I have yet to meet the person who has not at least dreamed about, perhaps even considered owning, an HDTV at one point or another. Well, when making that kind of investment, it is generally a good idea to make sure that you know what the heck you are in for.

Education is key when it comes to buying something of this size and cost, but where does one get started on their path to HDTV goodness? How about with ‘ExtremeTech’s HDTV Buying Guide‘?

The HDTV tsunami continues to wash over the consumer electronics industry, and these big-picture machines are fast becoming everyday mainstream products. Last year’s holiday season saw HDTV sales take off, and this year will likely continue that trend. So, if you missed the HDTV Express last year and have decided to get onboard this time around, we’ve got some general buying tips, as well as several HDTV recommendations to fit just about every budget.

We start off with a set of buying choices you should make before you ever set foot in an electronics store. Then we present quick review of the upsides and downsides of each HDTV display technology. This piece is an update to our original The ExtremeTech Guide to Buying HDTV, which you should check out if you’d like a deeper primer on HDTV technology.