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Whether (And When) To Buy HDTV?
zzxc writes "A NBC local station in Indiana is carrying an article on whether it is smart to buy a high definition television now or later. While it isn't very technical, it does provide some practical insight. Keep in mind that the FCC deadline for television stations switching to HDTV is December 31, 2006." I don't think I want another television screen that can't also be a computer monitor.
how about when i can afford one? (college is expensive)
mechanicos ergo cogito
Gametab - Game Reviews Database
Well, the article mentions a converter box that will reduce an HD-signal so it displays on non-HD TVs. I don't know what the price point is, but you probably won't HAVE to buy a new TV. It can't be too high, otherwise people would just get new TVs.
-If
Run a pencil-and-paper RPG campaign with your far-off friends: Gametable!
and where can you find a 32" widescreen monitor that are alot cheper than an 32" widescreen tv.
ok monitors are cheaper than tvs but monitors often are 19" or less while almost nobody have an tv that is less than 28" . if you were to buy a 28"+ montior with good specs i think you will find that the tv wasent so expensive after all
The 2006 deadline is for having DIGITAL broadcasts, *not* High-Definition. They are two seperate issues right now. While there will be a set-top adapter available to convert digital to analog for older TVs, it is unknown as to whether or not these will actually be inexpensive enough to warrant not just purchasing a new television set. It is also very likely that stations will maintain an analog broadcast if it proves to be useful in their area (perhaps where the demographic is not likely to upgrade old systems).
Hear that, CBS? You'd better keep analog up for your demographic (the old farts that don't want to give up their old console Zenith from the 1970s).
Jethro73
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
This guy did an in-depth HDTV report. It's on his web site: HDTV Report
- Eric, InvisibleRobot.com
This called HAVi - Home Audio Video integration. Read more at http://www.havi.org/
Soon we will have to buy a DTV converter. There is no guarantee that HDTV will ever become a reality; it's just DTV that is required by the FCC.
DTV has 480-line modes, as well as 1080 lines.
I just bought one a few weeks ago. A few random thoughts:
1. There is a distinction between monitor and tuner. I went with the "just the monitor" route, and picked up a $150 HDTV tuner off ebay. I plan on replacing it with a HDTV TIVO late this year or early next. Unlike previous posts suggest, you can get tuners with digital outs, but they use some sort of "copy protection" on them.
2. It's amazing how hard it is to get a good over-the-air signal. From my apartment I can SEE the actual antennas on the tower that transmit HDTV for my area, but the signal still goes in and out with a normal indoor UHF antenna. On the other hand, maybe you live in an area that has HDTV over cable.
their HDTV PVR late this year.
3. Everybody Loves Raymond looks great in 1080i, but does it really matter?
Good Luck.
With any of several HDTV tuner cards (HiPix, AccessDTV, and MyHD, to name three) you can do timeshifting and in some cases editing of HD material. For example, I record "Alias" in HD every week and archive it to DVD-R. It's a much more versatile option than a simple HDTV set-top tuner box. All of those cards will output either composite or RGB to feed into an HDTV set. If you subscribe to DISH Network and you have the right kind of satellite receiver, you can feed HD HBO into one of those tuner cards for timeshifting as well.
If they'd just gone with the existing, working standard for Japanese HDTV (maybe with necessary compatibility adjustments and maybe incremental quality improvements) we'd have had HD sets below $1k before the Millennium.
Instead, we got a "standard" that was a combination of 6 competing standards and a system that will be supported in all the different permutations and never actually look like it's been standardized.
The cost of building TVs to work with all those permutations (because you know the end-user will never accept being unable to see Matlock reruns; or rather, the advertisers will never accept that the end-user will have an hour to not watch commercials) has resulted in TVs that are hideously expensive despite being poor in amenities (beyond the HD, of course).
An issue near and dear to my heart:
First off, I bought an HDTV capable RPTV (rear-projection television) in April of 2002. It's a nice set, I mainly bought it because it was highly discounted as a customer return, a few scuffs, and nearly 40% off the normal price so I jumped on it.
My main motivation was to have a 16:9 format television because I love widescreen and can't stand mangled versions of movies designed to squeeze into the wrong sized screen. (See the Widescreen advocacy site for more info.).
This set has Y-Pr-Pb input (wideband component) which and supports 480p and 540p/1080i and upscales 480i beautifully. The results of this is gorgeous displays of widescreen DVDs.
