What TV should you buy? Our best TV article is constantly updated with links to the latest TV reviews and buying advice
What TV tech is best? Which is the best LCD TV? Which is best out of LCD and plasma? Which screen size is best for my living room? What's the difference between LCD and LED TVs?
These are the kind of questions that millions of us have to ask every year. Buying a new TV can be a confusing experience even for the tech-savvy.
It doesn't help that technology is moving on at a rapid pace and we're constantly being treated to new tech which comes hand in hand with new jargon.
In this article you'll find all the buying advice you'll need for snapping up the top rated TV for you and your space, as well as all the best LCD TVs and best plasma TVs by size, and a run-down of every single TV in the ranges of all the best TV manufacturers, starting from the best down to the budget TVs.
Index:
Page 1: Best TV: all the best models by size
Page 2: Best TV: jargon explained
Page 3: Best TV: buying guide
Page 4: Best TV: Questions to ask before you buy
Page 5: Panasonic 2010 range
Page 6: Panasonic 2011 range
Page 7: Sony 2010 range
Page 8: Sony 2011 range
Page 9: Philips 2010 range
Page 10: Philips 2011 range
Page 11: Samsung 2010 range
Page 12: Samsung 2011 range
Page 13: Sharp 2010 range
Page 14: Sharp 2011 range
Page 15: LG 2010 range
Page 16: LG 2011 range
Page 17: Toshiba 2010 range
Page 18: Toshiba 2011 range
The best 32-inch TVs
Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK.
But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k on the best ones.
There's only one certainty at this size – your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently...
Read more: 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today
The best 37-inch TVs
Making the decision to upgrade from a bulky old 28-inch CRT TV is almost too easy, but heading straight for a 42-inch plasma can seem a little daunting.
And thus the 37-inch size has become one of the UK's most popular shapes; a lot more impressive than a 32-incher, yet not big enough to entirely dominate a living room. It's also often the maximum size for those of us who are forced, simply by the shape of our living room, to shove a TV in the corner.
It's a size division that's as competitive as any, with the big brands weighing in with both LCD and plasma TV models. Despite its direct forerunners being some of the best-reviewed (and best-selling) TVs around, Panasonic's TX-P37X20 is the only plasma left in this category...
Read more: 10 best 37-inch TVs in the world today
The best 42-inch TVs
Once known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 40-42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s - and where it's still at its most innovative and best.
Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV makeover, 40-42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room.
As well as being the fastest growing sector of the market, this size also offers possibly the best value TVs around. Serious home cinema addicts have moved on to 50-inch and bigger screens, leaving this category a swarm of slashed prices...
Read more: 10 best 42-inch TVs in the world today
The best 3D TVs
Slip on a pair of £100 3D glasses, nestle in front of a brand new £2,000 TV and switch on a £350 3D Blu-ray player and you'll likely warm to the notion that 3D is more than just an illusion.
It's created by your brain processing two separate images coming to it via your eyes, and while this stereoscopic approach can be done relatively cheaply, the big manufacturers have plumped for a rather expensive format that relies on rather clumsy, heavy glasses.
It's called Full HD 3D, and, to be fair, it's the best form of 3D TV currently available...
Read more: 10 best 3D TVs in the world today
Best Freeview HD TV
With universal coverage set for the end of 2011, the process of weeding-out sets without Freeview HD tuners inside has begun - and we don't expect there will be a single no-Freeview HD TV left on sale by the end of this year. Here's the best of the first crop.
Read more: 10 best Freeview HD TVs in the UK
Best Panasonic TV: what to buy this year
While it's never enjoyed the devotion reserved for the likes of Apple, Panasonic is surely one of the strongest brands on the planet – and especially in the flatscreen TV sphere.
2010 saw the brand introduce its first 3D Full HD plasmas TVs alongside its debut LED-backlit LCD TVs; the Panasonic hall of fame is impossible to ignore if you're after a a new HDTV.
Read more: Best Panasonic TV: 2010's hottest plasmas and LCD TVs
Best TV for gaming
Decide to buy the biggest flatscreen possible on which to play Call of Duty and you might end-up with low-fuzzy foregrounds and blurry battlefields.
You'll get no cheat codes from us, but this handy guide to buying the best TV for gamers might help you skip forward a few levels in finding the ideal TV for you.
Read more: Best TV for gaming: what you need to know
3D TV
With the Blu-ray 3D specification finalised and Sky's 3D TV channel due, the UK faces another telly revolution.
Forget the digital switchover, 1080p 'Full HD' and web-connected TV widgetry. Jump-out-of-the-screen 'stereoscopic 3D' is the best TV tech around!
Trying to describe it is like trying to paint a symphony. So what will you need to watch 3D TV? Who's doing it? When? What's the best 3D TV? And will your existing HDTV work? Carry on reading to find out the answers to these and many more 3D TV questions...
Read more: 3D TV: all your questions answered
