High Definition Blogwad

My brother just bought a high-definition TV. Luckily, he didn't ask me for any advice about what kind of TV to get. I don't even own a high-def TV and hardly ever see one unless I'm in an electronics store. Buying a new set is confusing and takes some research to make an informed research.

I came across some stuff from David Pogue of the NY Times and CNBC that I think is a useful quick overview of buying an HDTV set. Seems like good advice for the first-time buyer:
Tech Call: HDTV (Video)

FROM THE DESK OF DAVID POGUE: Clearing Up Some of the Confusion Over HDTV

I'm thinking about taking the plunge, but first I need to make sure I can get some high-def content. Maybe I'll follow up on my pitching for Apple TV and buy one. A couple of years ago I tried to get some over-the-air high-def and was very disappointed with the reception that I got in my apartment. Most of the channels I couldn't get or the signal wasn't reliable enough to watch--in sum, much worse reception than my analog TV could get. A roof antenna is recommended for OTA DTV, but I was at a friend's in DC and he got good reception in his apartment with rabbit ears. The FCC is starting to hand out coupons to get cheap OTA digital receiver boxes. I plan to try OTA digital TV again once the cheap receivers end up in stores.

How big of a screen and what resolution are two of the most basic questions when buying a new set. This article came up with a formula for determining when a higher resolution would be of benefit.
"1080p Does Matter - Here's When (Screen Size vs. Viewing Distance vs. Resolution)"
So for example, I sit about 10 feet from my TV, and I don't really want a TV bigger than 32". According to this article, I will be barely able to perceive the full resolution of 480 progressive lines of video. In order to appreciate the detail of 1080p, I would need to buy a 60" TV, which I think of as an insanely large TV. Well, as a video professional I'd like to think that I could appreciate the difference, but maybe there's no point in getting a high-def TV at all if I'm not committing to a giant TV.