My intent was to eventually have some HDTV to watch, but it hasn't happened. First, I live in an apartment. My cable company is clueless and does not carry any HDTV programming. There are some that do (Time-Warner Houston - 9 channels). My other options are satellite, or local broadcast. Neither of which really thrill me with the aspect of having to ask my landlord about installing stuff on his roof.
Aside from actually having the signal available, usually with satellite you need more than the basic receiver box you get for free when you sign up, you need one that goes for $400+ (last I checked it was 500). So that sucks.
So, net result, I own an HDTV set and still don't get to watch any high-res content. I'm happy though since my anamorphic widescreen DVDs look gorgeous. But I'd love to have some HDTV to watch. Eventually....
-------
Just a side note: The us "deadline" for digital TV does not mandate high definition, just that stations broadcast in digital format, which could simply be 480i upscaled to 480p (which is one of the standard digital formats).
I think you're correct - I recall reading an article about how the broadcasters weren't crazy about moving to HDTV, because if they pushed only DTV, they'd be able to cram something like 5x as many channels over the same bandwidth. There's waaaaayyy too many channels out there already. Half of them run infomercials or repeats much of the day anyways!
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
The UK is a bit ahead of the US in broadcasting HDTV -- we have several digital-only channels -- but as reported in this BBC article takeup of HDTV (more generally known as just "digital TV" in the UK) has been slowed by the collapse of the first big digital TV company, ITV Digital. The collapse was more due to poor management than any real flaw in HDTV, but as another article states, the deadline (in the UK) of 2010 for the full switch to digital is probably unrealistic, given how long it took to switch the nation to colour television (didn't happen in any major way until 1969!).
Programming is keeping me. While the major networks seem to do everything in HDTV now, most cable networks dont (at least the ones I watch). For example, as far as I know the only Hist/TLC/Disc/Etc channel that is HDTV is Discovery's special HDTV channel. And I won't get any benefit for most of the shows out there (like all the old sitcoms, etc).
Cable/Sat is keeping me. To get HDTV cable I have to rent an expensive box from the cable company, instead of just plugging a cable into my TV (I don't have digital cable, it's not worth it for me). To get my DirecTV, I have to have an oval dish (or a second circular dish) IIRC, AND a sattalite box that instead of costing me $100 costs me $500. I'm not going to pay that kind of fee ontop of the premium I'll be charged over the normal service fee ontop of paying way too much for a TV.
Tivo is keeping me. I want to buy a Tivo and plan to when a good Series 2/DirecTV combo box comes out. But I am not going to buy a new TV so that when Tivo records sitcoms and such for me, they're not in HDTV. I know they are comming out with an HDTV model, and when it comes out I'll give better consideration to buying an HDTV.
DVDs are keeping me. HDTV was finalized after DVDs, IIRC. When DVDs change (Blu-ray, which was recently put into production) they might support some new/better resolutions and I want a HDTV that will support them.
Features are keeping me. A quick look at Sony's site shows that a 32" HDTV is going to set me back $5000. My 32" Sony CRT TV cost me about $350. Yet the HDTV doesn't have PIP (I do), a V-Chip (not that I use it, but I've got that too). It doesn't have Channel naming (I don't use that, but oh well ;). It doesn't have more video inputs that I have (if I'm going to pay an extra $4500, I'd better get at least 1 more input). I doesn't have Firewire/i.Link (something that I'm going to want in an HDTV). Why should I pay $4500 more for something that's inferior to what I'm already using.
Standards are keeping me back. I'm worried that the FTC is going to change standards soon, and then I'll have to buy a $300 converter box to use my "new" TV. I guess this going with the DVD thing above. I don't trust that the TV I'll buy will continue to work as I want it to. By the way, weren't we all supposed to have HDTV by 2000? Then by 2003? Why should I buy one now, when they'll move adoption up to 2009 next, then 2012. I'll just wait 'till things actually get adopted and then get one. Why rush in with that kind of money on the line.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Here's a little blurb discussing the differences if anyone's interested
Article
Posting as directed.
If it's 480p, then it's legitimately HDTV. HDTV is not one resolution, but a whole mess of them:
480p
720i
720p
1080i
And higher for the newer specs. The latest Star Wars films (bleh) were recorded in 1080p.
