HDTV means high-definition television, which is the best TV image available today. HD signals are sent over cable, satellite and standard airwaves with a clarity never before seen in home entertainment.

Alternate definition: A world of acronyms, expenses and digital technology that has produced an array of decisions and a degree of confusion and misinformation.

More later, but here's a start: High-definition television (HDTV) refers to a type of digital programming feed, not the television set.

The HD-compatible sets formerly were gadgets for the wealthy and those driven to have the best technology first. But sales and declining prices tell industry analysts that HDTV's time has arrived in mainstream America, even though the larger HD sets still commonly cost over $1,000.

Oregon-based home-entertainment analyst Quixel Research LLC says 2.5 million HDTV-compatible televisions were sold in 2005; estimates double that sales mark for 2006 and predict even stronger sales for 2007.

For the most apathetic TV viewers, the digital moment will arrive when TV networks stop giving their standard television feeds over the airways and a TV using only an antenna stops getting TV reception. This moment is scheduled for 2009, by government mandate.

For today's TV buyer, the choice of TV is narrowing to the premium-quality sets. Quixel principle owner and analyst Tamaryn Pratt predicts that, in the near future, stores will stop carrying the old-technology analog sets altogether. "It's coming," said Pratt. "It's a steamroller."

Stark contrasts

Advertising, availability and quality all are part of the drive toward the high-tech sets, said another analyst, Maryann Baldwin, who is executive director of Iowa-based Frank N. Magid Associations.

The wide, flat-screen televisions, displayed alongside the old boxes in retail showrooms illuminate the contrast, she said. To stare at cheaper analog tubes, she said, feels "like you're looking at the dark ages."

And in these stores, usually, the new sets aren't even showing the maximum quality available on the high-def televisions. They aren't showing HDTV on the HDTV-compatible sets in the showroom at Circuit City in Bloomington, entertainment salespeople noted. And yet the contrast is stark.

Circuit City senior entertainment specialist Blake Tobeck and entertainment sales manager Greg Lewis estimate the clarity and resolution for a "720p" digital TV at four to six times better than that of an old tube - even a great one - when getting HDTV programming.

The 720 is a pixel count and it is standard in the flat-screens. (A pixel is the smallest component of an image.) This past year, companies introduced "1080p" televisions, which deliver twice the detail of the 720s, said Lewis.

Falling prices

Prices for flat-screen, digital, HD-ready TVs have declined by roughly 40 percent over the past year and could fall another 30 percent in 2007, Pratt said. A primary cause for the decline is a decision by manufacturers to seek market share over profit margins, Pratt and Baldwin said.

Consumer Reports places the average price drop for flat-screen TVs over the past two years at about 50 percent. It provides these averages, citing DisplaySearch as its source:

• $1,360, down from $2,350, for a 37-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) set.

• $1,880, down from $2,610, for a 42-inch plasma TV.

Pratt has little doubt that the digital sets will soon reach comparable price with the non-digital. At that point, HD-ready TV becomes a fairly obvious choice, she said.

To get HDTV

But the cost to get HDTV doesn't end at the TV purchase, because HDTV is the programming, not the TV set. Customers also have to figure on:

• Hookup: The special wiring accessories and hookups may require an additional $100, according to a National Public Radio report.

• The fees: Program providers charge roughly $12 a month for basic HDTV packages and provide premium packages beyond that. For Insight, the HDTV customer first has to get, at minimum, the basic and classic packages of regular cable, which totals $46 a month, before adding the extra HDTV programming.

HDTV miseducation

Television manufacturers, broadcasters, cable and satellite TV providers and retailers have done a poor job collectively in educating consumers on HDTV, Baldwin said. Consumers buy the expensive TV sets, get them home, plug them in and wrongly expect to have instant HDTV programming, she said.

Another misconception: People incorrectly think they have to purchase a programming package from cable or satellite to get any HDTV shows. Baldwin said some network shows and PBS shows are put into the airwaves in HDTV format. An NFL fan, Baldwin gets her football games in high-definition through the old-fashioned antenna hookup. She said the presentation is "stunning, absolutely phenomenal." She said the only requirement for antenna-based network HDTV is that the TV is equipped with a "digital tuner," and almost every HDTV-compatible television sold in the past year has one.

Some don't care

Baldwin expresses an excitement at the HDTV onset, but with some mixed feelings. Research tells her a segment of society doesn't care about having 1080-pixel, high-definition TV.

"A lot of people are just content to see their shows," she said.

For those who don't want HDTV, don't care or can't afford it, here's what they need to know:

Baldwin says cable and satellite providers will continue to serve customers who don't have HDTV sets even after the government forces all network programming onto high-definition in 2009.

The dilemma is for those with no special services - only an antenna to send the airborne signal into their TVs, she said. These people will need a converter box, or they will get no television at all. The converter will gather HDTV signals from local broadcasters and translate them into analog-quality programming.

The downside is, it requires a purchase, often from those least able to afford it, said Baldwin. One-time purchase of a converter box runs about $100, she said, adding some movement is afoot to push prices for converters to $25 or $50 so people without cable get service.

