HDTV on the Cheap
You want an HDTV for the holidays--but you don't want to spend a fortune getting it? Good news: You have more choices than ever.Edward B. Driscoll Jr. is a Silicon Valley-based freelance journalist who writes regularly on a wide variety of topics.
JVC's AV-48P575 rear-projection CRT (left) and Dell's W1700 LCD.
The prime TV buying season is now upon us, and if a television is on your shopping list, you should be thinking HDTV. The federally mandated transition to an all-digital broadcast system is getting closer all the time (the target is the end of 2006); and if you have to get a DTV-ready set anyway, why not go for one that's capable of displaying the beautiful, high-resolution images of high-definition?
Money No Obstacle
If you've been holding off because you preferred not to spend the thousands that the first high-definition sets cost (and that the sexiest plasma and LCD models now command), it's time to take another look at products and price tags: Today you can find HD sets for as little as $500. Here are some strategies for saving on your HDTV purchase, as well as a selection of products in the $500-to-$2000 range.
The first thing to consider is whether you need a true HD set--one with a built-in high-definition tuner--or whether an HD-ready set will suffice (see "Learn the HD Lingo"). HD-ready sets can cost a few hundred dollars less than comparable true HDTV sets, and they make sense if you'll be using an HD cable or satellite box and consequently don't need a built-in tuner to obtain over-the-air HD.
The next big decision is over screen technology. In the sub-$2000 price range, you'll most likely be choosing from direct-view CRTs (the type of set that most people own now), rear-projection CRTs, and smaller LCDs. You're unlikely to find too many worthwhile plasmas or newer DLP rear-projection sets in these price ranges.
To make this decision, you'll have to balance three key variables: overall size of the set, including depth (LCDs are the thinnest); screen size (rear-projection CRTs deliver the largest); and image quality (direct-view CRTs still rule).
Inch for inch, CRTs are the most affordable, and LCDs are the most expensive. So to keep your costs down, if you want a skinny LCD, you'll have to settle for a much smaller display. On the other hand, if you want to watch TV with a crowd, be aware that direct-view CRTs provide the crispest images from all viewing angles.
Another decision that you should try to make early on is whether to go with a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio or with the newer 16:9 wide-screen format. Although most HDTVs have a screen ratio of 16:9 (which is closer than 4:3 to the format of most feature films), some cheaper HDTV-ready 4:3 screens can show a letterboxed 16:9 image. You might even prefer watching this way, especially when you consider that the majority of commercially broadcast content is formatted for 4:3 screens. Make sure that you look at both types of screen before you buy.
Budget HDTV Tech Face-Off:
Here are the principal screen technologies you're likely to encounter for $2000 or less.
Whatever technology and format you decide to go with, you can save some money by choosing a slightly older set rather than the latest model (but confirm that the set can display true 1080i and 720p high-def resolutions, and not just the lower-res 480p content on most DVDs). Another way to get a markdown is to look for floor samples or scratch-and-dent sales--if the TV will sit in a media cabinet, those nicks won't show anyway.
Think about shopping online, especially if you've settled on a lightweight flat-panel set that won't cost you a fortune in shipping. Check out discount warehouse chains like Costco and Sam's Club, too. Prices will be cheap, but--as usual with discount providers that emphasize low cost over customer service and knowledgeable sales reps--you have to know your models going in.
To see what's available in affordable HD, we looked for several representative products that fall into three price ranges: $500 to $999, $1000 to $1499, and $1500 to $2000. Here's what we found.
HDTV for $500 to $999
Photograph by Rick Rizner
If space isn't an issue, look at a model such as the Philips 30PW8402/37, an attractive 30-inch direct-view CRT suitable for a bedroom or any other spot that can accommodate a set that has a depth of 22 inches. The unit's bright and clear picture will look just fine in a well-lit room. And like any direct-view CRT, it has a wider viewing angle than an LCD.
Photograph by Rick Rizner
As an extra feature, the card can record HDTV programs to a PC's hard drive à la TiVo or ReplayTV (but you'll need 8.6GB of space per hour for HD recorded at best quality).
HDTV for $500 to $999
ATI HDTV Wonder PC video card, $200 Dell W1700 17-inch LCD, $700 Philips 30PW8402/37 30-inch direct-view CRT, $799HDTV for $1000 to $1499
Photograph by Rick Rizner
For larger spaces, your options include a conventional direct-view CRT such as the 34-inch, wide-screen Toshiba 34HF84 HDTV-ready set, or--if you don't object to having a bulky, heavy set--a larger rear-projection CRT, such as the 48-inch JVC AV-48P575. Images on RP-CRTs are far superior to those you may remember from years past: The technology controlling their color guns is much better now.
HDTV for $1000 to $1499
JVC AV-48P575 48-inch rear-projection CRT, $1300 Syntax Olevia LT27HV 27-inch LCD, $1299 Toshiba 34HF84 34-inch direct-view CRT, $1400HDTV for $1500 to $2000
Photograph by Rick Rizner
The Sony KV-34HS420, part of Sony's higher-priced Trinitron line, is a handsome, 34-inch, wide-screen, direct-view, HD-ready CRT with a variety of fancy extras you won't see in cheaper CRTs of similar size. Among its features is the ability to freeze a frame of video, handy for people who want to jot down phone numbers or take a closer look at sports scores; it can also scale a 480i image (which is what today's NTSC analog broadcasts deliver) at sizes up to 1080i, creating an enhanced, pseudo-HD image from a non-HD channel.
