How To Buy An HDTV | PlasmaGeeks.com | Your How To Buy An HDTV Resource Center

Is it really HDTV? How to buy a HDTV
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It may be hard to believe, but HDTV has been available in the consumer market now for five years. There are still few people who actually own an HDTV set and programming is limited. That raises the question: what is the latest on HDTV?

Whether it's because of newspaper ads, TV shows saying they're being broadcast in HDTV, or the buzz from co-workers, relatives, and friends, you've probably been thinking about testing the HDTV waters. And now is a great time to buy a high-definition set. Not only is HDTV a tremendous leap beyond traditional TV, but hooking one up to a good DVD player will give you a phenomenal-looking image. The best news, though, is that you can now find a wide variety of affordable sets.

But many TV stations are not yet broadcasting in HDTV format because it requires them to invest lots of money in new equipment to do so. They have to have enough of a market to make it worth their while. So in the meantime, we have some stations who do broadcast in HDTV and many who still just send out analog signals.

However, all TV stations will have to comply with federal guidelines to be HDTV compliant within the next couple of years, so high definition TV is here to stay and will only grow in importance.

Until then, digital signals are only available through the local stations over the air through an antenna or through a satellite dish.

Let's start by discussing whether you should buy an analog or digital capable TV. Analog TV is simply TV you have been used to in past years. The signals are sent and received in analog format and it has worked fine for a long time. It has its drawbacks though because analog TV signals can only hold so much data for the screen and sound, and an analog signal can degrade easily. Never fear though, analog TV will be fine for use for many years to come even after other technologies dominate.

One of the first things you'll notice when you walk into a store is that most HDTV's have screens that are almost twice as wide as they are tall - in other words, the screen's aspect ratio is 16:9 instead of the squares 4:3 you're used to. When it comes to watching movies, wider is definitely better since it resembles the shape of movie-theater screens. Widescreen is also great for sports, delivering more of the action.

Pay close attention to how the sets are labeled. Some say "HDTV," while others are called "HDTV-ready" or "HDTV monitors." While HDTV's have a digital tuner built in, HDTV-ready sets get their high-def images either from an external source like a cable box or satellite receiver, or from a separate digital tuner (these start around $350) that you hook up to an antenna.

There is more to all of this television technology, but what we have covered should give you a good idea of what the different TV terms mean and arm you with enough information that you can now confidently choose the television that will work best for you.

More and more network and satellite TV programming is becoming available in HDTV. For WNDU viewers, NBC offers up to 10 hours of prime time plus

But before you break out the bubbly, it pays to do a little homework to make sure you'll be happy with your new TV.