But Cablevision says it will let subscribers pull this trick off without extra cables or boxes and promises they’ll love it. The Long Island-based cable company will be testing the technology later this spring, under a clunky but accurate moniker: “PC to TV Media Relay.”

That means you can move anything you can put on your monitor or laptop screen–from streaming video to photos to word processing documents, if you are so inclined–to your TV. Audio, too.

Of course, that’s the idea behind plenty of services and gadgets, from Boxee to Internet-connected TVs to Apple’s (AAPL) not very successful Apple TV box.

And, of course, you can already do this without any of that stuff, and it’s not that hard to pull off. Time Warner Cable (TWC) even showed its customers how during its fight with News Corp. (NWS) over subscription fees for Fox and other channels.*

But the do-it-yourself version still requires at least a couple steps: Figuring out what kind of cord you need to connect your computer to your TV and then, actually connecting it. From a consumer’s perspective, Cablevision’s solution is more elegant, since it’s cable-free; the company says you’ll only need to download one piece of software.

But it’s quite a bit of work on Cablevision’s end, since the company has to port your stuff from your PC through its network and back down to your TV through a set-top box to a channel reserved just for your stuff.

Why go to all this trouble?

If you sort of squint at this for a while, it sort of looks like Cablevision’s version of the “TV Everywhere” idea that Time Warner (TWX) and cable players like Comcast (CMCSA) have been pushing. But in reverse.

TV Everywhere’s offer is that if you pay for cable, you can watch your TV shows on your PC. Cablevision lets you watch your PC on your plasma. But both ideas end up at the same place: They’re meant to give cable subscribers another reason to keep subscribing to cable.

Cablevision (CVC) says the service will launch by June in a “technical trial,” which likely means just a fraction of its three million New York-area subscribers will get to try it. And they’ll have to be Windows users; the cable company says a Mac version will be introduced later.

One thing Cablevision wouldn’t tell me is what it expects to hear from Hulu, the Web video joint venture owned by Fox, GE’s (GE) NBC and Disney’s (DIS) ABC.

Hulu’s attitude about people watching the TV programming it delivers via the Web on a TV screen has ranged from disapproving to downright hostile–just ask Boxee.

That’s partly because Hulu’s TV owners want to enforce the idea that Hulu is a complement to TV, not a replacement for TV. And it’s also because Hulu’s owners see Hulu on a big screen as a feature worth paying for.

In any case, Hulu will have a hard time complaining openly about Cablevision’s plan. Because unlike Boxee’s solution, Cablevision is literally just moving what’s on your PC to your TV.

But there may still be some interesting emails flying back and forth from Long Island to Santa Monica in the next few days.

*Now that its Fox fight is resolved, Time Warner Cable has yanked its cord-cutting instructions. But I have thoughtfully archived them for you. You’re welcome!

At the time, anyway. A patent dispute with Applied Nanotech soon stalled SED TV’s commercial debut. Which was a nasty break for Canon. With a performance and picture quality said to be far higher than LCD or plasma, SED was vital to expanding the company’s presence in the digital living room, which, lets face it, never extended much beyond digital cameras and printers.

Well, Canon’s big plans for the digital television business are back on track again. Applied Nanotech has dropped its claims against the company, saying to continue litigation “would probably be a futile effort.” And that means Canon is now free to bring SED TVs to market, some three years after first announcing plans to do so. Question now is this: Is it three years too late? With LCD and plasma displays more affordable, SED has lost quite a bit of its competitive edge. And with a decline in TV prices prompting profit warnings from the likes of Sony (SNE) and Panasonic (PC), the TV business isn’t looking too inviting.

Digital Cameras

Megapixels: This term describes the highest resolution photo a camera can take. Often mistaken as the most important factor in a digital camera, a high megapixel count — such as 10MP or more — isn’t necessary for the average user unless he or she plans on heavily editing or enlarging photos. Most new digicams offer between five and eight megapixels, which is usually more than enough.

