When reviewing HDTV ratings one should really look for important features that will help them choose the proper high definition television depending on what type of media they plan on using with the system. There are many features and technical specifications that are used inside any HDTV ratings system. Some of the most important are:

Native Resolution - this is basically the number of horizontal pixels x vertical pixels that the HDTV can display. The higher the native resolution the better. A 1080p display will have a native resolution of 1920x1080 and any native resolution lower than that is not 1080p. Any native resolution lower than 1280x720 (720p) is not true high definition and one should really be choosing a system with 1080p resolution as the prices now have come down. People might say there is not that much 1080p media to play on your 1080p tv, even if that were true, there will be much much more 1080p media to watch in the near future.... most of which is already here on HD DVD and Blu Ray disks.

Contrast Ratio - this is basically the difference between a white pixel (brightest) to that of a black pixel (darkest). The higher the ratio the better. A contrast ratio of 10,000:1 will produce absolutely amazing picture quality with a 1080p TV. Some manufactures will boast a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 or 15,000 but it really is dynamic contrast ratio. You have to watch out for this when looking at LCD displays. LCD displays usually have a much lower native contrast ratio and will advertise dynamic contrast ratio which is basically the amount of dark and bright luminosity that the system is able to produce over time.

Standard Definition - this is any type of media that is not high definition such as DVDs, VHS, some satellite signals and regular cable television. hi-def displays do have the ability to display these types of signals but some do so very poorly and the picture quality really suffers when playing these types of media. Many people still watch only cable television and have large DVD collections, so if the television does not display standard definition that well your viewing pleasure will suffer.

Video Processor - this is basically the micro chip inside the hi-def television that processes all the high definition and other signals coming into the system. If the display has a poor video processor then it will produce lower picture quality when playing high definition and standard definition. So what is one to do? well, it would take too long for most people to research video processors and which ones are used in various high definition displays. When reading HDTV ratings always look for the reviewers' statements on picture quality and how it displays various types of scenes and signals.

The most effective tool you can use when buying an high definition display is your eyes. When shopping for your next television, bring some media you like to watch, like a favorite DVD, or favorite type of movie (action, computer animated or sports, drama, cartoons...) and have the store clerk play it for your on the system if possible to judge for yourself. Just remember one thing, the high definition displays in the stores are not calibrated and are using their "out of the box" default display settings, so just one thing to keep in mind when viewing your media as when properly calibrated, the picture quality is greatly enhanced. Now if the television you are looking for is online then what you really need to do is read those HDTV ratings and especially read the user reviews. User reviews are statements made by people that already purchased the television and have written what they thought and how they like the television, very important.

There are other factors to take in and are more complicated, however, most people do not have the time for those and ultimately if the HDTV produces great picture quality on your favorite types of media then that is what people are really looking for.