I'd rather have a 720p picture than a 1080i one. Interlacing is the work of the Devil!
While the FCC is pushing the December 31, 2006 "deadline", the law gives local stations an out: they don't have to kill the analog services if DTV hasn't reached 85% penetration.
And please don't confuse DTV with HDTV. DTV is the modulation method, HDTV is one of the formats used. Locals CAN send HD, or they can send up to 4 channels of standard definition DTV, only one which has to be free, the rest can be subscription or private.
Also, with the FCC requiring DTV tuners to be built into all new sets, don't expect the price to come down soon.
HDTV's highest resolutions are 1920x1080i or 1280x720p. I agree the resolutions probably won't be top of the line in 3 years but you can't expect 3 year old technology to support the newer resolutions. Plus creating new standards will only cause us to be stuck on NTSC for longer. HDTV is plenty good for now, granted I wish the frame rate was higher and there was a 1080p. But I don't want to be spending more than I already have on my HDTV equipment. HDTV's resolutions are plenty high for today's equip. Try and find a DLP projector that supports native HDTV resolutions.. Also Digital Projectors used in theaters to show Star Wars only has a resolution of 1280x1024 and they rent those for $100,000.
I went TV shopping a couple of weeks ago, after I had filed for my tax refund. Went to Circuit City here in Austin and took a look at the 27" sets, as I watch TV in a very small space.. anything bigger would be a waste.
They had the Zenith C27V22 there for $700.. originally went for $1200 or so. The picture quality was far better than the high-end 27" non-HDTV Sony's. Got it home, set it up, and it's just great. It's a nice, flat screen 27" set that can do a fantastic job when playing anamorphic DVD's through the component inputs.
That's only at 480p, of course, which is one of the HDTV modes this set can handle, along with 1080i. It can unfortunately take only one high-def input at a time, so if I ever get an HD tuner or cable box I'd need to get a component video switcher, but it's great for now.
With HDTV sets available starting at such a low price, there's no point in paying for a high end standard tube anymore, if you ask me.
- jon
Ganymede, a GPL'ed metadirectory for UNIX
Let's all run out and spend $$$$$ on a brand new TV, throw our old ones out, create a landfill the size of New Jersey, so that we can watch "Joe Millionaire" and be bombarded with Coca-Cola ads in super-duper 17.1-quadraphonic digital surround-sound bliss!
WAKE UP PEOPLE. Turn off the TV, and play a game with your kids. Go for a walk. Discuss politics. READ.
The more we act like drones, the more they'll try and cram down our throats. 10 years from now, there won't be any outcry over the next version of the DMCA.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
There's another guy around here from Tweeter who posts... help me out if you're out there, dude...
:) CBS will also do 1080i, and they'll be doing HDTV in the studios, requiring no upconversion from local affiliates (that's the current news, anyway, that I have).
:)
Anyway. HDTV sets do *not* have to cost $6,000. You can get a HDTV-capable set for as little as $1400 from Sony. That's a nice 32" Wega flatscreen.
OK, what's HDTV-capable and HDTV? Here ya go.
A "true" HDTV set generally means that the TV set has the off-air tuner built in to the set. That means you can put up an antenna that can receive in the 54-860Mhz range, and if your local network is broadcasting a HD signal, your set will display it.
HDTV-capable TV's generally don't have the tuner. Many of their components are the same (Mitsubishi is a good example of this), but you'll need either an outboard tuner - about $800 - or a cable box/dish box that supplies the HD signal to your set.
High Definition TV generally refers to the picture resolution. DVD for baseline purposes is 480 lines of horizontal resolution. HDTV is in several formats, with two main choices for networks. Cheap-ass networks or local repeaters may just use 480p (progressive), as it's the easiest for them to do. Next step is 720p, which is what ABC uses, and why those of you who got to see the Super Bowl in High Definition went "Woah!"
DiscoveryHD is in glorious 1080i - which is like looking through a freakin' window.
HDTV can also carry true Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS surround, so your HDTV movies can be as great as the theater. Or better!
The commercials during superbowl probably looked weird for a few reasons. The HDTV format is *likely* going to be 16:9. National ads were either upconverted at the studio to 720p, or shot natively on HD cameras. Local insert ads were likely (unless you're in a large market) standard def, so they were either boxed on the sides, or stretched to fit like other fullscreen material.
