Q: Plasma or LCD?
A: Plasma
- Plasma offers no response time resulting in fluid motion.
- Offers a more realistic representation of colors.
- Displays deeper blacks than most LCDs.
- Cheaper option in bigger sizes.
- Suffers from glare.
- Has a slight risk of burn-in.
LCD
- Vibrant colors.
- Sizes range from 15"-65"
- Reduced power consumption.
- Preferred by gamers, possibly for the matte finish.
- Blacks may appear grayish.
- Response time may cause jitter even with 120Hz panels.
In light of this short comparison, both have their pros and cons and are equally viable options. A plasma might be preferable in a basement home theater setting whereas LCDs are usually recommended in those brightly lit, window laden living rooms. LCDs also make great 2nd/3rd TV options in kitchens or game rooms.
Q: What should be my screen size?
A: It depends first of all on the signal you are viewing. If you will be watching mainly standard television, you would usually sit further in order to enjoy a uniform picture (i.e. not stare at pixels). When it comes to HD, a closer distance is permitted since your eyes will have an easier time resolving smaller pixels. This is a (competitor)/Future Shop recommendation chart using 480p/720p signal comparison. For 720p/1080p, read further ahead. EDIT: Ok apparently I can't link or write about Future Shop's parent company. Lame. Just Google it (I hope it won't block the name of the familiar search engine). Try "Viewing distance screen size" and click on the parent company's link.
Q: Why does a TV boast 3000:1 and the other 100 000:1 or even 1 000 000:1 (Samsung 9 series)?
A: The truth is, numbers sell. First, we need to understand what contrast ratio is. It is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black. When they say 3000:1, it means the darkest black available to the TV is 3000 times darker than the brightest white (or vice versa). Now TV manufacturers are cheaters. Especially when it comes to LCD TVs. How the contrast ratio should be calculated is us9ing the ANSI system, i.e. they dice the board into 16 and compare 2 pixels from each section and boast the average of 16. What manufacturers do is they will set a white screen, boost the backlight and take a measure. Then dim the backlight off and take a measure on a black screen. The results, although representing the TV's maximum contrast ratio (rounded up of course) is inaccurate since most of us rarely watch white or black screens. The presence of light can also affect contrast ratio. In a pitch black room with black walls, a single candle would render the human eye unable to distinguish a 500:1 and a 5000:1 contrast ratio. Also comes into affect the human eye which is a limited sensory organ. For an in detail explanation at how contrast ratio shouldn't be your top priority when making a buying choice, visit: this site.
Conclusion: Numbers are there to impress and help selling the product but quoted peak contrast ratings do not really give you any information on the video projector or display device ability to render images with lifelike gray scales and colors - rather the only information that contrast ratio can deliver is how much brighter the 'whites' can be than the 'blacks'!
Side note: Pioneer's 6010 panel (best panel commercially available in my opinion) boasted an ANSI contrast ratio of 3,542:1. Have you seen the blacks on that TV??? Have you seen the image quality??? If the best is doing 3,542:1 then naturally, the one claiming 30 000:1 or 1 000 000:1 should be respectively 8.5 and 282 (rough math) times better. I hope you guys got the sarcasm on that last one. The numbers are exaggerated (I mean 1 million. Dear god) and contrast just doesn't mean as much and you're better off with a good processing engine.
Q: Do I get a 1080p TV or save myself a few hundred dollars and get a 720p?
A: A great discriminatory question to ask one's self: What are my sources?
- Blu-Ray: 1080p
- Computer/laptop: 1080p (given a decent graphic card)
- Playstation 3: 1080p/720p (depending on the game)
- Xbox 360: 1080p/720p (depending on the game)
- DVD player: 480p
- Wii: 480p
- SDTV broadcast: 480i (Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not 100% on this one.)
- HDTV broadcast: 720p
- Future HDTV broadcast (i.e. at least 5 years): 1080p
So if you don't not have any 1080p sources, a 720p TV might be a great option, allowing you to put the money you saved on perhaps a decent sound system.
But this issue doesn't end here. Other factors do interfere such as your screen size and your viewing distance.
