The big picture; the essential guide to TV equipment and services.(Buyers Guide)(Cover Story)

Flip through an ad circular from any consumer-electronics store and you'll see a dizzying array of TVs, everything from flat displays that perch on a tabletop to spacious wall-mounted panels and huge floor-standing projection TVs. Prices vary from just a few hundred dollars to many thousands.

With so many choices, it has become a growing challenge to figure out what to buy. We can help. In this special section, our largest ever on TVs, you'll find a road map to the types of sets on the market. We give detailed explanations of what the different kinds of TVs have to offer and what they cost. You'll also learn the lingo to help you make sense of the specs. For instance, aspect ratio refers to the shape of a screen. Sets called 16:9 are wide screen, while 4:3 TVs have conventional squarish screens.

Settling on the TV itself is just one step in the decision process. You also have to decide how you'll get programming: by cable, satellite, or roof antenna. Your service choices have expanded in the past year or two, with digital and high-definition (HD) options coming on strong. The service you choose determines the programming selection you'll have as well as the picture and sound quality and the price. The report "Cable or Satellite?" gives you the facts and figures, pros and cons you need to choose the service that best suits your viewing style.

This section also contains valuable information on supporting-cast members that often play a part in a home-entertainment system: DVD players and the new breed of DVD recorders.

Finally, you have to figure out how to hook your gear together. There are many connection options, and using the best available inputs can improve the quality of what you see onscreen. "Hooking Up Your TV" helps you do just that.

Three other ways to watch.

If you want a thin screen or the biggest screen possible, you may want to consider other types of TVs besides the conventional direct-view and rear-projection TV sets we tested. We'll be evaluating a number of emerging technologies for future reports. In the ...