11/15/07

Should I buy a HDTV?

HDTV programs are now available to everyone in abundance from three sources:

1. Satellite – Both DirecTV and Dish Network now have over 70 national channels that are in high definition. Both also have local channels in high definition for many cities.

2. Cable – The majority of cable systems are now digital and have 20 or more high definition channels. (Some older analog cable systems carry a few high definition channels.) Most cable companies have a website where you can find out what HDTV is available in your neighborhood.

3. Over-The-Air Broadcasters – Virtually all terrestrial TV stations now have a full-power digital channel on the air along with their analog channel. At minimum, they pass along the HDTV programs provided by their network. Most “prime time” programs are in high definition (“Reality programs” are presently the main exception.).

The top-of-the line HDTVs go for $10,000 and up, but a minimal compromise in quality will put you in the $3000 range. (The first color TVs cost $500, which adjusting for inflation would be $3200 today.) What you would be losing are screen size and horizontal resolution.

Full horizontal resolution for HDTV is 1920 pixels. But many sets being sold today only resolve to 1280 pixels, and it is often difficult to see the difference. 1280 is still considered hi-def. Smaller HDTVs are now available in the $500 range.

The minimalist approach

If your budget or enthusiasm for HDTV is lacking, there are a few points you should keep in mind:

· Converter boxes for analog sets are not yet available. They will probably become available late in 2008.

· While a converter box is the easy solution, after 2/17/09 you might be surprised at how inappropriate the converter box seems. Most network programming will be in 16-by-9 format and will look wrong in some manner on an old analog set. Your relatives will be chiding you to get up to date.

· Any HDTV smaller than 26 inches is practically a computer monitor, and it will require a sitting distance typical of computer monitors to see all the high definition detail. Think big. Many HDTV buyers have said they would buy bigger if they could do it over. For a big living room, a 50 inch set is a bit small.

This page is part of “An HDTV Primer”, which starts at www.hdtvprimer.com