when the TV 
detects the image is mostly dark, it turns down the backlight (and turns up 
each pixel a corresponding amount to keep the picture looking the same), in 
order to get darker blacks.  The number is mostly meaningless, because of 
course if the image is just plain black you could turn off the backlight 
altogether and get infinite "dynamic" contrast!

> - I _presume_ (since I haven't found one yet) that it is impossible to get 
> a TV with full 1080 resolution that is only 30" across. Is that the case? 
> (What, they figure you can't see details that small except on a larger 
> device?)

Exactly, I think in a "normal" room, anything below 37" you won't be able to 
tell the difference between 720p and 1080p (unless you sit really close).

> - Trying to figure out which TV is going to give me a decent picture is 
> maddeningly difficult. If you shop online, you can't *see* anything at 
> all, so you just have the luminance, constrast ratio and response time to 
> go at. (And the viewing angle - if that actually means anything.) If you 
> go to a physical shop things are not much improved; all the TVs I've seen 
> look terrible, most of them being driven by a simple RF signal over cheap 
> coax cable. (!!) How the *hell* am I supposed to tell which ones are any 
> good?

What are you going to be watching on it? Normal TV through coax cable? :-) 
TBH there isn't much difference between the manufacturers, most differences 
you see in the shop can be introduced or removed by playing about with the 
picture settings.  If you ever want to connect a PC (without a DVI output) 
up to it, check that it has a VGA input socket and that it will accept the 
full resolution (some 1080p sets only accept 1024x768 WTF!),

> - What are the best brands to go for? (I have a Samsung computer monitor 
> at home that works very well, so I've been tending to look mostly at 
> Samsung. But I don't know if they're really the best.)

Again, I think all are mostly the same, there are only 3 or 4 companies in 
the whole world that actually make the display panel itself, everyone else 
just buys these and puts their own electronics and plastic around it.

> - Gotta love the way websites tell you a TV has audio connectors, but 
> neglects to specify whether these are inputs or outputs! :-P

I usually go to the manufacturers site and download the user manual.

> - What is HDMI? Does anything use it yet? Is there a specific reason why 


HDMI is useful to connect your PC to the TV if it has a DVI output (DVI and 
HDMI are electrically the same, you just need a cheap converter cable). 
HDMI cables can be had for under a tenner if you look on amazon or ebay.

> - Are there any ways to obtain HD signals yet? (I gather BluRay players 
> are actually on sale now, but still prohibitively expensive. Are there any 
> other possible sources?)

For TV you can get a freesat receiver and dish for a one-off fee (like 
freeview but via satellite and has a few HD channels).  Or you can get Sky 
for a load more HD channels, but you will need a monthly subscription to get 
the HD channels.  Expect both of those to continue to add many more HD 
channels over the next few years.

Or buy a PS3 for 300 pounds, but standalone bluray players are down to under 
150 pounds now.

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