Since the first HDTVs appeared in 1998, high-definition television has been on the mind of every TV buyer. The big question is whether now is the time to pay a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more and take the plunge on an HDTV set. We can't answer that question for you, but we can provide some basic information that may help you decide.
Analog, digital, and HDTV
Analog: An analog TV cannot display progressive-scan DVD or HDTV. It
can show only standard-definition programs such as those found on
regular TV, cable, or satellite--including digital cable and DirecTV or
Dish Network.
Digital: A digital television, sometimes called a DTV, can also display progressive-scan DVD and almost always HDTV.
EDTV: This stands for Enhanced-Definition TV, and usually it describes
a television that can display HDTV signals but doesn't have enough
resolution to really do them justice. Most often it applies to plasma
TVs and denotes 852x480 pixels ( more info ).
HDTV: High-definition televisions, or HDTVs, can display standard TV,
progressive-scan DVD, and HDTV signals. They're by far the most common
type of digital television.
HDTV tuners
An external digital tuner will add high-def programming to any HD-ready TV Over the air: Not all HDTVs actually come with a built-in tuner (called HDTV, digital, or ATSC tuners) that can receive high-definition programs over the air by simply connecting an antenna. Sets that have them built in are called integrated HDTVs , and those that don't are sometimes called HDTV ready or HDTV compatible ; mostly they're all lumped together under the name HDTV. If you buy an HDTV-ready set, you'll also need to connect a separate tuner (or cable or satellite box) to watch high-definition programming. External over-the-air HDTV tuners currently cost at least $150.
FCC tuner mandate
You may have heard that all TVs will have to be HDTVs by a certain date. That's not technically correct. The FCC has mandated that certain sizes of televisions on sale on certain dates are required to have built-in ATSC tuners--but the TVs don't necessarily have to be able to display HDTV resolutions. Here's a look at the FCC's proposed rollout as it stands as of January 2006:
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Date |
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TV sizes that must include ATSC tuner* |
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March 1, 2006 |
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All TVs 25 inches or larger |
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March 1, 2007 |
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All TVs regardless of screen size |
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* Note: Does not apply to monitors, such as many plasmas and front-projectors, that lack built-in standard (NTSC) tuners.