So you're trying to figure out if now is the right time to buy an HDTV, well here we will go over some of the major considerations that should be a p part of your decision.
While anyone that has been to an electronics store recently, or has had a friend or family member show off their new HDTV, knows that watching a high definition television is fantasitc, but that doesn't mean you're going to run out and get one. We're all wondering if we should wait for the prices to drop, if the standard is just going to change after we made the purchase, what the best type of display is, etc., etc.
Price
While HDTV has been around for a few years now, the prices aren't exactly "cheap". Like all other electronics, the price of HDTV's has gone down dramatically and considering the increased picture quality, and the likelihood that you will end up with a larger television, buying now doesn't look quite as bad. There have also been indications that the cost of HDTV's are likely to stabalize in 2009, as the price of television components imported from asia are expected to increase with the fluctuations in currency values.
Standard
We have come a long way with standards, and today they are pretty stable and there really no need to worry about your television becoming obsolete. Make sure your new television is 720p, 1080i, or 1080p and have no fear. 1080p is the holy grail of HDTV, but any of these standards will look fantastic, in fact at this time television broadcasts are not available in 1080p, the only thing that uses this standard would be blue-ray discs. Realistically, there is not a perceivable difference between 1080i and 1080p on a television smaller than 46", but that said I went with 1080p on my 40" since it was a very small difference in price. Just because a television is 1080p doesn't mean it is a bargain, a high quality 1080i HDTV will likely outperform a cheaper 1080p model.
Picture Quality
Picture quality has improved dramatically in recent years, particularly the quality of standard definition programming. In years past there was far less high definition programming, and many HDTV's produced picture quality inferior to the televisions they replaced. While and HDTV can't make standard definition video feed into and HD feed, the processors in these televisions have imrpoved dramatically, and you can expect standard definition programming to look as good or better than it did on your previous television. You will also find that the features that used to be completely out of the price range of most consumer are now relatively cheap-- you can now get a 120hz tv (which essentially adds a frame between frames for a more fluid picture) without paying an outrageous premuim.
Inputs
Overtime the video inputs on HDTV have changed, and the clear winner has been HDMI. These cables are extremely easy to deal with, video and audio in one cable that simply plugs in. HDTV's tend to have far more input options, which include component, composite, hdtv, coaxial, PC/DVI, etc. It's a good practice to make sure your TV has a couple of composite or RCA inputs for your older devices and at least two of HDMI inputs for your new devices or future purchases. The HDMI standard has evolved overtime, which is great because we can now be assure that future electronics will be compatible. Just make sure that your HDTV is HDMI 1.3 compliant.
Energy Efficiency
Today's HDTV's have become far more energy efficient than the first generation HDTV's. The LCD type of flat panel has become more popular than plasma. These LCD tv's are much more energy efficient and not as sucesptible to burn-in as plasma tv's.
The Digital Transition
With the digital transition upon us, it is a great time to buy an HDTV. If you use an antenna, the digital converter boxes work wonders, you will be amazed at the quality of digital over the air programming. However, free HDTV over the air programming is in a league of its own. In fact, using an antenna will give you the best HDTV picture since it is not compressed like the signal you get from cable. New HDTV's include a digital tuner, which means you simply plus in a standard cable wire from your antenna, and you will receive HDTV free! (depending on your location - metropolitan areas tend to have 20+ digital channels).
