Learn more about your viewing options and what to look for in this 3-part series on HDTV each day at Noon eastern; Check out Part 1 here to learn the basics about what makes HDTV HD, and Part 2 to learn more about the three types of HD screens, and the pros and cons of each.
"HD is coming, HD is coming!" Today we'll address some of the basic things to look for when purchasing an HDTV.
1) Shop around! One recent Consumer Reports example showed that a 32" HDTV was on sale at Best Buy for $1,200, but a small, locally-owned store had the same HDTV for $890.
2) Don't be too cheap: "HDTV Monitors" don't come with an external tuner, so that means you'll have to shell out for the tuner as well, making it not quite the bargin it once seemed to be...and that means you'll have another component to deal with.
Look for an "integrated HDTV tuner" or HDTVs with an "ATSC" tuner built in; these HDTVs then can pick up HDTV signals over the air, with an antenna. If you have cable or satellite TV service, you'll need their box for now. The next generation of HDTVs will utilize a card that plugs into the side of the monitor to work with your cable service, but that's still down the road.
3) Want to know more? Check out CNET's comprehensive HDTV World for info about anything related to HDTV. And watch for our AT Home Tech comparison of Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVDs (your DVDs are only as good as the discs you play, no matter how nice your TV is) early next week.
Happy watching, ATers!
Photo from Editor B.
There are cable-card ready HDTVs now. Not tons of them, but they are out there. This is one reason why cable companies are pushing more DVRs that they rent. It keeps you locked into them for a box rental.
view Max's profile
If you have the space but not the budget you might consider buying a widescreen CRT HDTV. I bought a 34" Sony a few years back and I don't think I'll ever replace it. It's a 250lb beast but there is nothing out there that can touch the picture I get. Of course, it was not a bargain at the time but the $1500 I paid then would not have purchased a decent flat panel at the time. It might be that you can't get a decent flat panel for $1500 even today...opinions vary.
The Philips outlet website often carries a number of 30" widescreen CRT HD sets that are in the $300 range including delivery.
They're deep and they're heavy, compared to other HD sets but the price is right and I'd bet that they'll be more reliable.
The biggest size you can buy is 34" so if you're looking for a really big screen then a widescreen CRT won't be an option.
view Don in Maine's profile
Regarding point #1, be sure to always check online retailers. The discrepancy between prices can be astounding. We purchased a Samsung 40" LCD HDTV which was retailing for a $2499 at brick and mortars, but we found at Buydig.com for $1799. It really helps to shop around and not make this an impulse purchase.
view gregory's profile
I would disagree with point #2. If you're buying an HDTV, you probably have cable. If you have cable, you're probably gonna be using a box from the cable company (and/or a DVR) and you'll be using your HDTV as a monitor. So, you don't really need to worry about a tuner. I've had a tunerless HDTV for a year and haven't regretted it for a second.
view gr's profile
I agree with GR - you can take serious $$$ off the price of a HDTV if you get one that is simply "HDTV-ready". Built-in tuners are only required if you're running an off-air (read: antenna) HDTV signal directly into your television. In fact, even if you are getting your signal over an antenna (vs. satellite or cable), you may still not need a built-in tuner as some DVRs, like Tivo, already have HD tuners inside. The price off the television for a tuner-less set is not as significant as it used to be (when tuners were sometimes external boxes the size of VCRs!) but its still worth putting on the list of things to consider alongside industrial versions of consumer displays, et al.
view superstovall's profile