Hdtv

[BZ00000]

If if buy a new TV should I make sure it is HDTV ready? The sales clerk said any TV not HDTV ready will not be useable in 2 years.

[Thinktank]

well, I’m not the greatest mind on the subject so I may have my facts wrong, but I believe tv stations are required to changeover by 2008 and by 2004 they should all have a hdtv transmission avaible? sigh help me with my facts techies… regardless, I think it’s BS the the TV won’t be useable, how useable I can’t say. My next TV will be HDTV ready, but at this point I really think it’ll be loonger than 2 years. DVD is the best reason to get something like that at the moment.

[mack]

Your sales clerk is full of poo. I had an experience somewhat like yours. I was on a mission to go into Best Buy, get an inexpensive TV and a satellite dish. I could get out of there for under $300. Well, an hour later after getting assaulted with HDTV this and S-video that, and you need this newer dish this and you don’t want to climb onto your roof to install a new dish in 4 years that I walked out empty handed.

Anyway, I figured I ought to educate myself somewhat and found this:

from: http://www.atsc.org/faq_general.html

Is my current television obsolete?

No. Analog television sets will continue to receive analog broadcasts at least through 2006 and possibly longer. After that, consumers will be able to hook up a set-top box to their existing TV to receive digital TV broadcast signals, but not in high-definition. Of course, current TV sets will continue to work with cable, satellite, VCRs, DVD players, and other devices for many years.

[handy]

yes, they should have a small box you can use that should be about $10.00 so you can use your old analog tv.

Now, for a HDTV, here are some prices (these are for reasonable working things right now)

hdtv: $2000
settop box for above to get hdtv: $550
vcr that does hdtv: $1500
vcr cassettes for above: $10 each

Its not worth it for me.

[xizor]

*Originally posted by handy *
**yes, they should have a small box you can use that should be about $10.00 so you can use your old analog tv.
**

Do you have a cite for this? I’ve never heard of such a device And why would a TV manufacturer want to sell you a $10 device when they could force you to buy a $500++ TV set?

As for the OP, the switch from analog to digital is already behind schedule, so it will be later rather than earlier that analog is no longer broadcast.

[sailor]

>> Do you have a cite for this? I’ve never heard of such a device

I do not have cites but converting a HDTV signal to plain NTSC is not that difficult. There are VCRs which convert PAL to NTSC and the other way around and it is no big deal. While $10 seems a bit optimistic, the cost of a converter is still much less than the cost of a new TV.

>> And why would a TV manufacturer want to sell you a $10 device when they could force you to buy a $500++ TV set?

Because if there is a demand someone will supply the product. It may not be a TV manufacturer but someone will do it.