What's happening with HD TV's?

[Donzigo]

I'm in the market for a 32" TV for my office. I have heard that there is going to be a big change in the world or TV's, whereby the price of HD TVs are going to go down rather quickly. Seems the industry is getting geared up to come on strong with HD broadcasting, several new satellites coming on board, as I understand it. Yes, I know it's already here; but, I mean much bigger and everything HD. That's why the guy at the big-box electronics store told me to wait.................how long will I have to wait?

[gcarter]

There must be five or six different technologies ou there now. And in the last year, I've seen prices come down 50%!!!
I'm gonna wait a bit longer.

[synack]

The plan is that all TV in 2006 is to go digital. Now that doesn't mean it has to be in high definition... just not analog. Standard digital is roughly the same as DirecTV/Dish/digitalCable but with a lot less artifacts. If you have a standard analog TV, you will need a converter to be able to receive over the air TV. Cable and dish systems shouldn't be affected.

[pmreed]

Both my TVs are HD capable, but I'd never observed an HD source on either of them until a couple of weeks ago. I'm a subscriber to the Dish Network and get pretty much all their English language programming. I haven't popped for an HD receiver from them for a couple of reasons. Not enough HD programming yet from them, and the fact that the satellite companies will be moving to Mpeg 4 compression from the current Mpeg 2.
Since I want a DVR, I don't intend to sink $500 + dollars into an Mpeg 2 unit that will begin to lose functionality as the new standard is implemented. So...I bought a set-top-box to pick up the local off-air signals.
BAM!!! What a surprise :eek!: ! Seems like all my local channels are broadcasting 2 to 4 digital channels each, and the image quality of even the standard broadcasts is definitely superior to my Dish signal. Most of those extra channels don't have much content I'm interested in, but it's interesting. The HD programming quality seems a bit variable. The local PBS station has knock-your-socks-off travel and nature programming for two or three hours each day. Interestingly enough, it's carried on a sub-channel of the local broadcast that is strictly digital; there's no analogue broadcast of the same programming, even the standard def programs. The prime time, major network HD programming varies from slightly better than SD to really great.
Neither of my TVs are digital receivers; both are analogue, requiring the STB. I've only got one set hooked up to the STB, the 64" Pioneer. The 43" plasma in the bedroom will get the STB when I make the jump to a satellite based HD system. I'll be using the component inputs on both sets.
Like all consumer electronics, the price is constantly dropping for HDTVs. I jumped in early just to have the capability. Note that an HD "digital TV" may not have an off-air digital tuner; you'll still need some sort of box...an HD satellite receiver, an HD cable box, or a set-top-box and antenna to source the HD signal. I don't see an instant drop in HDTV pricing, but as the volume goes up, we'll see a steady decline in pricing. One last note. A digital TV isn't necessarily HD capable. Read the specs on anything you look at.

Phil