In Consumer Reports' TV lab, Claudio Ciacci, a senior project leader for electronics, puts new TVs through a battery of tests.  [ Photo: James Willcox ]

If you're looking for a big television—something with a screen size 50 inches or larger—make sure you check out our latest HDTV Ratings (available to subscribers). Of the 76 models tested, one-quarter have screens 50 inches or larger. At the other end of the spectrum, you'll find a wide assortment of 26-inch LCD Tvs that would make a nice addition to a smaller room in the house, or an apartment.

Perhaps the best news of all is that sets continue to get both better and cheaper. For example, all but three of the sets we reviewed had either excellent or very good HD picture quality, though specific attributes—such as brightness, color accuracy, black levels—differed, as we describe. There are also some real bargains. The lowest-priced model in our LCD Ratings costs less than $300, and one 42-inch plasma cost just $600.

Among the trends we're seeing: more LCD TVs with 120Hz technology, and a few with 240Hz, which in some instances can reduce motion blur to were it's no longer an issue (look for our upcoming blog on this issue). We're also seeing more models with LED backlights. Some use "full-array" LED backlights, which can be locally dimmed, while the ultra-slim "edge-lit" models have LEDs placed around the perimeter of the set. We found benefits and tradeoffs to each approach.