The HD conversion can be done either at the head-end (CBS, NBC) or by the local networks. The local networks will likely use cheaper equipment, so don't expect all shows to look fabulous.
Also - with HD on an antenna, it's a cliff effect - you'll either get HD or you won't - if you've got a weak antenna signal now, you'll likely want to make sure you can get a signal amplifier to help you out.
Lastly, the 2006 deadline seems pretty hard and fast ATM - the government (FCC) wants that frequency range back to give to emergency and police services, and will levy fines monthly on broadcasters who are not using their digital equipment. Local broadcasters don't want HDTV, because it does nothing for their revenue stream. It takes more power to run a HD tower, and it's nearly 10x the normal bandwidth of the analog channel. Compression methods improving, blah, blah, blah, HDTV carries a boatload more information than regular TV.
Any doubts I had about HDTV were laid to rest after I saw Shania Twain in 720p glory. The woman looked BETTER in High Definition!
Also:
No Sony rear projection TV for 2003 has the tuner built in. Even the badass XBR series doesn't have it.
Mitsubishi has 3 main levels of TV - the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond series. The Platinum and Diamond TVs have the tuner built in. The difference between Gold and Platinum is in the HDTV tuner, Firewire connectivity, and a Digital Coax audio out to provide your receiver with true surround input. Mitsubishi Platinum and Diamond series TVs also have QAM64 & AV8SB (sp?) cable tuners built into them, so if your cable provider is pushing QAM or AV8SB, your TV can be your set-top box - yeah, it can do the channel guide for you out of the box. And yeah, Firewire ROCKS. Plug in a HD Digital VCR, and boom - "DVCR Connected". Price on a 65" Mitsubishi Platinum? About $4000. That's SIXTY-FIVE INCHES. That's a big-ass TV, folks.
That said, it amazes me that the same people who think nothing of spending $500-$600 on a video card whine and cry about how expensive big-screen TVs are. Have you really LOOKED at a good big screen TV? Compare it to a Hitachi or other cheap brands. You'll see why they're cheap. A good big screen TV is easy to watch at 6' (though you can only watch part of it at a time! *Grin*), and the color saturation, detail, and edge clarity are that much better. Think it's bullshit? That's fine, but ask a reputable store - Tweeter, a good local specialty store - and they'll be happy to give you the straight skinny. If you're really skeptical, take your favorite DVD to the store, and watch the same scene (2 min or so) on several different TVs. As the man said, "Ya get whatcha paid for."
I don't have experience with LCD/Plasma picture quality and longevity as yet, but the HDTV/HDTV-compatible standard holds there, as well.
On another side note, if you buy a new TV, treat yourself to a GOOD progressive scan DVD player. It uses the component inputs, and looks like a million bucks.
Buy what you think you need/can afford, but if you buy cheap now, you'll buy cheap again and again and again instead of a moderate price once.
"If there's hope, it lies in the proles..."
I belive that the digital by end of 2006 is to over-the-air broadcasts only. Cable can still be analog if that is what the cable company chooses.
Go to here and download some videos (large!) and download the codec here. These videos are REALLY nice, it's like looking at digital photos.. For me it really is like that since my p3-733 just isn't fast enough to play them! Also get Microsoft's shot at HD quality video here.
A true 1080p monitor (it will upconvert 1080i to true 1920 x 1080 progressive @ 60hz) is being released in the US this year, and should find its way to AU in short order, but the price will be horrible. It will initially retail for USD $8,000. :(
:)
Still, it will offer computer users a true high 1920 x 1080 monitor, and an incomparable TV experience.
Get off my virtual lawn, you damned virtual kids!
tvs these days, especially those that will be used in home theater systems are little more than a monitor, the sound and tuning is usually done seperately by a reciever. the internal speakers and remote that comes with the HDTV often will only be used to select the proper outputs to the reciever. those with an external tuner won't ever need the remote as the tuner will output directly to the reciever without ever going through the HDTV.
moox. for a new generation.
Pre 1996, cable companies simply rebroadcasted the local channels, since they put it out for free. The networks/affiliates were floored that cable was taking over the market and getting paid for THEIR content and then using shopping channels and premium channels to make money. Telecom Act passes (I think that it was the 1996 one, the BIG one) that let stations designate as must carry (you have to carry them if you are carrying other ones... spanish language, pax, and local-only stations use that), or require compensation (the networks do that).