Optical or Digital Zoom: Optical zoom, determined by the physical movement of a lens, matters much more than digital zoom, which digitally alters an image using the camera’s internal computer. Camera companies still try to confuse potential buyers by listing a camera’s total zoom, or the optical and digital zooms multiplied together. Ignore total zoom numbers and instead focus on optical, which now averages around 5x for many new cameras.

Image Stabilization: When generously sized LCD viewing screens started replacing optical viewfinders, they also forced users to hold their cameras at arm’s length, making for plenty of blurry photographs. To remedy this, camera manufacturers have added image stabilization, tools once found only in high-end SLR models. Optical (also called “mechanical”) and digital image stabilization correct for unsteady hands and moving subjects, respectively. Cameras with both types advertise dual image stabilization, which corrects for both situations and costs more.

Mobile Devices

HSDPA and EVDO: HSDPA, or High Speed Downlink Packet Access, is the name for AT&T‘s 3G, or third generation, mobile network that operates at roughly the speed of a slower DSL in a home. HSDPA is available in most major metropolitan areas and is seen as the competitor to Verizon and Sprint’s EVDO (Evolution Data Only) networks, though the popular iPhone runs on AT&T’s network using Wi-Fi and EDGE technology rather than HSDPA.

Multi-Touch Technology: Most popularly found on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, multi-touch is starting to show up in other products, such as in Microsoft‘s Surface, a coffee-table-like computer. Rather than just responding to on-screen touches, this technology enables moving, resizing and zooming pictures and Web pages using one or more fingers simultaneously. Look for many more devices — mobile and otherwise — to incorporate multi-touch in the future.

GPS: Global Positioning Systems are most often found in cars — either built-in or on portable devices from companies like Garmin and TomTom. These gadgets use satellite technology to determine geographic location, and high-end models even display Web content like news and weather along with directions. GPS integration in mobile devices can be used to plot routes in cars, can help users find nearby businesses while on the go and can link friends by showing one where the other is located and what they’re doing.

Digital Music

DRM: Digital rights management is a set of standards that protect the intellectual property rights of online content like music and videos, preventing it from being illegally distributed across the Web. In the past year, Vivendi‘s Universal Music Group, Apple and (most recently) Sony BMG said they will start selling DRM-free versions of songs, often for a higher price. In Apple’s iTunes store, these files are called “iTunes Plus” and aren’t restricted like other iTunes content.

MP3: MP3 files are open, without any DRM restrictions. Files that you rip (copy) from your own CDs are usually converted into MP3s, though iTunes users can automatically rip tracks into that program’s special format, called AAC. MP3 files can be uploaded to social-networking sites for sharing with friends and online communities.

These file types are protected by rights that tie them to specific players. Generally, AAC files make up the majority of tracks sold on Apple’s iTunes store and play only on Apple’s iPods; WMA files are Microsoft’s version of proprietary files.

Wi-Fi

The popularity of Wireless Fidelity, or Wi-Fi, brings this technology to more and more portable devices like the iPod Touch and Microsoft Zune and gives companies good reason to incorporate Wi-Fi receivers in new computers — laptops and desktops alike. While available in many flavors, different letters like b, g, a and n stand behind Wi-Fi’s more technical name, 802.11, to help discern one version from another according to characteristics like speed and compatibility. The latest version, “n,” offers the greatest range and speed, and “n” devices are usually compatible with earlier versions.

Televisions

HDTV: High-definition television has now become the standard, capable of displaying vastly better pictures, provided the source is also HD. Today’s more popular flat panel HD televisions are LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, though plasmas still hold their own. Recording HD content can’t be done with a regular digital video recorder; instead, a special HD recorder is required to capture this higher quality content.

