If you are like most people looking to replace your TV, you've probably been paying close attention to High Definition Television sets (HD-TV). Unlike the previous generation of TV, which used analog signals to transmit information, HD-TVs use digital signals to transmit a signal and receive and display information directly on the television set. The HD-TVs also use a High-Resolution digital television set and Dolby Digital surround sound. The combination of the two creates incredible pictures and sounds – the best available on the market to date. HD-TV television offers viewers a level of detail they haven't seen before: including a resolution about five times higher than that of analog TV.

The main thing to remember when you are shopping for HD-TV set is that just because a television is “digital” it does not mean it is necessarily “HD-TV compatible”. There are two levels below the HD level (standard definition TV and enhanced definition TV), both of which are vastly better than analog televisions but still of considerably lower quality than an LCD TV- HD-TV set. Since the FCC has mandated that all television sets eventually switch from analog to digital, you should know the differences between the different types of digital TVs.

Here are some tips. When looking to purchase an HD-TV, remember to compare the difference in picture resolution, audio features, and pixels. HD-TV requires a minimum of 720 horizontal scanning lines (enhanced definition TV, while considerably higher than standard definition TV, only features a minimum of 480 scanning lines) and the resolution on an HD-TV is 1920 x 1080 compared to enhanced definition TV, which only has a resolution of 1280 x 780.

When you experience a HD-TV image and then compare it to other TVs' technology on the market, the difference will be clear. With “HD” everything looks and sounds far more realistic than on any other type of system. We think that once you see a big screen LCD TV with HD-TV, the choice will be clear.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when looking for a HD LCD TV. In fact, many of the most important tips haven't been mentioned here. Learn about LCD TVs before making a purchase.