After a bit of playing chicken (different cable companies squaring off with networks, using the customers as pawns) resulted in the current situation, the networks allow their signal to be carried, but the cable companies have to carry several different random network owned stations, so ABC requires that they pay for ESPN ($2/customer, and it has to be in basic cable), Disney, etc., etc.
But they all haggle, and the network has the power, not the broadcasters. So ABC gets their other stuff on, but the affiliated stations don't get compensation.
So, with DTV, the broadcasters would get even better. Told to come up with a standard for HDTV, they came up with a brilliant solution with 3 HDTV settings (720p, 1080i, 1080p - the last only 24 or 30 frames, no 60 frame mode), an enhanced setting (480p) and then they snuck in 480i for backwards compatibility. The catch is that they got what they wanted, and in the same bandwidth of one analog station, get 6 480i channels, AND they can be made must-carry. All of a sudden, anyone that had a license to broadcast one channel now had 6!
Well, the FCC and cable companies hated this. The cable companies didn't want to give up free bandwidth, and the FCC didn't like looking stupid for giving them the bandwidth for HDTV and instead getting current NTSC quality, with compression artifacts, and 5 channels of infomercials.
So the cable companies whined and the FCC ruled that must-carry only applied to the analog signal. So with their plan squashed, the networks began preparing for HDTV. Remember, only 10% of american households use an antenna for their television (20% is satellite, 70% is cable), so getting the ability to send 6 channels to 10% of the market is pointless. Without must-carry, there is no point to squeezing 6 SDTV signals in. The only exception to this will be PBS stations, where there are normally 2 in a market, may send one HDTV signal, two SDTV signals (the current PBS programming), and use the extra bandwidth for school programming by day or stuff like that).
So HDTV is happening, because there is no advantage to the 6-for-1 deal.
As a satellite customer, I'm happy to add an antenna to get 8 DTV channels locally, but if I was a cable customer, I'm not sure what I'd want (other than to move so I could become a satellite customer). If the networks were sending 36 channels over the air, plus whatever PBS sent, who knows what that does to cable. Realize that analog cable systems are normally only 60-86 channels, and I bet you that 30 channels could cover 75% of American viewing. It would kill basic cable as a way of getting basic television. The original reason for cable was because antennas suck. With digital broadcasts, antennas don't have to suck. And $50/mo (basic cable in Boston) goes a long way towards paying an antenna installer...
I think that HDTV is happening and happening fast. Whatever HD-DVD format comes out is very likely to be sent at 1080p24, which will look awesome on either 720p or 1080i sets, especially with the extra bandwidth available to avoid compression problems. This season, LOTS of HDTV happened. Next season, just about every primetime event and lots of sports will be HDTV. End of this year, HD Tivo and Dish HD-PVR ship. HDTV over cable is coming to some markets this year. HDTV cable-ready systems will roll out soon. And the DVI-HDCP vs. Component vs. Firewire/5C issue was resolved... everything will be supported. DVI-HDCP protects you from needing to go analog for non-MPEG2 systems, Firewire is just (IMO) the superior system.
It's all happening, get on board when you have some spare cash.
Alex
The Apple Cinema HD is a lot cheaper.
I got a widescreen HDTV about a year ago and have loved it. I got an HD cable box and Time Warner is nice enough to broadcast about 7 HD channels for me. BUT, in non-HD they put nice black bars on the screen. Never having owned a rear-projection tv, I didn't realise this was a Bad Thing. I noticed that I now have noticeable burn in where the black bars were (well, kinda inverted...the black bar area is nice an clean, while middle parts of the set look a little yellowish).
I love HD. I love progressive DVD. I love widescreen. I love Xbox. I HATE BURNIN.
Lesson here is, switch to HD ONLY when watching widescreen format broadcasts. Otherwise have your tv zoom to fill the whole screen.
In practice, a phase locked loop creates a frequency comparable with the broadcast carrier frequency, and this frequency is "mixed" with the incoming signal (using a non-linear circuit, which is often a diode or simple transistor circuit). The resulting signal has 4 components, spectrally, at the two original frequencies, their sum and their difference. The difference one is kept (because it effectively eliminates the original high frequency carrier) and the other three are elminited with a simple low-pass filter. The PLL accurately creates exactly the right frequency (well, as accurate as the quartz crystal it has), and the "groping though" the spectrum is an extreemly simple circuit and a low pass filter. There is also the small matter of automatic gain control, but it's also an easy circuit.
