if you go big, go HD. standard def channels look horrible on a large screen. also, what size room is it going in and how far back are you going to be sitting from it? this all comes into play on screen size.

Using Crutchfield's guidelines for size of tv screen and viewing distance from the screen, we figure we'll need around 60 inch screen, or at least 55 inches. About 8 years ago, we bought the largest cathode ray tube set on the market -- 40 inches -- a Sony Wega. (It's big and bulky and weighs 300 pounds!) The reception is terrific. We get really good 40 inch standard reception and 36 inch HD reception. But the screen is not quite large enough for my wife, who watches a lot more than I do. We opted for this set because at that time we were skeptical about the quality of the really large flat panel sets. We have two 4 by 3 aspect Sharp LCD smaller sets (about 20 inches) elsewhere in the house, and we like them, but their picture quality is not as good as the one we get from the big monster. But would like to replace the big monster with a large flat panel set, assuming their quality has improved.

We notice that prices for the big flat panel vary a lot and the higher end ones claim really clear reception with fast moving images, while the cheaper ones are not as good in that respect. What we do not know is whether that particular advantage is worth the extra expense for us.

Your input on these points would be helpful. Thanks.

we have a 65" & 46" Sharp Aquos (HD)LCD
We LOVE it. we are getting more for our basement. Another 65" & a couple 50" & a 58" to go along with the 133" motorized screen
not a fan of plasma due to the glare, but our A/V guy keeps pushing it

We love our plasma big screen tv around here. The picture is awesome, in the bright sun and in the dark. There is not glare. Do research the options as the others advised to get the right tv for your own space.