Thinking about HDTV

If you have been contemplating buying a new high-definition TV, you have ultimately wondered when is the right time to make a move. Although you can certainly buy a new HDTV at anytime, there are a few things to consider before you make the plunge.

There are many aspects to the digital TV revolution that can make the transition difficult. To make it even more confusing, it can also be difficult to get reliable information. Retailers and manufacturers have differing opinions, knowledge and motivations for explaining HDTVs. While most of it may be true, they might not give you a realistic idea of what to expect once you purchase all of the necessary equipment to receive HD. For all you know, once you get the TV in your living room, everything you watch is supposed to be like looking out a window.

Lets look at some of the things to consider before buying a new HDTV.

The 2 major types of HDTVs

HDTV sets come in two major flavors. Although there are a lot of different technologies to pick from, they all fall into one of these two categories.

1. HD-Ready TVs (HDTV Monitors) - Televisions capable of displaying HDTV programs, but do not include a form of HDTV receiver.
2. HD-Integrated TVs - Televisions capable of displaying HDTV programs, and which include a built-in high definition receiver.

Although the integrated TVs can receive HD programs without the need of an external tuner, you need to be sure that the built-in tuner is compatible with your television provider, such as cable or satellite. If not, you will need to add an external HDTV receiver to tune-in programming specific to your television service provider.

For example: Many integrated HDTVs are only capable of receiving HDTV programs from a local broadcast antenna and not from cable or satellite. If you do not rely on an antenna, but rather use cable or satellite for TV programming, then you will still need to acquire a receiver for cable or satellite.

Although deciding to drop a little cash on a built-in tuner is an important part of the TV, it shouldn't be your only concern when shopping. Many of the better quality sets are made as HD-integrated TVs. Choosing from only HD-Ready TVs can limit your options to lower grade sets with less features. As we move forward, the FCC is requiring that a greater percentage of TVs be manufactured with built-in HDTV tuners (at least for an antenna).

HD programming availability

Another important pre-requisite for buying a high definition television is the availability of high-definition programming in your area.

If you live in a major metropolitan area, there certainly are a wide variety of local HDTV programs available to you. If you are a cable or satellite subscriber,

you should check with your provider to determine if HD programming is available in your area.

Even if programming is available, take a hard look at what kinds of shows that are broadcast in HD. If there is nothing that you would ever consider watching, keep that in mind before you make a final decision. Also, remember that the popularity of HDTV programming is growing every day. If there isn't much of interest today, there could be a whole lot more available just around the corner.

A great on-line resource for HDTV listings is Titan TV.

Patience

So if you're thinking about making the HD plunge, or if you already have, you need to know that being an HDTV owner requires a small amount of patience. Getting a basic knowledge on the realities of HDTV ownership will help alleviate any major disappointments.

The operation of these TVs is more difficult, so a little patience is necessary as you learn how to use them. If you take it one step at a time and keep an optimistic point of view, this hump will be easy to overcome.

Receiving HD programming requires a little patience as well. If the show you really want to see in HDTV is not available, there is nothing you can do but wait. Sometimes, owning an HD capable TV might make your existing TV signals look a little better, but it will not turn a fuzzy cable signal into crystal-clear HDTV.

Cost

Nothing influences decisions more than the almighty dollar. Upgrading yourself to HDTV requires an expected level of investment beyond the cost of the TV itself. Unless you use a rooftop antenna and purchase an integrated HDTV, you will need to factor in the cost of a new HD satellite receiver, a dish upgrade, hookup cables, provider service fees, and so on.

To help make this decision, add up all the costs associated with completely upgrading to high definition TV, and determine if the value gained is worth the cost. This is where the amount of HD programming available to you makes a major impact. You might have second thoughts if it is going to cost you thousands of dollars to receive a limited amount of programming.

Keep in mind that you can always buy a high definition TV and wait a little while before investing in the necessary equipment to receive HD programs. This approach can help soften the blow to your wallet on your way down the digital TV path.

If you are looking to replace a broken TV, you should take a hard look at replacing it with a digital set. TVs are long-term investments. Even though there may not be a ton of HDTV programs available now, the transition to digital in the long-term is inevitable. Investing in an analog TV today would get you by in the short-term, but be warned that the upgrade itch will surely happen when your next door neighbor is watching your favorite show in HD and you are not.