480p vs. 1080i vs. 720p vs. 1080p: These numbers refer to the resolution, or sharpness, of a digital display, while “p” stands for progressive and “i” stands for interlaced. A resolution of 480p, known as EDTV or Enhanced Definition TV, is found most often in low-end plasmas or LCD screens. A TV with a resolution of 1080p is currently considered the Holy Grail, and costs the most. But 1080p pictures usually can’t be distinguished from less expensive 1080i or 720p pictures by average viewers at the typical distances from which most folks watch TV.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: Blu-ray and HD DVD are incompatible high-definition disc formats that continue to fight a seemingly endless battle to replace the DVD. The Blu-ray camp is led by Sony and the HD DVD camp is led by Toshiba. The two formats aren’t so different, technically speaking, but their very existence is confusing to consumers. The recent decision made by Time Warner‘s Warner Bros. to use Blu-ray gives Sony’s side a boost, and now Viacom‘s Paramount is rumored to be switching to Blu-ray from HD DVD. Dual-format players from Samsung and LG offer some solace.

Email: mossbergsolution@wsj.com

To find out, my wife, Edie, and I lived for several weeks with a big, beautiful HDTV, the Pioneer Elite PRO-1140HD, lent to us by Pioneer Electronics. It has a 50-inch screen, a long list of features and lists for $5,000, though you can find it for under $4,000 on the Web.

I tested the Pioneer with digital cable service from Comcast, my local cable provider. This service transmits high-definition programs where available and can record them to a digital video recorder (DVR) built into its set-top box. Comcast also has an on-demand feature that allows you to watch certain programs whenever you like.

The test demonstrated why people are so hooked on HDTV. The Pioneer Elite set performed brilliantly and was a joy to watch with HDTV programming. With HDTV, you are not only increasing the size of the picture, but its quality as well. On the Pioneer, colors popped, details I never saw before emerged, and the whole experience was almost cinematic. DVDs looked great, as did content from a computer plugged into the set.

But there is a hitch: Most TV programs aren’t available in HDTV, and these non-HDTV shows can actually look worse on an HDTV set than they do on older, standard TV sets. So do most videotapes. Also, buying a big-screen HDTV carries hidden costs and hassles. You may well need help installing the set. You may also have to switch or upgrade your cable or satellite service, get a new DVD player and buy new furniture.

The Pioneer Elite model I tested happens to be a plasma TV, which is one of the three major types of HDTV sets. It works by stimulating a captive gas with an electrical charge. The other two are LCD, or liquid crystal display, which uses a screen like those on laptop computers; and “microdisplay” sets that project the image onto the screen from the rear of the set, mainly using two technologies: DLP, or digital light processing, and a form of LCD.

Plasma TVs tend to have the blackest blacks and the best ability to be viewed from all angles of a room. Their colors are warm and vivid. And they cost less than LCDs in large sizes. But their screens are more reflective and a bit darker than LCD screens. There is also a slight chance they can suffer “burn-in,” the permanent embedding of an image, like a network logo, if you leave such an image on for a very long time without changing channels.

LCDs are bright, and they are the thinnest and lightest of the HDTVs. But their colors often seem cold and their blacks too gray. Their viewing angles aren’t as good as with plasmas. And in some cases, fast motion can look blurry.

Microdisplay sets typically cost the least, but they are the thickest of the three types. They tend to have limited viewing angles and can display a “rainbow” effect, which causes problems for some people.

Our Comcast service gave us high-definition channels from all the big broadcast networks and some of the major cable ones. We immediately started watching shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Heroes” in high definition, and found they were greatly enhanced. Watching the World Series and NFL games was a great experience, with every clump of dirt, bead of sweat and blade of grass looking so much more real.

The Pioneer also did a great job with an Apple Mac Mini computer we plugged into it, displaying family photos and downloaded videos stored on the Mac.

The big downside was that only a small fraction of programming is high definition. At 8 p.m. on Tuesday night this week, there were just 13 high-definition programs available from Comcast, out of more than 230 total. The on-demand service had a smattering of additional high-definition shows and movies.

