You've been watching television all of your life, and all of a sudden, along comes HDTV (High Definition TV). This new technology might seem incredibly costly, confusing, and unnecessary but it doesn't need to be an incomprehensible morass of technical terms, jargon, and marketing hype. Believe it or not, it's pretty darn simple: HDTV simply gives a better picture. Now it does have some unique requirements, so we'll guide you through what to expect.

Go HDTV Or Not?

So you're thinking about getting a HDTV. There are some questions you need to ask yourself first though.

1. Are you unhappy with the TV you currently have?

2. Do you want something bigger, flatter, sharper, or brighter?

3. Are you willing to pay hundreds of dollars more to get that something?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you're probably not ready for an HDTV. So go ahead and get a normal television, save some money, and relax in the knowledge that in the next few years, technology prices will continue their inexorable fall. You can always get that HDTV when you're good and ready.

On the other hand, ff you answered yes, then it's probably time for you to consider buying a HDTV. Here's where your choices begin to multiply, but don't lose heart. We'll take you through all you need to know.

The Decreasing Prices Of HDTV

Did you know that you can actually get a very acceptable 32-inch flat-panel LCD HDTV for $800 or a 50-inch plasma for $2, 000? HDTV prices have fallen so far in the last couple of years that most TV shoppers can afford to go for high definition.

When will HDTV prices bottom out? Difficult to say. Don't expect a 32-inch LCD to cost $400 by the summer of 2007, or a 50-inch plasma to cost $1, 000, but you never know (those deals are available from Second Act who sell refurbished electronics). At this stage, however, prices have gone low enough that, if you're buying now, you won't feel too burned by next year's prices.

What Type Of HDTV Should You Buy?

HDTVs come in all shapes and sizes, but there's a general hierarchy in size from smallest to largest.

	Typical size	Price range	Most popular size for best price	Notes
Direct-view CRT (not flat)	26, 30, and 34 inches	$500 to $1, 200	30 inches for $550	This is the kind of tube we've all come to know and love. The majority of these are not HDTVs, but an increasing number are. If you're on a really tight budget, they're a fine choice, but LCD prices are getting so low that tubes are fading fast.
Flat-panel LCD	17 to 56 inches	$400 to $20, 000	32 inches for $800	These are the most popular kinds of HDTVs, mainly because they're relatively affordable and flat. If you just want to replace your tube with a similarly sized flat TV, then LCD is the way to go.
Flat-panel plasma	37 to 65 inches	$1, 600 to $10, 000	50 inches for $2, 000	There are a lot of myths about plasma, and most are untrue. The fact is, they cost less than LCDs at the 50-inch size, so if you want it big and flat, plasma is still king. .
Rear-projection (not flat)	42 to 73 inches	$1, 000 to $7, 500	61 inches for $2, 200	If you want a picture larger than 50 inches, you're talking rear-projection. This is also where the alphabet soup of technologies gets really thick: DLP, LCoS, SXRD, and so on. They can all produce fine HDTV pictures, so don't be afraid to shop on price.

Now, that's really all you need to know about HDTVs. But there is a bit more about HDTV that you'll probably want to know. Here is it, short and sweet.

Other Things You'll Need To Watch HDTV

If you bring home your HDTV and plug it into a standard cable box, you'll see a picture, but it not going to be in HDinition. To actually watch HD, you need three other ingredients aside from that shiny new HDTV: a HDTV source, a HDTV channel and the HDTV show itself.

1. HDTV Source: If you're a cable or satellite subscriber who's just bought an HDTV and wants to watch HD, you need a special HD cable or satellite box - the "receiver" - that can bring HDTV channels and shows to your HDTV.

HD boxes are usually more expensive than regular ones, and in the case of cable, may not be available in all areas or carry all of the HDTV channels you'd want or expect.

In addition to cable and satellite, there's a third source available if you connect an antenna to just about any current HDTV: free-to-air HDTV broadcasts of the major networks, which are available in most areas of the country.

2. HDTV Channel: HD channels are just like regular channels, but they have the potential to carry HDTV shows. Every cable and satellite provider that offers HD channels usually offers the regular channel, too. For example, if you subscribe to DISH Network's HD satellite service, the HD version of ESPN is on one channel while the regular version is on another.

