YOUR BUDGET RANGE

Pricing parameters
Televisions are expensive beasts, but they fall into a few distinct price categories. Here's a cheat sheet that'll 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.

WHAT YOU'LL PAY		WHAT YOU'LL GET
Less than $300		Curved tubes: up to 32 inches Flat tubes: up to 27 inches Flat-Panel LCD: up to 20 inches
$300 to $500		Curved tubes: up to 36 inches Flat tubes: up to 32 inches Flat-Panel LCD: up to 20 inches
$500 to $750		Flat tubes: up to 36 inches Flat-Panel LCD: up to 30 inches CRT rear-projection: up to 46 inches
$750 to $1,000		Wide-screen HDTV tubes: 34 inches Flat-panel LCD: up to 32 inches CRT rear-projection: up to 51 inches DLP rear-projection: 43 inches
$1,000 to $1,500		Flat panel LCD: up to 37 inches CRT rear-projection: up to 61 inches LCD rear-projection: up to 60 inches DLP rear-projection: up to 56 inches Plasma: up to 42 inches
$1,500 to $3,000		Flat panel LCD: up to 42 inches CRT rear-projection: up to 65 inches DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection: up to 62 inches Plasma: up to 50 inches
More than $3,000		Flat-panel LCD: up to 42 inches DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection: up to 73 inches Plasma: up to 65 inches