HDMI sockets: High definition multimedia interface (HDMI) is a system for transmitting uncompressed digital audio and video signal between high definition devices such as Blu Ray DVD players, HD satellite, cable boxes and games consoles. The HDMI lead is a single 19 pin cable. The more HDMI sockets your television has means you can connect more devices without resorting to switch boxes. I would suggest 2 sockets as a minimum requirement.
Scart sockets: Whilst HDMI has quickly over taken scart as the industry standard for connecting AV devices; scart still has an important role to play. Almost all DVD players, satellite boxes and game consoles will offer the ability to connect to your television using a scart lead. Unless you are planning on changing all your devices to high definition you will still need scart sockets on your television. A minimum of two is a must. Scart cables carry both audio and video signals in a single cable.
SVHS socket. SVHS or s video is an image only standard. You can get increased image quality by separating the audio and video signals into different cables. Though with some of the modern scart cables and hdmi leads available today this is less important.
Optical audio socket. Digital optical audio is considered the best way to transfer the audio signal. The Toslink style plug is the industry standard. It uses a fibre optic cable to carry the audio signal, giving excellent sound reproduction.
Contrast Ratio: The higher the contrast ratio a television has the higher the image quality will be. Some have ratios of 16000:1 but 5000:1 should be your minimum.
Plasma or LCD: Plasma is considered a better choice for larger sets and has better contrast. LCD sets can offer better details in white areas of the image though then can be easier to scratch.
The author has experience in HDMI Cable and HDMI Cables and Scart Lead and HDMI Lead
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