There are many more regular (standard-definition or SD) channels than HD ones at the moment, but more and more networks are offering HD options. Some related channels, such as ESPN and ESPNHD, have the same shows and schedules, while others, such as Discovery and Discovery HD, are different.

3. HDTV Show: If you're watching a High Definition TV that's plugged into your new HDTV receiver and tuned to a HDTV channel, then you're watching HD, right?

Ummm...not necessarily. Some HDTV channels, such as Discovery HD and HDNet, broadcast everything in HD, including commercials. But most are simulcast, meaning they have the same shows on both the HD and SD channels. The catch is that not every show on the HD channel actually appears in High Definition.

Many games on ESPNHD, for example, aren't actually broadcast in HD, and a number of TV programs on the major networks - especially reality shows and local news - aren't broadcast in HD yet either.

Standard Definition shows on High Definition channels won't look nearly as sharp as the HD shows do and usually don't fill the wide screen properly. All of the major networks, namely ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, are simulcast in HD and SD versions, and now nearly all major sporting events, prime-time shows, and specials are in HD.

Other Things To Note About HDTV

There are a few other things to consider with HDTV. In no particular order:

All HDTV looks good. If you're in the store and you're looking at all of the HDTVs, it may strike you that they all look pretty darn good. That's because they're showing High Definition material, which any store worth its salt will use to demonstrate HDTV sets to their best.

Sure, you'll still notice flaws occasionally, but in general, even an inexpensive HDTV showing HD looks much better than a standard TV showing the highest-quality material it can.

Whether it's 1080i or 720p, free-to-air or cable, DLP or plasma, HDTV shown on a HD television simply blows standard TV out of the water. It's like looking out a window - the images have that amount of clarity.

On a HDTV set, regular TV looks underwhelming. Many people who first watch Standard Definition material on their new HD televisions are disappointed by how it looks.

But it's not the TV's fault. The single most important ingredient in picture quality is the source, and lower-quality Dtandard Definition TV, especially compared to HDTV, just looks bad. The difference is often compounded by the fact that HDTVs are bigger and sharper than regular TVs and therefore highlight the flaws of low-quality sources even more.

No matter how great a HDTV you get, Standard Defintion, at least compared to DVD and HD, will look a lot worse.

But DVDs look great. DVDs, despite actually being Standard Definition sources, look very good to most people who see them on an HDTV. Hook up even a really cheap DVD player to your HDTV, pop in a Hollywood classic, and you'll see. That's because DVDs are created to make the absoulte best of the material on them unlike Standard Definition TV signals.

It also helps that almost all HDTVs are widescreen. If you're still watching a 4:3 TV, you may have noticed that most DVD movies, an ever-increasing number of TV shows, and even some commercials, have black bars above and below the screen. If you were watching them on a HDTV, you wouldn't see any bars at all (except for extremly wide movies) - the picture will usually fill the screen (the exception is for ultra-widescreen movies, which still have thin bars).

On the other hand, if you watch a regular TV show on an HDTV, it won't fit on the screen properly. There may be bars down either side, or the picture may be stretched or zoomed. Widescreen is better (not so much the way of the future any more as the way of the present), and HDTVs and/or HD sources can usually resize the image the way you want.

HDTVs have many different connections, and not all of them will carry HDTV signals.

First, it's highly recommended that you buy a HDTV that has at least one HDMI input. HDMI is the most future-ready input type, and because of copy-protection concerns, it's an absolutely necessary connection to get the most out of some HDTV sources. If your source (e.g. HDTV receiver, DVD Player) has an HDMI output, you should use it in preference to any other connection. If not, connect via component video, which is the second-highest-quality input type.

There are a couple of other HD-level connections: HDTV antennas connect via standard antenna wire, and some HD sources use FireWire or computer connections, but they're rare. Aside from computer jacks themselves, the rest of the connections on the back of the TV, namely composite and S-Video, are not High Definition.

Adjusting your HDTV is important. Even the best HDTVs can look pretty bad if they're not adjusted properly (but then, so can any TV). If you want to get the most out of your HDTV, adjusting it beyond the factory default settings is a good idea. Take advantage of picture presets, such as Movie or Games, and play with the standard picture controls to get the image that looks best to you.

That's about it for the basics. More advanced information can be found in the articles on this site. Enjoy!