If you were going to buy a TV today, would you go for an HDTV?

This is kind of a bad time to buy with the transition to digital TV going on right now. I'm helping a friend look for a new TV and she is wondering about biting the bullet and buying a widescreen digital set now, or buying a cheap 4:3 set now and waiting for the HDTVs to come down in price in a couple of years.

Will anything that is purchased today survive the change to digital in 2009? For that matter, will my old analog (circa 1994) set survive? Will it work with the proper cable box?

I'm guessing they'll sell digital to analog converter boxes for those people who won't/can't switch over in '09, but it's probably worth buying a digitally capable HDTV now anyway. I got a 32" LCD HDTV about six months ago for $1,000, which I thought was a good deal. Now, I regularly see the same spec for about $500. If you don't mind a slightly smaller screen, 25"ers can be found in the $200-300 range.

If you're looking to spend less than that, then I think you'll have to stick with the old CRT technology and upgrade in a couple of years.

I love HDTV. We bought this 42" LCD HDTV from Costco a year ago and it has already come down $300 in price to $1300.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11098479&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4001382&Mo=26&No=9&ViewAll=27&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3316&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&topnav=

I bought a $170 27" from K-mart last year.

I dont need to watch CSPAN or KO in High Depth. Im not giving Corporations more money for minimal gains.

All you need is a $50 DVD player to use as a tuner and you can keep your analog TV.

But all HDTVs currently sold are digital (or "digital-capable", a little bit of marketingese that means they can accept a signal from a digital tuner, but don't have one built-in).

It's true, as you say, that you can buy a cheap tuner (many DVD recorders have them built-in) and use the analog port to output to an analog TV.

I'm not a Luddite, but I think I'll wait until the price comes down some more.

HDTVs are already vastly cheaper than they were a few years ago--to the point where I'd say that most big electronics stores will stop selling analog tvs altogether within the next year or so. It's already difficult to find them. And this is not a bad thing--HDTV is a fantastic technology that will only get cheaper and cheaper.

I think part of the reason that people mistake them for being very expensive is because they're so much bigger than the tvs most of us are used to. Very few people ever bought CRT tvs bigger than 27" or so because they're just so enormous and heavy. A few years ago, a high quality analog CRT tv in that size range cost more than a 32" LCD HDTV does today. Holiday 2007 will probably see 32" HDTVs discounted as low as $400 or so, which is really pretty affordable, all things considered.

Now, as for the whole digital/analog thing... it's not a big deal. There is only one segment of people who will be really affected by the switchover in 2009--those people who have an analog tv and receive service strictly over the air. The government has recently announced a rebate plan whereby they will be providing up to around $100 to folks in this situation to help buy a digital-to-analog converter box.

With that said, no one who uses cable or satellite is going to have to change a thing--all those set-top boxes have converters built in already and will continue to for the foreseeable future.

So to make a long story short, your 1994 tv will work fine.

yeah, I'd buy an HDTV. But not necessarily the most expensive one. One thing though they don't tell you-a lot of shows aren't broadcast in high-def, and when you get a high def TV they look worse than they would
with a regular old CRT. This is because digital amplifies the noise that's inherent in an analog picture, whereas the analog looks fine. I wish manufacturers would take this into consideration and compensate for the picture quality. On the other hand, DVDs look better. Anything broadcast in high-def usually looks better. But there's a whole history of TV that's never going to be high-def. Classics like the Twilight Zone or the Carol Burnett Show.

Another thing, nothing can reproduce blacks like a CRT, they've gotten better, but they still can't match it. It usually doesn't matter unless you're really fussy and are watching a movie like 'Alien' with a lot of shadows and blacks. Just something to keep in mind.

Most "classic" stuff was shot on film, so it can very easily be remastered in HD. Both of your examples would qualify for this sort of treatment. Take for example, the recent release of the John Wayne classic The Searchers on Blu-Ray.

SD stuff does normally look somewhat worse on a high-resolution display. Unfortunately, that's just an inherent issue with using a display that's higher res than the material it's displaying. Certain TVs have better scalers than others, so they can make the picture look a bit sharper. There's nothing inherent in digital images that enhances noise--it's simply because of displaying a low resolution image on a high resolution display; the pixels don't match up.

The vast majority of network TV is in HD, nowadays. Almost all sports is in HD. Within the next year, pretty much all of the network news shows, CNN (and presumably MSNBC will follow them) will be in HD as well. This covers the majority of what viewers watch, and the gap will only continue to close.

You're right about the black levels, but cheap CRTs can have pretty bad black levels as well. As you said, black levels on HDTVs are improving, and there should be another really big jump soon when most LCDs move to LED-backlighting.

Will anything that is purchased today survive the change to digital in 2009?

YES

For that matter, will my old analog (circa 1994) set survive?
Will it work with the proper cable box?

Yes

------------------------------

Your TV and Hi-Definition

http://www.wgem.com/News/index.php?ID=11050


QUINCY -

Whether you've thought of buying a HDTV or not, starting February 2009 you may
be required to have one. But one company has an alternative for your older TV.

Starting February 2009, congress is requiring all local stations to switch over
from an anolog signal to a digital signal.

That means you will either need a high defintion TV or a converter and antenna
to get free sheduled programming.

WGEM not only carries NBC programming, but provides Fox and the C-W network as well.
According to new regulations, they will be turning their analog signal off on
February 17, 2009.

Jim Lawrence, Director of Operations, WGEM: "There's a converter box that they can
buy which will convert the current digital broadcast signal also they can play them
on their own analog set, so if you have a set that you purchased three or four years
ago, and you know that it is going to be good for another five or ten years you can
buy this little box and still get the channels.

---------------------------------

Feds Will Foot Bill for Digital TV Conversion Kits

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/03/digital_tv.html

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.Com

March 13, 2007

The federal government doesn't want you to miss any of your favorite TV shows.

Really.

That's why a little-known agency called the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
has put together the "Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program" so that your TV screen won't go dark
when TV stations stop their analog broadcasts come TV's D (for "digital") Day, February 17, 2009.

For years, the feds have been pushing and prodding broadcasters to complete their conversion
to digital broadcasting, opening up spectrum space that has been long earmarked for other uses.

But a digital TV station isn't much good unless there are a lot of digital receivers out there,
which is where the coupon program comes in.

So, starting next January, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two $40 coupons
to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes that will enable
old analog sets to receive digital signals. The program will be good as long as the $990 million
allocated for the program holds out.

Congress just couldn't bring itself to give away $1 billion for something as frivolous as
enabling consumers to continue watching "American Idol" so it shaved the figure to $990 million.

snip--->

"With the Coupon Program and a successful analog-to-digital transition involving the public,
industry and government, the switch from analog to digital television will be completed as
planned," said Assistant Secretary for Communication and Information John Kneuer.

Households using analog televisions will not be able to receive digital broadcasts after
February 17, 2009, unless the analog television is connected to a box that converts the digital
signal to an analog format, or the analog television is connected to cable or satellite service.

While converters may be important to connect some TVs, other viewers may not need or want
converters, such as those who have digital televisions or pay TV service, NTIA explained.

Everyone has different needs and budgets when it comes from purchasing a TV. If you think your friend would benefit from the HDTV, and there was one for a reasonable price, then go for it. If they watch a lot of movies, sports, or the discovery channel, then HDTV is something worth looking into.

If not, just get a standard definition TV. I believe that you can get digital TVs that aren't HD right now too for a descent price. Worst case scenario, you will have to buy a convertor box in 2009.