Is HDTV really worth it?

The Christian Science Monitor asks whether HDTV (High Definition Television) is really living up to all the hype. The Monitor's Gregory M. Lamb notes that, while some high-tech gadgets have been adopted by Americans in astonishing numbers over a very short period (think DVDs, iPods, and digital cameras), High-Definition TVs haven't yet followed suit. Although there was a spike in interest in late January (thanks to the Super Bowl), that hasn't yet translated into the sorts of sales figures that many were predicting four or five years ago. Notes Lamb:

While nearly everyone has heard of HDTV, only 15 percent of American families have bought one since their introduction in the late 1990s, according to Ipsos Insight, a market research firm. Worse yet, only 15 percent more are seriously considering buying one in the near future. What's holding back the other 70 percent? Prices that can soar well into the four digits and suspicion that they are going to drop sharply are big factors. So are hidden hassles. For instance, getting an HDTV set to actually display a high-definition picture involves a process that a surprisingly large number of people either don't know about or don't bother with. And for many, the value of a fantastic picture that's available on just a few special HDTV channels hasn't outweighed the cost and frustrations.

Having recently purchased an HDTV ourselves, my wife and I came head-to-head with some of these issues. By last December our old TV was on its last legs, and we needed a new one. But we wanted an upgrade rather than just buy another low-def analog TV set. In fact we'd been wanting an upgrade for 18 months, and had been thinking about a widescreen HDTV all that time, but we couldn't justify the expense. Like most people in our situation, we weren't prepared to pay thousands of dollars for a product that in its previous form cost no more than a couple of hundred. We procrastinated endlessly, but after about a dozen visits to Circuit City, Best Buy et al, we finally bought a slimfit version of a more traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) high-definition TV set. It's a 30-inch screen, looks great, and cost well under a thousand dollars. (If we had plumped for a flatscreen LCD or plasma set, it could have cost 2-3 times as much.) Still, there were hidden costs attached, such as the $50 it cost for a set of high-definition "rabbit ears" (antenna for over-the-air broadcast signals), $150 for a new DVD/VCR combo (our old ones were shot), $60 for a special HDMI cable (necessary for optimal viewing of DVDs), and a $100 installation fee for the Best Buy guy to come over and tune in the TV for an optimal signal. (I nearly balked at that last "hidden fee," but I am glad we did it.) So our upgrade ended up costing a bit over a grand after all. At that price, we felt it necessary to make savings, so we cut back on cable (and I cut back on lattes at the coffee shop). Now most of the TV we watch is via over-the-air high-definition signals--just like the old days (except for the high-definition part)! We can get some good, though limited HDTV signals over the air for free. We've now got four PBS channels provided by Rochester's WXXI. And we can invite friends over to watch the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the Oscars in high-def widescreen glory! But we still suffered serious sticker shock from the experience. We're definitely not going near digital cable or DVRs or satellite anytime soon.

So there you have it: HDTV is cool--but it's not cheap! It will get cheaper and cheaper as time goes by, but I think it's fair to say that it'll never be as cheap as the "good old days" of analog. And there's lot about HDTV that is confusing and obscure. But as we get closer to the FCC's Feb 2009 analog cutoff, more and more consumers will have to come to terms with the same issues we had to face in making what was a pretty difficult decision. And more American families might think twice about whether they really need that expanded cable TV package.