And standard TV shows on a high-definition set can look awful. They can be fuzzy. They also typically fill only a portion of the wide screen, with big black or gray bands on the sides. You can eliminate the bands using TV features that stretch or zoom the picture, but these modes either cut off too much or distort people so they look unnaturally short and stout.

Also, we ran into plenty of extra costs and hassles. We had to buy new furniture to hold the TV and all the gadgets that attached to it. We had to replace our DirecTV satellite service with Comcast cable, because the trees in our yard blocked the high-definition satellite signal — which is beamed separately from another position in the sky. The Comcast digital service with high-definition costs more than the company’s standard cable service and its DVR holds only 15 hours of high-definition programming versus 60 hours of standard programming.

Despite all these costs and limitations, we were won over by our HDTV test. After returning the test unit, we went out and bought our own HDTV. We decided that in the slow transition to high-definition programming, there’s now enough content to make HDTV worthwhile. And once you get used to high definition, it’s tough to go back to plain old TV.

Email me at mossberg@wsj.com.

Unfortunately, shopping for a television set is much, much harder than it used to be. The TV aisles in your local electronics store are like exotic galleries packed with confusing acronyms — LCD, HDTV, DLP — and staffed by clerks who often are either clueless, or so geeky, that they can’t help much. This is not a great situation when you’re spending thousands of dollars on a TV, not the hundreds people used to spend.

So, here’s a rough, quick guide to buying a television this holiday season. Our aim is to provide a very basic cheat sheet so you can at least wade through the basics and talk to the salespeople intelligently. For greater detail, we suggest buying one of those glossy magazines that covers new TVs in depth. Even if you don’t actually purchase the set at a store and instead opt to buy it online, we suggest visiting the store to see the TV so that you can judge its performance in person.

There are two basic types of big-screen TVs — flat panels, where much of the technology that creates the image is actually embedded in the glass screen itself; and projection sets, also called microdisplay sets, where the front screen is just a sheet of plastic and the key technology that creates the image is in the back of the set.

42″ Samsung HP-R4252 Plasma TV. Price: $3,499.99. For more info: www.samsung.com.

Within these two broad categories, competing technologies are slugging it out. There are two main types of flat-panel sets — LCD and plasma — and three main types of projection sets. Most new TVs are “digital,” meaning they can deal directly with the computerlike signals produced by newer TV transmissions. Older sets are considered “analog,” and were designed for older TV transmissions. Digital sets can display analog TV signals, but not always very well. All U.S. TV transmissions are due to convert to digital signals in the next few years.

HDTV versus ED and SD

Many big-screen TVs are capable of receiving high-definition television signals, or HDTV — the most detailed, and best-looking, television available. But some cheaper digital models can only display lesser-quality pictures called Enhanced Definition, or ED. Others are stuck at standard definition, or SD, which is even worse.

So, just because you have a big-screen, digital TV, that doesn’t mean it’s an HDTV. Make sure any set you choose can handle HD signals. Also, many HD sets don’t actually contain an HD receiver, or tuner — the component that actually pulls in the HD programming. They are merely “HD-ready,” meaning they can display HDTV if you connect them to an HD receiver, like a cable or satellite set-top box that is able to receive HD signals. Others have an HD receiver built in, though it’s usually limited to over-the-air HD broadcasts, which require an antenna, and can’t pick up cable or satellite transmissions.

Flat Panel Screens — LCD and Plasma

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and plasma screens allow for large TVs that are very thin. If aesthetics are your biggest concern and you’re interested in buying a TV that can be attached to a wall, you should buy one of these two types of screens. They also offer some of the best-quality pictures available.

The actual technology in these two screens is quite different. LCD TVs are like the screens on laptops or flat-panel computer monitors. They work by passing current through tiny liquid crystals. Plasma TVs work by stimulating a captive gas with an electrical charge.

45″ Sharp AQUOS LCD TV, LC-GD7U. Price: $5,499.99. For more info: www.sharpusa.com

Both technologies are rapidly becoming cheaper, but they are still mainly distinguished by how much they cost at certain sizes. LCD TVs are a bit thinner and much lighter than plasmas, but, at large-screen sizes, they are prohibitively expensive. By contrast, plasmas aren’t efficient to make at small-screen sizes.