And the government may yet push back its high-def deadline, though it stands to benefit from holding to the deadline. Once the networks move exclusively to their HDTV feeds, the government plans to sell the old network TV spectrum for some other use.

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Antennae capable of receiving HDTV signals

By Steve Arney | sarney@pantagraph.com

The fight between Mediacom Communications and Sinclair Broadcast Group over airing of Fox 43 and other Sinclair stations has cast some light on a tangential matter: The old-fangled TV antenna still works, and it will receive HDTV signals.

A money dispute between the media companies prompted Sinclair to pull its TV stations from Mediacom cable television. Sinclair has been promoting a switch to DirecTV. Mediacom has been giving away antennas to get WYZZ-TV back into customers' homes.

An antenna delivers in high-definition (HDTV) format to flat-screen TVs without cable or satellite service.

Dennis Riley, chief engineer for WEEK-TV, said reception for his station or any other will depend on antenna placement, antenna quality and customer location relative to TV stations' transmission points. Ideally, antennas should be placed high in the home - in the attic, for instance, or on the roof for an outdoor antenna. Old rabbit ears and less clunky, sleeker versions, placed on or near the set, will work with varying degrees of quality, depending on location, he said.

For HDTV-compatible TVs, Riley said, different models show different words and initials to designate the spot at the back of the set where the antenna plugs in. Look for "ATSC input" or "HDTV" or "Digital" for the antenna plug-in point.

The TV can be automatically programmed to receive the channels. Look for a VHF/UHF auto-programming mode on the TV setup menu and run it.

Riley said channels also can be found manually, with HD channels commonly at or near a station's standard signal. WEEK, a news partner with the Pantagraph, is at channel 25 for standard television, 25.1 for HDTV and 25.2 for weather information.

Getting HDTV also requires that a flat-screen set be equipped with a "digital tuner." Most new HDTV-compatible sets have the tuners built-in. A few flat-screen TVs require additional purchase of a tuner. They cost about $200 but they are not stocked in store, said a Bloomington Circuit City representative.

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Choices are everywhere you turn

By Steve Arney | sarney@pantagraph.com

Here are some basics on HDTV-compatible sets and DVD players:

Television options

• Plasma TV: Historically used for the largest TV screens. Comes with some warnings. Its viewing is less magnificent in a well-lit room. It also has a problem called "burn-in" or "ghosting." The chemically produced images from plasmas can burn onto the screen. Plasmas are heavier than LCDs (liquid crystal display) and use twice the electricity, Consumer Reports says.

• LCD TV: Has no burn-in problem. Also performs better in a highly lit room than a plasma. Consumer Reports warns that some LCDs lose considerable quality when viewed from a side angle. Some models also have difficulty with high-speed image movement.

• Consumer Reports summary: "Deciding between plasma and LCD TVs used to be fairly easy: plasma for screen sizes 40 inches and up, LCD for smaller. But those distinctions are blurring as 37- to 46-inch LCD sets move into the limelight."

• Looks. LCDs and plasmas have similar design. They can be augmentations to a room, or at least not detract from it. They can hang on a wall, and the wiring can be pulled through the space behind it (ideally, into a closet) so no wiring is visible. They weigh considerably less than analog televisions. Research shows 29 percent of flat-screen owners mount them on a wall, according to Quixel Research LLC. The rest use a TV stand or a cabinet.

• Rear projection TV. It has the boxy look of the analog TVs but a flat screen. Recommended by Bloomington Circuit City sales staff for dens and basements because it performs well and costs less than LCDs and plasmas but lacks the sleek looks and space economy that the customer usually wants for a more formal room. Drawback is a rapid decline in visibility when trying to see a show from an angle, the sales staff said. Consumer Reports says rear projection sets need more repairs and maintenance than plasmas and LCDs, which perform as reliably as the standard analogs. But CR says extended warranties usually are an unwise expense for all of these HDTV models.

• Front projection TV. Used primarily for businesses, the TV mechanism works similar to old movie projectors. The Bloomington Circuit City doesn't have them in store. Quixel said a front projection screen can generate an image size of up to 120 diagonal inches, making it an option for elaborate home theaters.

DVD options

The current, standard DVD works on the new digital TVs. But these DVDs won't play or burn in high-definition quality. They will deliver old, standard resolution onto the new, high-def screens.

The high-definition DVD market currently is locked in a battle between two formats: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. A disc for one won't play in the other.

The incompatible platforms have made buyers and movie studios leery, so sales of the players and availability of movies in high-definition is limited. Industry analysts compare this format war to the Beta vs. VHS competition of the video cassette recorder days.

Videogames have an integral role in the new skirmish. Blu-ray has higher definition - 1,080 pixels to 720 - but HD-DVD is cheaper. Microsoft's Xbox 360 players are compatible with HD-DVD but require an additional purchase to play movies, while Sony PlayStation 3 videogame players come with Blu-ray DVD players installed.

In the VCR war, Beta was judged better, but the cheaper VHS format won out. Many industry analysts also expect a clear winner in the high-definition DVD battle.

But it's possible both DVD formats could survive, like the Mac and PC formats in home computers. Developments this month make that more plausible. LG announced it would sell a DVD player that uses both formats and Warner Brothers said it would produce discs that run on either player.