Should I buy an HDTV?

[Dukkha]

I've been thinking of taking the plunge. Is now a good time or should I wait another year for the HD broadcast mandate to go into effect. I watch very little TV and do love DVDs. I was thinking on an inexpensive 30" 16.9 CRT. The screen quality is excellent and are more affordable and less space consuming than the big projection TVs

[ET Awful]

1. I was contemplating the same thing and decided to hold off.

I ended up buying a 35" regular TV instead. It has a 16:9 mode with compression that gives an image between regular TV and HD as far as resolution goes, and looks pretty damned good, and a regulr 35" TV in 16:9/letterbox mode is approximately equivalent to a 30" widescreen. So, you get bigger regular TV picture and the same widescreen as you'd get with a 30" widescreen.

At least that's what I did, and I have no regrets.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. I would wait

I saw a bit on one of the financial shows.

Most of these high end HDTV's are way overpriced.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Recall how expensive DVD players used to be

Look at how cheap they are now.

HDTVs will come down in price, and I'm not getting one until they do.

[sir_captain]

9. They've come down in price exponentially already

Seriously, they probably cost 20-30% what they did 3 or 4 years ago. You can get a very nice 30" widescreen HDTV for around $700-$800 now. It would have run you several thousand just a year or two ago.

That said, it's still probably true that they'll come down in price even more over the next year or so.

[Dr.Phool]

4. I bought one-love it

About a year ago I got a 42 inch rear projection model that Dish Network had for $999.00.

I stayed away from the plasma, because they burn out in a couple of years.

Be prepared to see all the warts on your local TV anchor. One here in Tampa must do a lot of late night drinking. With HDTV you can see the wrinkles and bloodshot eyes.

[48pan]

5. One more year and you will save lots of $$$$....

Prices are dropping fast. I got a TIVO box for $99 and DVD players are down to $24 at Best Buy. Don't buy an HDTV until the normal sized ones are under $500.

I figure it will be about 18 months before HDTVs are in the $300 range.

[Kire]

6. I own an HDTV, bottom of the line...

...and I don't ever use the High Definition channels. The cable service is the same price, either way, so I'm keeping the option and the box.

But, the picture gets these awful lines and interference. It's truly easier to watch the regular transmissions that are available. The channels that are only available in HD are OK, but they are not indispensible.

So, my recommendation is, if you do buy a HDTV, get a High End one, or maybe even a Plasma one. The one I bought was $1,000. I suggest doubling that, at least.

[sir_captain]

10. Plasmas kind of blow

Too expensive, inferior image to direct-view or even high-end LCD, and they deteriorate rather quickly.

[still_one]

7. if you get on

make sure it is full HDTV, NOT EDTV

[Dukkha]

8. here's some price/technology perspective

This was the first Color TV receiver sold by RCA. The CT-100's 15GP22 color kinescope provided a rounded side 11 1/2-inch wide by 8 5/8-inch high picture with an area of approximately 100 square inches. A planar shadow mask and flat phosphor screen with decorative mask were suspended inside the round glass envelope. CBS Hytron would later develop the technique to manufacture a curved shadow mask and to deposit color phosphor dots directly on the inside of the face plate. With its 45-degree deflection angle the CRT was 26-inches long.

The set retailed for $1,000. When the 21-inch 21-CT-55 was introduced in December of 1954, the price for the many unsold CT-100 sets was reduced to $495.

Adjusted inflation to today would make it $6572 then reduced to $3253

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. And in 1954

color programs were even scarcer than HDTV programs are today.