Buying an LCD TV

[BottlesOf]

Aaaaand, I'm kind of lost. I found a few tvs in my price range size range, that have gotten good reviews on CNET.

There's one from Sharp that's 26" that I can get under $1K, there's also a 23" by Toshiba and a 22" by Panasonic I can get around $800.

Anyone have any other recs?

Also, can anyone explain in a little more detail the difference between HD TVs and HD-ready TVs? HD ready TVs require you to buy an external tuner to recieve/display HD signals? I saw that this tuner cost $1500, that seems absurd.... Also, if I have digital cable, I heard that those boxes have a tuner built in, would this mean I don't need to spend an outrageous sum on an external HD tuner if I buy an HD ready TV?

Can someone straighten me out/point me in the right direction?