Meanwhile, on the rear-projection side, the 56-inch JVC AV-56P575 shows how much HD-ready set you can get for under $2000. If you have space for a cabinet 24 inches deep by 48 inches wide, a rear-projection set like this one gets you the biggest screen for the buck.
To get a sense of the offerings at the other end of the spectrum, we looked at Dell's W2600, a 26-inch HD-ready LCD TV that makes a good HDTV and can double as a PC monitor. For optimum HDTV viewing, set up the W2600 in a room that's slightly darkened; if you must view it in bright light, you'll find that tweaking the set's brightness a little can improve things.
The W2600 has high-end features missing in the less expensive (but slightly larger) Syntax Olevia--for example, presets that adjust brightness and color balance for different content. And what's more, the Dell looks great at all settings.
Even bigger HD-ready LCD models are cropping up at prices below $2000. You can expect LCD prices to continue their rapid descent (see "Price Check") as manufacturers open more production facilities to build LCDs for both computer monitors and televisions.
Whichever set you select, you can make your HDTV viewing more enjoyable by following a few steps the minute you get it home. First, make certain that your seating is at an appropriate distance from the screen (see "HDTV Screen Size"). Second, take time to optimize the picture: Most sets ship with controls that produce the most vivid picture possible, in order to make them stand out on a showroom floor. Dialing down the sharpness and perhaps the contrast or brightness, too, will help you avoid getting an image that appears artificially intense or pixelated.
Our Bottom Line: If it's time to buy a new TV, it's probably time to make it an HDTV. You'll discover a wealth of sets that deliver the glory of HD without inflicting severe sticker shock.
HDTV for $1500 to $2000
Dell W2600 26-inch LCD, $1999 JVC AV-56P575 56-inch rear-projection CRT, $1700 Sony KV-34HS420 34-inch direct-view CRT, $1599Learn The HD Lingo
When shopping for TVs, you are likely to encounter a number of similar-sounding terms that are hard to keep straight. Let's look at three key ones.
HDTV: This term technically refers to a set with an internal tuner that complies with new digital-TV standards made by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), and to a screen that can display the high-definition formats of 720p (720 lines of progressive-scan video) and 1080i (1080 lines of interlaced video).
Some newer HDTV sets also accept CableCards, which allow you to plug a digital HD cable directly into the set (but you'll still need a set-top box if you want to get video on demand or other interactive features).
HDTV-ready or HDTV monitor: This describes a display that can accept signals from an HD source and display pictures at HD resolutions, but that lacks an internal ATSC tuner. (It may have an NTSC tuner, the kind found in TVs for the last half-century.) This isn't necessarily a problem: For $300 or more, you can buy an external ATSC tuner to bring in over-the-air HD programs; and if you plan to get your HD programming via satellite or cable, your service will sell or rent you a box that will handle HD decoding (though you could opt for the CableCard, mentioned above). In fact, if you have to purchase a cable or satellite set-top box anyway, you might as well save a few hundred dollars by getting an HD-ready set.
EDTV: Particularly when you are shopping for a flat-screen digital TV, be wary of the term enhanced definition (ED or EDTV for short). It denotes a screen that can display only non-HD resolutions of up to 480p--about 852 by 480 pixels. That's the format used by today's DVD movies, and it's clearer than analog; but while these sets might be featured in a store's HD section and may be capable of processing an HD signal, they will downscale HD images to the lower-resolution screen format they use, so you won't end up with the quality of true HD.
HDTV Screen Size: How Big Is Big Enough?
It's easy to fall into a bigger-is-better mentality when you're trying to choose a television, but the right size for your set depends on how far away from the display you'll be sitting.
Because HDTV is much sharper than old-fashioned TV broadcasts, you can sit closer to an HDTV and not see a blocky, blotchy mess, as you would if you were watching a standard TV. In fact, sitting a bit closer to an HDTV with surround sound can give you a wonderful home theater experience.
On the other hand, sitting too close can be like sitting in the front row of a theater, so in a small room you'll be better served by a smaller screen--especially for non-HD programming.
If you're likely to sit about 6 feet from the set, the mail-order electronics distributor Crutchfield suggests a 30-inch screen. But if you're watching only HD content, you can go with a larger set. A 60-inch HDTV can look good from 8 feet to as far as 15 feet away.
Remember that flat-panel or rear-projection sets look better from directly in front (or nearly that), so you might want to move your seating back if more than one or two people will be watching.
Is there a point at which a TV is too small to bother with HDTV? Die-hards would say no, but we think that with anything under 15 inches, trying to distinguish between HDTV and a crisp, high-quality digital cable or satellite picture is tough. You probably won't use a screen that small as a primary set--and few HD sets are that small anyway.
