What's the best kind of TV? LCD or LED ?
 

What's the best kind of TV to buy? LCD or LED (I heard they've combined them or something now, is that true?) I know the rest is 1080p and 120 refresh rate, or whatever it is

I've also heard from several different people that Samsung is the best brand to buy, is that true also?

I've never had an HDTV before, so I want to get the best that I can.

Also, when you measure a TV, do you measure diagonally from each end of the screen..or do you measure diagonally from like, the case or whatever of the TV?

Sony LCD is the best you'll find.
A LED is an LCD -- only it uses LED for the lighting.
LED has been used for several years now, originally replacing lamps on HD projection sets.

Samsung tends to have grainy images, and a lack of advanced filter/picture controls. It's popular because it's cheap and it's easily found everywhere, and that's really about it. I've also seen some geometric "narrowing" distortion on 4:3 images, which is undesired if you want a lot of 4:3 video.

A TV screen is measured from corner to corner, as displays have always been measured.

The best picture is generally found from a screen that is neither too small nor too large for the room. For example, a 55" screen is perfect from 9-11 feet away. For 12-15 feet away, 60" makes for a great set. This gives you the "home cinema" experience.

You also cannot see the difference between 1080p, 1080i and 720p below 60 inches -- and even that can be difficult to see until you get into the 70-100 inch range. People who claim otherwise are generally suffering from psychology -- they think it's better because they were told as such, rather than observing what is actually there. These days, of course, it's not often you'll come across a 720p set, but they also should not be dismissed outright if it's only in the 32-47" range.

1. What's your budget?
2. Are you willing to buy online, or must you shop locally?

If you decide on plasma, stick with Panasonic. They are the main backer of that type of display nowadays and the pricing is excellent. My parents picked up their best 50" model without 3D (TC-P50G25) for around $900 and are thrilled with it. I was never one for LCD/LED sets, I always preferred the blacks and no-blur motion on a plasma set. I have always found 120Hz LCD/LEDs artificial looking as well. Panasonic also has one of the lowest input lag processing times on their sets, important if you are a gamer. My biggest pet peeve with all the new TVs.... no S-Video inputs! The comb filters on the composite input are decent, but no match for some of the high end units that came out on CRTs 10 years ago.