This is really pretty simple, and it's been done this way since the days of vaccume tubes... with the exception that the oscillator was tuned by adjusting a coil or capacitor value rather than with a phase locked loop. The reason PLLs are used today is because the complex silicon is less expensive that the coils (involved winding wire) and their moving parts which needed to be calibrated at the factory to match the official broadcast frequencies.
No, the receiver decodes the signal. That's the easy part. It's the tuner that has to find the damn signal to begin with.
As I just described, the modulation of the signal from the RF carrier is quite simple. Tuners were made back in the days when TVs had only a dozen tubes and passive parts hand soldered between the tube sockets (before circuit boards were in common usage).
The comb filters used in all modern receivers, which separate the chrominance from luminance data, are actually quite complex digitial filters (though not expensive with today's technology AND economy of scale). In the old days, the signal was simply low-pass filtered (around 2 MHz) to remove the color signal and capture the luminance.
The thing to keep in mind about tuners is that they've been around a long time.... and they've been implemented long before transistors. Even "cable ready" tuners roughly equivilant to today's were on the market in the mid 80's, when semiconductor technology was at the level of the 4.77 MHz IBM PC and 8 MHz Machintosh.
The TV tuner really isn't that big of a technical challenge.
PJRC: Electronic Projects, 8051 Microcontroller Tools
I'll admit I didn't finish reading all the responses (I will - this subject has particular interest to me) but after plowing through ca 100 posts w/o any actual real World experience, I had to pipe up:
Slashdotters should realize that a decent (not great) PC with some free software and inexpensive hardware can be the key to nearly State-of-the-art (compared to the stuff in the retail chains) TV exceeding kilobuck HDTV sets. A spectacular home theater is within the reach of a dedicated high school fry cook working at McDonalds and living with their folks. In fact, get your folks to chip in, and it's *easy*. In Home Improvement, we call it "sweat equity": creating with work and know-how something that would cost mucho dinero to buy (plus learning a thing or two as a major benefit -- I can easily afford an HDTV at Best Buy, but that would be boring to me, or even pointless)
1) Some starting points for real-world solutions:
AV Science: where I hang out now (esp. the HTPC forum, whose Linux section could use more programmers!)
Keohi HDTV (they helped me get started, I assume they're still good)
The Home Theater Spot: Admittedly, a home for guys with more dollars than sense, but at least they experiment instead of spouting sales literature at each other. They also had some great group buys from One-Call, which is as good as it gets for both support and service (if you want to buy)
2) Only now am I retiring my original HTPC (Home Theater PC), a Celeron-466 with 256 MB, a $20 TV card, and a $45 Matrox 450 DualHead with s-video, composite and XVGA outputs - a simple system that would still wow a lot of 'retail buyers'. I can't explain how it changed my TV viewing, how great it is to have a library of 150-300MB archived eps of my favorite shows, etc. Add a few sub-$1/GB HDDs (see Anandtech Hot Deals or FatWallet for bargains), and you'll wonder how you ever tolerated clumsy VHS tape libraries. For archiving, these same forums will tell you how to get 4x DVD-R recorders for as little as $140 at major chains (epending on sales)
3) My current aging workhorse is a Athlon 1700+XP ($209, barebones, from Outpost.com a year ago). I added memory, a sub-$300 MyHD card (some other HDTV cards are as good or better) and a few minor bits like a $50 Dolby Theater Sound card, etc. It'd be much cheaper today, and many of you already run gear that's much hotter than this. The software was mostly free and/or open source.
4) My favored output device is a Toshiba TLP650 LCD projector (native 1024x768, but with a nice 1600x1200 mode) cost $900 on eBay last year - a bit pricey, but that was last year and the last-gen prices are dropping fast. On President's Day (Monday) I got my GF a nice 640x480 projector to experiment with: under $100, and it exceeds the line resolution of any 'normal TV'. You can assemble a decent HTPC/projector for about the price of a "pretty nice" normal TV if cash is tight, and you'll have far more capability, like HDTV and HDTV *recording* (which runs a few kilobucks by itself, retail). Admittedly, I'm comparing "MSRP" TV prices to bargain-hunting for HDTV, but hackers have always been scroungers, right?
