If you are in the market for a new TV in 2008, you may be surprised how much you’ll get for your hard earned dollar these days!

With the cost of Plasma and LCD flat panel TVs coming down rapidly, the old CRT tube models are slowly going away, even towards the low end range of the market.

You’ll find literally hundreds of television models reviewed on our web site, all categorized by size, brand, price range and special features to make it easy for you to compare models!

To help you match your TV budget to the typical price range, the tvsreview.com staff has put together this easy to use guide.

The prices listed here reflect the “street prices” not the manufacturers’ suggested retail prices, which are over inflated and should never be paid unless you are buying the latest, top of the line model and just have to be the first kid on your block to own it. Screen sizes listed are measured diagonally.

The guide offers you practical advice on what to look for within seven distinct price brackets:

• Less than $300
• $300 to $500
• $500 to $750
• $750 to $1,000
• $1,000 to $1,500
• $1,500 to $3,000
• Over $3,000

TVs Costing Less Than $300

At the low end of the market, CRT tubes are still common, with 25 to 27 inch units that once cost well over $500 now available in the sub $300 range.

If you are in the market for an LCD flat screen unit, you can now shop around and find a deal on models that feature screen sizes of 21 inches and smaller. Don’t expect a lot of features such as picture-in-picture or tons of inputs in this lowest budget class however.

Best brands to look for under $300 include Toshiba, Samsung and Sharp, among others.

TVs in the $300 to $500 Price Range

If your budget is in this range, you can find both flat panel LCD and CRT tube models with up to a 32 inch screen size.

Televisions costing between $500 and $750

Expect to find CRT tube models up to 36 inches and LCD flat panel models up to 37 inches if your budget is between $500 and $750, with the CRT models generally offering more features such as multiple video and audio inputs.

TVs in the $750 to $1,000 Budget Range

Stepping your budget up towards $1,000 will buy a flat panel unit up to a 42 inch flat panel LCD screen or you can choose from lower end Plasma models up to 42 inches. You will also find DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection models up to 62 inches under $1,000 if you shop around a little.

TVs in the Price Range of $1,000 to $1,500

If you have a budget between one-thousand and fifteen-hundred dollars you can find flat panel LCD models up to about 47 inches and Plasma units up to 50 inches. DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection models up to 62 inches in this price range will generally have more features than the discounted models under $1,000.

TVs Priced from $1,500 to $3,000

If you are looking for a larger TV and can pay between fifteen-hundred and two-thousand dollars for your new television, then expect to find an LCD flat panel model up to 52 inches, a Plasma unit up to 60 inches or a DLP or LCoS rear-projection model with up to 73 inch screen.

TVs over $3,000

If you budget more than three-thousand dollars, you can find a flat panel LCD TV model up to 70 inches, a Plasma model up to 103 inches, DLP or LCoS rear-projection TVs up to 73 inches.

Features abound in this budget class, with all the latest bells and whistles you want to make your home theater state-of-the-art.

Brands to look for at the high end of the market include Sony, which no longer markets Plasma models, betting instead on its LCD models to take the lead soon, having launched their full HD 1080p W series Bravia models last year.

Panasonic and Samsung continue to bet on Plasma as the long term leading technology in large screen TVs, announcing its new record 150 inch screen at CES.

Also hitting the market soon is the Mitsubishi 65 inch Laser TV, introduced in Japan in early 2008 and scheduled to hit the North American market later in the year.

If budget is not your primary concern and you want to splurge, you certainly have plenty of great options in this $3,000 plus price range!