So, for people with typical budgets this holiday season, the only affordable flat-panel TVs today more than 40 inches in size will almost certainly be plasmas. Buyers of flat-panel TVs under 40 inches will very likely wind up with an LCD.

In general, both technologies deliver vivid, intense pictures. There are differences, but these have been narrowing, as the competition drives improvements in both camps. For instance, plasmas were long superior in viewing angle — the ability to see the picture well from the side — but some LCDs have caught up and even passed plasmas on this score.

Early plasmas had a risk of “burn-in,” a situation where a logo or fixed text might remain visible even after you change channels. But this has been almost eliminated in new sets. Early LCDs showed ghosting during fast-action shots, but, again, this has been greatly eased in newer sets.

TV geeks will see differences among the two technologies in areas such as contrast, color saturation and brightness. But these things vary among manufacturers and models, and most viewers won’t notice fine distinctions. The best way to choose is to go to a store and compare with your own eyes, without worrying about techie jargon.

These two types of TVs will definitely set you back; LCDs come in prices ranging from $450 for 13 inches to $5,500 for 46-inchers to $21,000 for a 65-inch set. Plasmas go for about $2,200 for a 42-inch set and $12,000 for a 63-inch plasma screen. Yes, we’re still just talking about televisions here.

Projection TVs

If you’re shocked by the prices of the LCD and plasma sets, you might find projection televisions a little more your speed. They tend to cost less than the flat-panel models, but still deliver a handsome picture.

These sets aren’t nearly as thin as the flat panels, because they need depth internally to project the image they create in the back of the set. But if you don’t mind sacrificing aesthetics, you’ll find some good options in this grouping.

Projection TVs can be divided into three main categories: CRT (cathode ray tube) rear projection; LCD rear projection; and DLP (Digital Light Projection) rear projection. The first two are also called “microdisplays,” because they use tiny display chips to create the image in the rear of the set.

50″ Samsung HL-R5087W DLP Rear Projection TV. Price: $3,699.99. For more info: www.samsung.com.

CRT sets use the oldest and least advanced of the projection technologies, though they still offer good color and sharp pictures. Their screens range from about 42 to 65 inches, but their cabinets are notably deeper than the other types of projection sets, taking up a lot of space. They are, however, the least expensive of the projection TVs, costing about $1,800 for a 51-inch CRT.

LCD rear projection uses a rather slim cabinet; for example, a 55-inch screen only has a 20-inch deep cabinet. They range in size from about 42 to 62 inches. These sets use tiny LCD screens and project the picture they create onto the large, front screen. A 55-inch LCD rear-projection set will run you about $3,000.

DLP rear projection comes in screens measuring 42 inches and up while still boasting relatively shallow cabinet sizes. For example, a 61-inch DLP can have a cabinet of 19 inches. This technology uses a chip packed with tiny mirrors to create and project a TV picture. It generally costs more than a CRT, but is still less expensive than a plasma or flat-panel LCD TV. The images produced on a DLP are noted for their sharp blacks and grayscales. We found a 50-inch DLP for $2,200.

More Confusion

Like computers and cellphones, digital TVs are improving rapidly, so that a cheap model on sale may use last year’s technology. Also, some regular old analog TV sets are being touted as “flat screen,” because they use a flat piece of glass to encase old technology. But they are not “flat-panel.”

The connectors on all these TVs can be horribly confusing. But you may want to get two new types of connectors — HDMI, which supposedly simplifies connecting components without any loss of quality; and CableCard, which allows you to get some, but not all, cable networks without a bulky set-top box.

Our best advice is to shop around, and to buy the set that matches your budget and looks good to you in the store. All the jargon and expert opinions in the world matter less than your own taste.

• Email: MossbergSolution@wsj.com