This is a guide which has been written to aid consumers looking to purchase a new high definition television. Television manufacturers bombard consumers with facts and figures in an attempt to make their products appear superior to those of their competitors. I hope that by writing this guide I am able to identify and convey the most important factors for you to consider to best suit your needs.

The first point I would like to make is that you shouldn't buy a TV simply because it's spec sheet looks impressive. What I would advise is that you go to a retailer and look at the picture quality yourself. This is the best way for you to decide which TV you find to be the best quality. Once you have chosen you can then return home and find the best price for that set online with best-price. Now, more specifically, I would like to talk about the features you may wish to consider while making your purchasing decision. I will talk about a number of issues in turn.

An important consideration is inputs. You will want to make sure that your new TV has enough of the relevant inputs for you to plug in your DVD or Blu-ray player, your games console, your digital TV box and possibly your laptop or computer. Some HDTVs may have a limited number of HDMI inputs. What you want to avoid is having to unplug your digital TV box and plugging in your games console because there aren't enough HDMI inputs for all of your devices in the first place. Also, think about where the inputs are. If you're planning to use the TV with your computer, why not look for a TV with a front facing port to save you reaching around the set every time you want to hook it up.

You may be aware that flat screen televisions come in a few different forms. They can be LCD, LED or Plasma. The most widespread form is LCD. This is because it is usually cheaper and it is the only form of flat panel television that can be made in smaller sizes (between 19 and 42inches). LED televisions are fundamentally similar to LCD but use a form of back-lighting to enhance the picture. Plasma screens are said to give a more natural picture, especially in low light conditions but tend to be more expensive and less energy efficient than LCD screens. As a general rule, if you mainly use a television for watching movies in low light conditions you may prefer Plasma while LCD and LED offer good all round performance which is better than Plasma in bright light and worse than Plasma in low light.

One accessory you will not be able to avoid following your purchase of a new TV is the HDMI cable. They come in many different forms, some are gold plated, and they vary in price tremendously. My advice is that they made very little difference indeed and that you ought to be looking for a relatively cheap one, although perhaps not the cheapest. This will be sufficient.

Consider ease of use. While looking at screens at the retailer be sure to see the remote and navigate through the menu screens. Look for what screen options are available and whether the TV has presets for viewing games or movies of sports. Most TVs now come with a digital tuner so make sure that the EPG is easy to navigate and that everything is laid out ergonomically. You may be using the set every day so it is important that it is easy to use and navigate.

Finally, I am going to mention a few new features that are finding themselves onto television sets that are worth a look. 3D is taking over cinemas and more and more new releases are using 3D to add to the cinema experience. TV manufacturers are following this trend and a few 3DTVs are now on sale. They usually have a premium of a few hundred pounds but you may wish to consider whether this is a worthwhile investment in the long run with more and more film and TV output declaring themselves to be 3D ready. Also, many TVs are now internet ready. This means that they may offer Facebook, Google or YouTube applications through your TV set. Many even include more functionality than this. If you think that this may add to your experience it is certainly worth a little bit of research.