To answer this further, I present this beautiful chart.
You may wish to read the whole article for more on screen resolutions.
Q: Do I need 120Hz?
A: A question to ask in return: do you watch lots of sports? If yes, you might want to consider the 120Hz option. The difference isn't night and day but there will be a slight improvement. A downside of it is that when the 120HZ setting is no during a 1080/24p movie, the movie might look like a home video or a soap opera instead of movie material. You do get the option to set this feature off/low/high on most TVs. I myself am not 100% sure of the real life benefits vs. paper benefits offered by 120Hz. And I stare at these TV's all day... What I am 100% sure of is that there is a slight improvement noticeable in some scenes when using a 120Hz TV. I still have to try a 1080/24p Blu-ray and verify the second part of my answer.
A bit of on paper/tested information I found on the net (thank you Iceman). Backs up what I said.
Q: What do Monster HDMI Cables offer over no-name cables?
A: For starters all Monster HDMI cables are certified HDMI 1.3a. This means they are certified by the HDMI specifications (for more info visit HDMI.org). They also have solid shielding and robust construction (no picture quality difference).If you are doing lots of plugging/unplugging, you might want to consider a solid cable. For one, lower end cables had a known issue of the HDMI connector remaining stuck in the port. You don't want to deal with that. If you are running the cable tightly through walls, opt for a more solid cable. Apart from looks and durability, a monster cable and a 5$ HDMI 1.3 CERTIFIED cable shouldn't make a difference in picture quality. Oh one last thing to note, the top monster cable does offer a future proof warranty, meaning that they will replace your cable free of charge when we see HDMI v1.4/5/6/X (but won't be for a while in my opinion). If you have very high moral standards regarding companies you make purchases from, maybe a company suing Monster inc. (yes, the toddler movie) or Monster Golf (a mini-put course in the USA) might go against your principles. 
I found this bit of information about Monster Cable quite entertaining. Gave me a good laugh at least.
Q: What is an HTPC? Why get an HTPC?
A: HTPC stand for Home Theatre Personal Computer. Keep in mind that any computer can act as an HTPC, but some are far better suited for the task. An HTPC is a great alternative available to many. You will probably break even as well, even if you get a whole new PC.
On the outside
The main difference between a regular computer and an HTPC is NOISE. For instance, I'm typing this message using my beautiful 42" monitor and listening to the never ending noise of 6 Fans and an HDD (Hard Drive Disk). HTPC are mean to run very silently, having very high quality/large fans. Ultra silent fans can be purchase for ~30$.
Another difference is SIZE and AESTHETICS. It might not be an issue for everyone, i.e. me who has the setup in my room, but for a nice living room setup, HTPC are best built with micro-ATX boxes (you know, the tiny PC's). Some cases even come with a front screen LCD display which will make your HTPC look like nothing more than a blu-ray player or a DVD player. An LCD case can be obtained for as little as 200$ (I'm pretty positive on this number, though correct me if I am wrong).
These are two things that will be noticed immediately. The rest is all inside the box.
Inside the box
Consider lots of storage place by purchasing a fairly big HDD, say a 500GB HDD, even if you are on a budget. I'd recommend at least a 1TB+ for the average user. A good HDD can go for say 160$.
A good CPU is a plus but top notch CPU shouldn't be where you put all your money. Don't cheap out either... An Intel entry quad-core (Q6600) is more than enough. (~250$).
RAM isn't a biggie. 2x512 sticks if you are on XP, 2x1GB if on Vista and 2x2GB if you like wasting money 
Well not really a waste, just that chances are you won't really need it. These can obtained for respectively ~ 30$, 50$, 70$.
Where you want to put your money is a god graphics card. We will be using it to watch video after all... In my opinion, anything over Nvidia 8600 should be up for the task. Go for 8800 to be on the safe side. I do not recommend the 9 series since the cards are probably going to be bigger than your case 
. My knowledge with ATI graphic cards isn't very big but a 4850/4870 should be more than enough. Even too much maybe. At bare minimum, you can get an 8800 for >150$, while looking to get a better model (8800 GTS overclocked) can cost you well over 200$. Do get yourself something nice in this domain since you want to make sure your card can decode HD video without straining your CPU, causing your system to heat up, or worst frames to drop.
