DENVER -- LCD.
LED.
1080p.
60hz.
Ouch!

Television shopping can give you a headache but could also save you thousands of dollars.

This Black Friday brought enormous crowds to electronics stores like Best Buy and Denver-based Ultimate Electronics.

"I don't know. I mean, it doesn't feel like a recession to us," said Mark Wattles, owner of Ultimate Electronics, which spent $18 million remodeling older stores and building a new store on Colorado Boulevard.

He said continued improvements in technology give him confidence to move forward with plans to build 70 new stores across the country in 2010.

"It's my opinion that a percentage of a consumer's income that's spent on electronics will continue to grow. And in a $200 billion industry, there's plenty of room for a couple of very big players."

For TVs, LCD (liquid crystal display) is still the dominant force and likely to be the type of TV set that offers the best deal.

"In 2008, it was a 55-inch TV for roughly $9,000. Now they're in the $2,000 range. So fantastic deals," said David Pierce, general manager at the Colorado Boulevard Ultimate Electronics. "But the nice thing about it is way back in the day, people looking for big screen TVs, they (only) had those big monstrosities. Well, now the LCDs are getting to that price point where they can have those big TVs again at a great price point."

Most LCDs are 60hz, which designates the refresh rate. A higher Hz number allows for a cleaner picture for fast-moving shows, like sports, said Pierce.

But there's a new player too: LED, which stands for Light Emitting Diode. These TVs are thinner, use less energy and give incredible sports clarity.

"The LEDs start at 120hz refresh rate, which is one step above the regular LCDs. So, with that, any type of motion just looks a lot crisper and cleaner," Pierce said.

As is often the case with electronics though, the newest tends to be the most expensive.

"LED will take quite a while before it completely monopolizes the industry. LCD is still a very viable technology right now and still the biggest," said Pierce.

Here's a brief list of the three dominant offerings and what the experts tell their customers:

Plasma -- great black levels and still offers exquisite picture quality, especially in rooms with limited or no ambient sunlight.

LCDs -- This is where you can do your research and score a good deal. Keep in mind the 120hz refresh rate will give better clarity for sports but will cost more, 1080p will offer better progressive scan and resolution than 720p, but some salesmen say it may not be important in smaller sets.

LED -- The wave of the future that you'll pay more for now. Starts at 120hz with some at an incredible 240hz. Again, more money.