To me, the learning is the biggest benefit. I'm not a big fan of most TV, but building my HTPC has been a wonderful (and not *that* pricey) hobby. I don't need cable when most of what is sold locally as "digital cable" doesn't come close to the 1080i resolution I pick up with a $20 "double bowtie" antenna from Radio Shack (As a general rule, any antenna that calls itself an HDTV antenna will be *worse* than a cheap 1950's retro-looking double bowtie)
When your videos are always on your HDD, you'll rule in Geek Debates on SF tech or plots (one-click access encourages the invaluable habit of rigorous fact-checking). You can make outrageous SF music videos or parodies, and otherwise exercise your creative and intellectual side instead of being purely a passive couch potato. Modesty prevents me from linking my own videos, but I'd gladly recommend a friend's site of example TV-SF music videos and parodies
ExtremeTech has a much better look at the trials of buying an HDTV running this morning.
"I don't think I want another television screen that can't also be a computer monitor."
Most HDTVs have DVI or VGA inputs.
For those that don't, quality-wise component YCrCb is as good as RGB VGA for inputs. Radeons have component capability built in, and a $200 transcoder is all that's needed to make any other video card output component. (I've seen plans to DIY a transcoder for $20 or so too.)
This gives a large, widescreen, decent resolution monitor that kicks butt for games. Many current consoles support component outputs also, I've seen many people raving about how great their Gamecube or Xbox looks on their HDTV.
Conversely, if you're not concerned too much with screen size and only with picture quality, you can't go wrong with using a $300 HDTV tuner card (MyHD, available from www.digitalconnection.com)to feed your current monitor.
I added a MyHD to my machine for a total outlay of only $300 beyond what I'd already spent on my system for general computing and gaming. I have an 18" flatpanel, anything better than a 17" CRT will do pretty well as an HDTV resolution-wise.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
"the set is one of the smallest costs of an HD setup. There are the obvious costs, the TV set, and $250 for a progressive-scan dvd player (or significantly more if you want a region-free one). But then come the non-obvious costs... the new receiver that can switch component video, the $125/m video cables, the HD OTA receiver if you want to receive HD content off the air, the HD satellite receiver and dish to get your hbo and showtime, and the list goes on, dependant on your installation."
:)
[SAVINGS: $100]
and
"...I don't recommend purchasing HD signal unless you're willing to spend four or five thousand dollars in miscellaneous crap in order to make the opening sequence of CSI look really damned cool."
You don't have to spend a fortune for a great HDTV setup. Let me show you how to save $500, right off the top.
$250+ for a region-free proscan DVD? No way! I paid $50 (after rebates) for a Cyberhome CH-500 Progressive Scan DVD player with Dolby 5.1 and component video outs from BestBuy. Image quality is great and yes, it's region free. Open the tray, press 1999 on the remote to bring up the service menu, and choose any region you like. [SAVINGS: $200+]
If you're paying $125 for cables, you're wasting your money. The difference between $20 component cables and the high-end $100+ "video snob" cables is beyond the capabilities of my eyes to discern and I'm pretty damned picky about image quality. Why buy cables that cost more than your components? Seriously, try a set of mid-grade cables and see for yourself. Better yet, have a friend swap cables while you watch the picture and you try to identify which cables are connected. I bet you can't! If I'm wrong, you can call me an idiot, just try it first.
The OTA ("set top box) HDTV decoder is expensive, usually $400. Zenith and Samsung seem to be the only models offered in my area's consumer electronics stores. I bought the Samsung SIR-T151 is about $400 as an Open-Box item (it was returned but it has a full warranty). My cost = $260.00. [SAVINGS: $140]
What about the Over The Air antenna? Radio Shack has some fine Yagi antennas for around $50 and a 10dB antenna-mounted signal booster (to help signal loss over a long span of RG6 -- 1db drop per 18 feet of cable!) runs around $25.00. Also RadioShack sells a Terk TV50 clone for $50 (half of Terk's price) Add $40 for a length of decent RG6 cable, a cable stripper, some ends and make your own cable rather than buying pre-built lengths. (savings? about 30%) Don't forget a grounding block unless you like lightning damage. [SAVINGS: $50+]
So there you are. I just saved you at least $500, not including taxes! That's half the cost of some of the 32" tube HDTVs and is about 1/3 the price of many 48" projection sets.