How to Buy an HDTV

There’s a lot of confusion about HDTV--high definition television--due to multiple competing formats and a slew of options. If you’ve never owned a high def set before and think you’ll be able to pick one up today, and hook it up to your existing cable box to watch HD you’ll be disappointed. Here’s how to get the sterling video quality you deserve.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine where you’ll source your HDTV signal. Within a year all television broadcast in the United States will have to go digital, but that is not the same as HD. Find out if HD is now available to you, if you can get it over the air and will it come by cable, satellite, DVD player or DVR. Make sure that you have access to an HD source and that it is compatible with your set.

2. Understand the different formats available. Signals are designated in 2 parts, a number and a letter, like 720P. The first part of the number refers to the number of scan lines. It's like the number of pixels in a camera. In general the higher number the better. The second refers to the method of transmission. Signals are fed to your set either interlaced like current broadcast signals, where the first field of alternating lines reaches your set followed by another, or progressive where the entire frame changes at once, like a movie screen. Interlaced signals are designated with an i at the end, like 1080i, progressive formats end with a p.

3. Hook up your HD sources with an HDMI, High Definition Multimedia Interface cable whenever possible. It's a straight digital connection. Since you could have multiple sources from a cable box to a DVR to a Blu Ray DVD player, today it's a good idea to get as many HDMI inputs as possible. DirecTV supplies a complementary HDMI cable with installation. Time Warner does not, so don't assume you'll get one simply by upgrading to HD. If you hook up an HD source with an analog component cable, you are converting from digital to analog back to digital. Why do so when you are looking for the most pristine picture possible?

4. Decide if really need to go all out with 1080p 60 Hz, now being marketed as full HD. It makes a stunning picture, but as of this writing nobody is broadcasting it; however, you can get it from a Blu Ray player. For most people, given the size of their sets and how they sit when they view them, 720P is just as good as 1080p. 1080P really comes into its own on the biggest models, 55 inches or more, seen closer than 10 feet away. At that distance with 1080P you'll see fewer video artifacts like stair stepping.

5. Consider both plasma and LCD. Plasma still has truer color and does better in darker rooms, but LCD's are brighter and far more energy efficient. Plasma's are more fragile and usually should be professionally installed. Traditionally plasma suffered from burn-in, while LCD had a limited viewing angle, weak black saturation and motion artifacts. In the high end models, these differences have been smoothed out.

6. Don’t ignore rear screen projection. For very large screens past 50 inches these are your most cost effective choices. There are many competing technologies here with their own alphabet soup including DLP, SXRD, LCoS and more. They can make a fine picture.

7. Decide on your additional features before you hit the show room, such as full Dolby Digital Surround Sound. That way you won't pay for something you don't need.

8. Ask the salesperson to demonstrate a few sets at your favorite reputable show room. Take the remote from her hand and channel surf in a test drive.

Tips & Warnings

• There is no need to buy an expensive gold plated HDMI cable. Unlike an analog signal cable where the higher price for top end components is justified by better quality, an HDMI cable is digital. It will either work or it won't. Cheaper cables will do just as well if you don't move components frequently.
• If you're happy with your current set, there is no urgency to buy now. Prices on HD TV sets keep dropping. There are some stunning new advances in picture quality on the horizon. When the U.S. shifts to all digital in a year, prices should fall further.
• Don't consider buying an HD DVD player. The format is now as dead as Betamax. It's a good time to buy Blu Ray before the players are loaded up with expensive options we don't need.
• Since HD is a major investment, check out the same model in different show rooms, with different lighting conditions and signal sources. Manufacturers routinely offer "spiffs" or bonuses for sales people to favor one model over another.