If your motherboard doesn't have an integrated surround sound, consider buying a sound card. Make sure to get an optical out. Very useful. (~100$)
Peripherals
Let's start off with the most important, Blu-Ray. Free standing players like the ones offered by Sony, Samsung or Pioneer will cost you 300$ and up. The newest Pioneer is actually retailing for 600$. Holy brown substance much? An internal Blu-ray drive will only cost you a fraction of the price. I just purchased mine this week for a mere 145$, taxes in. This will give you the same quality as the S500. The advantage is that since it's hooked up to your computer, all you have to do is update the drivers and you are good to go for profile 2.0+. I am pretty sure it is also capable of outputting HD lossless audio but I won't say I'm a 100% on this one (It says it can. I never tried, nor do I know how).
A TV tuner might also be a good idea. In your face commercial PVR's. As little as 50$ and you are recording TV.
A DVD slot might be a good Idea if you have space. Saving you the trouble of having to switch discs in your Blu-Ray drive. say 30$-40$.
Multimedia remote control (~100$).
Wireless keyboard and mouse (50$+)
Connectors
You can save here too. If your TV has a PC input, use it. The VGA cable allows you to change resolutions very easily (great for gamers). With HDMI<->DVI you will have to restart your computer on a resolution change . Not to mention they cost way more than VGA cables. (as low as 10$. Since it's an analog signal, I suggest getting something a little bit more solid. Consider noise cancellers too (wide cylinder at either end of the cable). Don't spend more than 30$)
Consider getting an optical TOSlink cable for your digital sound needs. (~30$)
Now this is all numbers. Let's get a wordy conclusion. An HTPC will allow you to watch blu-ray, play games, surf the net, work, show a whole variety of movies and downloaded content (there is a tremendous amount of HD content on the net for those who look well) all this with amazing sound and a huge screen (biggest computer monitors are 25"... -I know 35" monitors do exist. I just don't justify paying two grand for them). After some quick math, such a system can cost you as much as 1500$ taxes out. It might look quite steep. But first of all you are getting a very good computer, worth say at least 1000$. Now think of all the extra's you are getting, and how much they would cost you if you had to purchase them separately. Blu-ray and PVR are worth at least 800$ by themselves. So if the time has come to update that old Intel 486 with the 15" CRT monitor humming in the basement, you might consider getting an HTPC with your home theatre system. Keep in mind the information offered here is basic, for enthusiasts I recommend you do your own research, especially if you are putting the system up yourself.
These are a lot of questions that surfaced in the forums. If I missed out any please remind me and I'll find an answer.
*Corrected with MS word spellcheck . God I had lots of typos....
Awesome post man!
Just a couple of things: Plasma's also have better viewing angles than LCD's.
LCD's can also be burned in, and is extremely difficult to do with today's plasma set, unless it's a no name brand ( last years Korean plasma's didn't do very well, and issues have allegedly been resolved for this year, but there hasn't been enough sets sold yet, so it's too early to tell...)
Getting it linked/stickied is the easy part, getting people to actually read the FAQ's before posting is the hard part
Aren't LCD's catching up viewing angles?
They do boast 178 degrees...
If you wan't to burn a plasmam you can burn a plasma. And what happens with LCDs isn't burn in, it's image retention at least that's what they are calling it I think. Although with LCD's it'll go away after a week of normal usage.
And thank you Julez. I'm honored 
I'm not sure I trust your advice on monster cables, especially with an obvious bias apparent.
If I've got a Samsung Plasma, I would like the highest response time possible. With the High end monster HDMI it supports 120Hrz, would there be any reason for me not to want this cable where the others (even the lower end monster cables) only support 60Hrz?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the only cable that supports 120Hrz (which is the minimum I'd want since Plasma is closer to 400Hrz right?)
Forgive my ignorance, I work in computers, not H/T
