- In this report
- Overview
- Buy a converter box?
- Subscribe to cable TV?
- Buy a digital video recorder?
- Buy a new HDTV?
- More DTV resources
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
Option 4: Buying a new TV
All new TVs will receive digital broadcasts
The final—and most expensive—way to survive the change to digital TV transmissions is to buy a new television.
You can get a new digital TV and then continue to receive signal—now digital—from an antenna with no extra equipment or ongoing cost. Digital standard-definition TVs, which contain an ATSC digital tuner, cost about $250 to $300 or so for a 27-inch picture-tube model. Our previous tests of a number of those sets found that most offered good picture quality. You’ll also find some digital LCDs with screens in the 19- to 26-inch range that sell for about $300 to $600. Some smaller screens with smaller prices, $180 to $250, can be found at discount retailers.
Buying Advice
You can get a new digital TV and then continue to receive signal—now digital—from an antenna with no extra equipment or ongoing cost. Digital standard-definition TVs, which contain an ATSC digital tuner, cost about $250 to $300 or so for a 27-inch picture-tube model. Our previous tests of a number of those sets found that most offered good picture quality. You’ll also find some digital LCDs with screens in the 19- to 26-inch range that sell for about $300 to $600. Some smaller screens with smaller prices, $180 to $250, can be found at discount retailers.
Buying Advice
- Look at the TV’s picture on the showroom floor and ask the salesman for the remote control so you can adjust the picture settings
to your liking. Make sure the colors are bright, the image is clear and the blacks look black, not grayish or bluish (a more
common problem with LCD TVs). Check the viewing angle on an LCD because the picture can fade as you move off angle, some worse
than others. Check before you buy to make sure you can live with it.
- Whichever TV type you choose, make sure you have enough inputs to accommodate your DVD player and maybe video games.
- Shop for the best deal. In addition to holiday sales, large sets usually are on sale from November through the January Super
Bowl season.
