Want HDTV?

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• SIZE You need to get a large screen if you want a true home-theater effect. "Buy big or sit close," says Poor, noting that a 42-in. HDTV isn't too big for an average-size bedroom if you watch it from the other side of the room. He says LCD is a good technology for HDTVs up to 40 in. and plasma is the technology of choice for larger units. Plasmas are available up to a gargantuan 102 in.

• RESOLUTION Beyond a certain distance, the human eye can't distinguish between an HDTV with a resolution of 720 lines and one with 1,080 lines. And those of us with "50-plus eyeballs," says Poor, are "less likely to see the difference." Both will look far better than the 480-line resolution of a conventional TV.

• CABLE COMPATIBILITY If you have cable- or satellite-TV service, then you don't need a special tuner for your new HDTV. But if you don't, you'll need an HDTV with a built-in HDTV tuner or an external HDTV tuner. You'll also need an HDTV antenna. Your old rabbit ears won't do. Digital broadcasts are all-or-nothing affairs. If you get a strong signal, you'll get a cable-quality image. If the signal is weak, however, you won't get a fuzzy image; you'll get a blank screen.