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HDTV Article Series
Buying
a High Definition Television (HDTV)
Cost
of HDTV's: Let's Talk Price
Ok,
let’s talk money, and how much will it cost to set up a
HDTV home theater. These could only be found
in millionaire movie stars and producer’s homes. Now with all
the new equipment on the market, it’s possible to set up your
home theater without spending millions.
The
first item you’ll need is the HDTV with a wide screen format. The movie moguls introduced the wide screen format
to make movie going different than home viewing. As we all
know, the movie experience with the panoramic cinematography
allowed the audience to completely immerse themselves in the
movie experience. This allowed the directors and cinematographers
to create scenes that involve the viewer’s entire field of
vision. HDTV strives and succeeds in creating a movie atmosphere
in the comfort of your own home. HDTV prices have come down
since it was first introduced, just like any other new electronic
gadget. It still is an expensive investment.
Sets
range up to $2000 or more. It depends on the design,
how large, and the complexity of the equipment the set has.
An “inexpensive” true HDTV can cost between $1400 and $1800,
again to get really good equipment you could spend upwards
to $3000. The display is what can drastically affect the price.
Some units may use the new flat screen cathode ray tubes, others
liquid crystal displays or a projection method for larger screen
sizes. These prices will come down soon. Price estimates based
on current advertising should be down to the $1000 to $1200
mark in the not too distant future.
Before you think you’ll never be able to afford your own HDTV
and be able to take advantage of the many quality features,
there is another way you can enjoy digital broadcasts. You
can purchase a set top digital decoder that will convert digital
signals to something you can see on your TV. It won’t be as
detailed or as sharp as a true HDTV set, but even on a regular
analog TV these pictures will still look better than your current
television picture. They will look like the pictures you get
from a DVD player, digital cable, or satellite service. Today
this set up box will cost between $300 and $900. Industry sources
tell us that eventually these boxes will come down to under
$100 or will be included in your cable or satellite receiver
boxes.
Be
sure to research or talk to a knowledgeable sales person
because there is a difference if the digital formats used. Many popular television stations use different formats. The
industry hasn’t yet set a formal standard yet so what you buy
today may not work with your cable system in the future. It’s
suggested that you buy an HDTV and a decoder separately other
than in one unit because of the changes that are still yet
to come.
Visit
local retailers and let the sales person show you the difference of the current analog TV you might be using compared
to the new HDTV’s. They can also show you the latest DVD player
or digital satellite feed. Don’t be tricked into thinking you
have to have a satellite system to enjoy HDTV. That simply
is not true. We discovered that fact the hard way.
It
is also possible to buy video display cards that feature
a built in DTV (Digital TV coder) tuner to put into your computer. True, the whole family can’t huddle around your computer monitor,
but you can get the HDTV technology on your computer monitor
for an investment from $299 to $499. It will allow you to see
the difference between your analog DTV and the new HDTV.
Besides a digital TV decoder, or digital tuner module, you
might still need an outdoor antenna to pick up local broadcasts
that are sent in HDTV format. You also can use a small indoor
antenna that sets on your TV, but these have been found to
be not quite as effective. Cable stations are not required
to carry the digital signal put out by local stations. That
too may change in the future. As far as local digital transmissions
from your hometown station, you will need either an outdoor
antenna or an indoor antenna that connects to your digital
tuner or decoder.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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