CNET editors' TV buying guide:

Your TV buying budget range

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Whether you want a new bedroom set or a massive home-theater centerpiece, our CNET editors' guide gives you the full picture on shopping for a new TV.

Pricing parameters

Updated February 5, 2008
Televisions are expensive beasts, but they fall into a few distinct price categories. Here's a cheat sheet that will help better align the set of your dreams with the reality of your bank account. Note that these prices reflect the latest street/online price as of this writing. To sort TVs in CNET's database by price range, check out this list.

TV price brackets: Less than $300 | $300 to $500 | $500 to $750 | $750 to $1,000 |
$1,000 to $1,500 | $1,500 to $3,000 | More than $3,000

WHAT YOU'LL PAY		WHAT YOU'LL GET
Less than $300		CRT tubes: up to 27 inches Flat-panel LCD: up to 20 inches
$300 to $500		CRT tubes: up to 32 inches Flat-panel LCDs: up to 32 inches
$500 to $750		CRT tubes: up to 36 inches Flat-panel LCDs: up to 37 inches
$750 to $1,000		Flat-panel LCDs: up to 42 inches Plasma TVs: up to 42 inches DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection TVs: up to 62 inches
$1,000 to $1,500		Flat-panel LCDs: up to 47 inches Plasma TVs: up to 50 inches DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection TVs: up to 62 inches
$1,500 to $3,000		Flat-panel LCDs: up to 52 inches Plasma TVs: up to 60 inches DLP and LCoS rear-projection TVs: up to 73 inches
More than $3,000		Flat-panel LCDs: up to 70 inches Plasma TVs: up to 103 inches DLP and LCoS rear-projection TVs: up to 73 inches

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Senior Editor David Katzmaier, CNET's resident A/V nerd, wrote this guide. If you have any questions about buying a new TV or about home-theater technology in general, e-mail our experts, and we'll try to get back to you. For more information and reviews on TVs and other video equipment, keep an eye on CNET's main home-video page.

Your TV buying budget range

Pricing parameters

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