Television used to be so easy. You went to the store and you looked at the sets — all of them roughly the size of a Buick — and then you bought the one with the best picture.
All TVs had one feature: They turned on. You had a choice of four or five channels, and, if the weather was right and there were no sunspots, you could watch “I Love Lucy” or “The Untouchables” without having to adjust the antenna more than two or three times.
Needless to say, all that has changed. These days, satellite and cable programming can bring us hundreds of channels of quality programming and mindless drivel. And both electronics stores and the Internet are filled with a teeming multitude of television sets — from the lowly import sold for under $100 to state-of-the-art units that would make Marconi weep with joy.
Naturally, savvy shoppers are attuned to the fact that today's technological breakthrough is tomorrow's discount deal, so they want to tread warily. Even for hardcore electronics freaks, it's all a little overwhelming. But the upshot of all this is that if you, the consumer, are able to weed through all the confusing jargon and sales hype, you can actually get yourself a TV suited exactly to your needs and budget.