The type of display you buy will have a direct impact on the size of the TV you can fit in your room. Plasmas and LCD's are the most accommodating and take up the least amount of space, while CRT's and projection TV's tend to take up more room. This may or may not be an issue to you, but most rooms have there limits, and remember that seating distance will also play an important role in selecting the proper size screen. The most important thing to remember is this... A large TV in a small room will not perform as well as one that is properly sized.

Evaluating your current TV:

Deciding on the optimum screen size is one of the most important decisions you will have to make. This will often help determine the type of display that your new TV will have. It is much easier to buy a new TV once you know what type of display you are interested in.

The best way to determine the desired size of your new TV is to start by evaluating your current set up:

• What type of TV do you have, is it Direct View (CRT), or Rear Projection?
• Is the size of the screen adequate, or would you like something bigger?
• Are you planning on redesigning the room, or must it fit into the same space you now have?
• How far away from the screen do you sit, and at what angle are you to the screen?

One last and very important note on size -- TV's tend to grow when you get them home! I know bigger is usually always better, but be careful not to buy too big of a TV. If you go to one of the giant retailers to purchase or evaluate your next TV bear in mind that the store is a very big place, and that even the largest televisions will appear smaller than they really are. When you get the set home to your hose it will seem much larger than it did in the store I can guarantee it!

Aspect Ratio:

The aspect ratio refers to the shape of the display screen. Unless youíre buying an HDTV, you will have to decide on which aspect ratio to get. The Up until now TV's were all 4:3 aspect ratio or relatively square. All HDTV screens and many other modern TV sets are 16:9 aspect ratio, or rectangular in shape. This is a real sticky point since most of the programming available today is still formatted to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you opt to buy a TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio, it will have to artificially stretch the image to fill the whole screen. Even when buying an HDTV you should ask to see how the set displays 4:3 programming material in the full screen mode. Some brands manipulate the picture better than others, and this may be a consideration in your final purchase.