Getting HDTV. What about contrast, ratio and such?

So, I'm getting an HDTV pretty soon because my TV right now is destroying my eyes with each minute. As I planned to get a new TV I thought I might as well get an HDTV. I'm still only 20 years old, so I'm not to spend huge amounts of euro's on it. I was planning to go with a 720p HDTV. Most likely a Samsung or a Sony.

There are several good deals going on right now where I live so I need some advice on what and what since I don't know everything about it.

Question #1: I heard the contrast or some kind of ratio (1:10 000 for example) effect how good the picture looks. Not only that, but a low contrast or ratio on a big screen TV would look worse then the same contrast and/or ratio on a smaller TV. Does anybody know what the deal is on this and could explain it to me? What would be ideal for a screen, say, 32 inch?

Question #2: Will I see the difference of Blu-Ray compared to DVD on a 720p TV? Or is that strictly 1080p related? And how big is the difference in your opinion?

Question #3: What brand names should I stay clear from and which should I welcome and why?

Thanks for each of you who took the time to answer. I most definitely appreaciate it.

1) Contrast Ratio: Retail hype. do not believe it. A 10,000:1 Tv drops to about 500:1 the second you turn on the light. That said, any decent tv nowadays has a decent contrast ratio. 5000:1 and higher is good. Also any ~Dynamic contrast ratio~ numbers are totally over blown.

2) Blu -ray vs DVD. The big draw of BD is its 1080p content. If your gonna geta 720p TV then dont worry about it. BD is still great.

3) Brand Names. Sony, Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic, Sharp. Consider those first. budget brands are budget for a reason, even more so with LCDs and all its inherent problems.

1) Contrast Ratio: Retail hype. do not believe it. A 10,000:1 Tv drops to about 500:1 the second you turn on the light. That said, any decent tv nowadays has a decent contrast ratio. 5000:1 and higher is good. Also any ~Dynamic contrast ratio~ numbers are totally over blown.

2) Blu -ray vs DVD. The big draw of BD is its 1080p content. If your gonna geta 720p TV then dont worry about it. BD is still great.

3) Brand Names. Sony, Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic, Sharp. Consider those first. budget brands are budget for a reason, even more so with LCDs and all its inherent problems.

nexusprime

I agree with this. At your age, you should probably get something at about the 32' to 40' range. At this size definitely go with a 720p set, anything else is overkill. The next most important factor is brand... Get a good brand. You will have less problems, and more features. If you get a Plasma get a Panasonic. If you buy a LCD get a Samsung or sharp. I would normally say that Contrast ratio is the 2nd most important factor... and it is if your deciding between the two best tv's on the market, but in your price range I would worry about brand first.

Any decent tv made today has at least a 5000:1 contrast ratio, and that is all you need at your budget. Get higher if possible (it does make a difference). Pay no attention to dynamic contrast ratio... it means nothing. Really, the best piece of advice is to just go look at them in the stores. Get the one you like best.

I bought a Samsung 32' 720p HDTV. Don't know the contrast ratio though. Dynamic was 8500:1. But it's cool. I'm going to play some NGII now. Thanks for the advice.