Will a standard definition, tube television be obsolete in the next 5 years? I do not want to waste my money.
2007-11-19 05:17:37 · 4 answers · asked by nikkiiekj 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
(This answer assumes that you are located in the US)
>Is an HDTV really necessary?
No it is not.
>Will a standard definition, tube television be obsolete in the next 5 years?
No it will not.
The TV broadcast system is changing to an all digital system and this has lead to a massive amount of misinformation floating around the Internet.
Almost all new TVs that you can buy have a digital tuner built into them. Even the cheapest tube type "SDTV" (~$100) one can receive all of the digital broadcasts, including "HD" broadcasts. An old analog TV with a ~$20 converter box* will also receive all of the digital broadcasts.
It really comes out to what you really want and how much you are willing to spend. For example:
For about $250 you buy a new brand name 27" "SDTV" that has a digital tuner built in; or for about $70 plus $20 for a converter you could buy a like new used 27" analog TV.
Either of these will let you watch digital TV broadcasts with about the same picture quality as you get from a DVD player.
For $737- $1200 you could buy a 37" LCD DTV to get about the same picture height.
So what do you get for the extra ~$600?
- The picture will have about twice the resolution when watching "HD" programming.
- The TV will have a wide screen 9:16 aspect ratio compared to a 3:4 aspect ratio on most CRT sets. Right now there is still a lot of programming that is still broadcast in the old 3:4 format. When you watch 9:16 programs on a 3:4 CRT, there are black bars on the top and bottom of the screen that reduce the effective height of the picture. I suspect in 5 years most TV will be in the 9:16 widescreen format.
- The LCD sets are thiner & lighter.
- If you have kids that are into the latest video games, you are likely to hear "Mom, I have to have a HDTV! I'll die (be a social outcast) if my friends see this old TV!"
Another factor is that every year the price of HDTVs is drifting downwards. In 5 years their prices will be a lot more paletable.
* In Jan 2008 the government will have a coupon program that will let you buy a couple of OTA converter boxes for about $20 each.
2007-11-19 08:19:38 · answer #1 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes they will but by using a set top box you convert the signal to digital anyway.
As long as the TV has a SCART socket that's fine.
Why not get 1 HDTV and 1 non HD?
The BBC is committed to converting by 2010 so I believe as well as having most of its programs in HD so bear that in mind when you buy.
2007-11-19 13:51:09 · answer #2 · answered by Puppet Dictator 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Cable providers must switch broadcasts from analog by Jan1, 2009.
CRT tv's will need a converter and will be pretty much obselete by then.
2007-11-19 13:22:53 · answer #3 · answered by omnisource 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
not yet - but soon it may be
2007-11-19 13:24:00 · answer #4 · answered by texasoldie 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