Thinking about buying a TV? Go ahead...............................
usatoday.com
11/17/97- Updated 10:30 AM ET
Thinking about buying a new TV?
So you want to buy a new TV set, but your concerns about the coming digital age keep you from writing the check. You'd rather not waste hard-earned money on a bigger, better set when the possibility exists that you might need to buy a new digital set in a year or so.
The future of high-definition and other forms of digital TV continues to be fuzzy. Still, some facts are falling together that may help you decide whether a new TV makes sense for you now.
Price range
Most industry watchers agree on this bottom line: If you want to buy a big-screen TV, perhaps a 32- or 35-inch set (from $600-$1,500 or so), go ahead. You'll get your money's worth. But if you're in the market for a higher-priced screen - like a front projection unit that might cost $10,000 or so - you might want to wait until next year, when several companies will bring out high-definition versions.
''I wouldn't spend more than $2,000 for a TV, with the expectation that DTV will be arriving soon,'' says Ken Pohlmann, a contributor to magazines such as Stereo Review and Video.
Since the FCC announced in April that broadcasters were to be given a second channel to use for digital broadcasts, TV makers and retailers worried that customers might shy away from current TV sets.
(Even though HDTV broadcasts begin next year, analog broadcasts will continue until the year 2006, perhaps longer.)
One manufacturer, Zenith, even has a TV rebate plan to offset consumer confusion. Anyone who buys a 32-inch or larger set before Dec. 31 can trade it in for full credit toward a high-definition set. ''We're trying to allay the fears of consumers today who erroneously think that digital TV will make their current sets obsolete,'' says Zenith's John Taylor. ''This transition to digital is going to take a number of years. The set you buy today can be used on cable and satellite for many years.''
Nearly all of the first digital TVs that come to market in the second half of 1998 and early 1999 will be projection TVs, either big screen rear-projection sets, or front projectors capable of wall-sized images.
Besides needing a big living room, buyers will need a thick wallet (or high credit card limits.) The first sets may cost $4,000 to $12,000.
If you are on a generous budget and must buy something today, check out current high-end multiscan front projectors from companies such as Runco and Zenith. For instance, Zenith's Pro 900 ($12,000) or Runco's IDP 980 ($19,000) are HDTV-ready and will need only a converter box (not available yet) to display HDTV. Projectors like these create images that measure from 6 feet to more than 16 feet diagonal.
DTV-ready projectors will be available in less than 12 months for slightly higher prices.
Whether to wait for DTV ''really depends on the consumer,'' says Mitsubishi's Bob Perry. ''If you are a high-end early adopter who really wants the best, you're probably going to delay your purchase until DTV. But moderate users of TV who buy now (are) going to be thoroughly satisfied for the next 10 to 12 years until that TV set is dead. They don't care whether it's digital or analog.''
Location, location, location
Where you live may affect how soon you can receive digital TV. Right now, only 26 affiliates of the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS) in the top 10 markets will be broadcasting digital programming over the air by next fall: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit and Atlanta.
By mid-1999, as more stations in those markets begin broadcasts, about 30% of U.S. households should be able to get a signal, probably in prime time. DTV signals can be picked up by antenna; the signals travel about 50 miles.
By the end of 1999, all the commercial affiliates in the 30 biggest markets are expected to be airing digital broadcasts (accounting for 50% of households.) Four years from now, all commercial stations will air digital broadcast, on threat of losing their licenses. Within five years, all public stations must be airing digital.
Selection
What you want to watch on TV may affect how soon you join the digital TV camp. The earliest programs to be broadcast in high definition are likely to be movies, which have already been shot in 35 mm film, a format easily adapted to HDTV. Major sporting events will be broadcast, too, such as the Olympics in 2000 and possibly the 1999 Super Bowl. But regular sports broadcasts won't be available initially.
News junkies may be better off getting a new TV now and waiting to see what type of digital programming comes along. Manufacturers plan set-top decoder boxes for analog TV set owners to receive digital signals. Prices have been estimated at $100 to $400.
However, the limitation of most current TVs would prevent viewers from getting the full advantages of, say, HDTV, which offers four or more times the detail or more of current screens.
The learning curve for broadcasters could take years. ''Broadcasters need the ability to experiment in the market to find out what that market really wants,'' says Bruce Allan of Harris Corp., which builds TV broadcast and transmission equipment. Allen and others expect more network announcements about digital TV after they see manufacturers' sets at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Time frame
Remember that 2006 drop-dead date for analog TV? This past summer, broadcasters got Congress to adopt a slower transition to digital by judging its spread based on how many homes get the signal rather than how many have access to a signal. That means analog TVs will likely have a longer life cycle.
The transition could take until 2013, based on the congressional compromise reached in September, says Senate Commerce Chairman John McCain, who called the changes a victory for the National Association of Broadcasters.
DTV is a chicken-and-egg situation. Broadcasters want TV makers to start selling sets to show their programming. But TV makers want to know what kind of broadcasts are coming.
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY |
