hdtvbootcamp.com

Many retailers would like you to think so… When the government flips the broadcast switch will you be effected? I too was wondering. To find out all the answers visit: http://www.dtvtransition.org the governments information site.

Those most effected will be individuals who use an antenna or rabbit ears. The site says “If you currently receive analog television over the air or via an antenna, you’ll need to take action to continue watching your favorite stations.” i.e. you will have to purchase a set-top box. They will even give you a DTV set-top converter box coupon .

 Here is want they say about cable subscribers: “TVs accessing “pay” television service such as cable or satellite aren’t likely to be affected by the switch.”

Read all about the analog to digial TV transition here.

Most folks thing they just need a flat-screen. No, not really… Here are some categories you should think about before you go deep on that new TV.

The TV
This is where most folks think, “I’ll just buy the biggest one that I can afford.” STOP. You need to consider more than just the screen.

Audio
They can it Audio/Visual equipment for a reason. Audio is half of the equation. It’s not cheap either. The receiver, speakers and sub woofer can easily equal the cost of the TV. If you currently have an audio system, you will probability still need to think about an HDMI receiver.

DVD Player
Remember to budget for at least an Oppo digital DVD upscale player. Or… Go for the Sony PS3, the best blu-ray player out there with a free video game console attached!

Furniture
This is as equally important to your wife as the electronics are to you. The armoire has got to go. Some think “I’ll just hang it on the wall.” WRONG. Where are you going to put the set-top HD cable box, receiver, DVD, etc.? The answer, a console unit with doors. These run from $1,000 to $1,500.

Universal Remote
Do you really want six remote controls? Do you want your wife calling you at work for TV tech support? Do your whole family a favor and set aside some funds for a good universal remote. If you want to hide your A/V equipment behind closed doors consider an RF remote.

Stuff to hook it up
This includes things like HDMI cables, wall mounts, and installation services.

OK let’s recap. Here are the major areas of expense when buying an HDTV

1. The TV
2. Audio
3. DVD player
4. Furniture
5. Universal Remote
6. Stuff to hook it up

I plan to write more about each category soon. So… be sure and check back.

OK… so you finally figured out which TV you want and where to go get it. You jump in the car and head to the retailer. You go to check out and… “Sir do you need a HDMI cable, wall mount, and extended warranty”.

TVs are so competitive these days retails practically have to give them away. So how do they make money? You guessed it, the up sale. First there is the HDMI cable. There cable will set you back $80-$200. But if you had thought ahead you could have gotten one from monoprice.com for $10-$20.

Then there is the wall mount. I bought my tilt wall mount at Costco for $100. It was $50 cheaper then Sears, yea it’s Costco. Wrong monoprice.com had them for $19!

Next there is the extended warranty. TVs and everything for that matter is not build like the old days. When something was broken in my house as a kid mom would call the repair man. Those days are gone. If it is out of warranty, through it out. If you don’t they will charge you $75 to tell you that your 2 year old HDTV will cost $3,000 to fix when you bought it for only $2,000.

Then there is the Wii… A great new video game console. My boss, after many years of holding out, finally purchased his first HDTV. Not even a week later his kid was playing Wii baseball… when the unthinkable happened. This is why those “we cover everything” extended warranties are worth it. Just remember to negotiate the price. They are high gross and you just spent big bucks are a new TV.

Let’s recap…

1. Plan ahead and buy your HDMI cable and wall mount early from monoprice.com
2. Negotiate the price for the longest “we cover everything” service contract

 Good Luck

The big question… Which one should I buy? Here are some pros and cons of both

LCD Pros

• Static images do not “burn-in”
• Operate at cooler tempetures
• Perform better at high altitude
• Were first to go 1080p
• Are energy efficient

LCD Cons

• To get good contrast you have to pay
• Cheaper LCDs can have motion artifacts
• Off-angle viewing can be a concern

Plasma Pros

• Cheaper than LCDs
• Great contrast ratios
• Blacker blacks
• Silky smooth motion
• More 1080p choices everyday

Plasma Cons

• Heavier than LCDs
• They run hot
• They use more energy
• They tend to buzz at high altitude
• Static images can “burn-in” to the screen

Today 1080p is all the buzz. What is it? Do I need it? Are 720p TVs obsolete?

What is 1080p? It tells you that the native resolution of the screens panel is 1920×1080.

Do I need it? Well that depends, do you have or want to buy a blu-ray player or PS3? They are currently the only content available at the higher resolution. If you watch a lot of movies and have the budget, you would want to consider it.

Are 720p TVs obsolete? NO! Here is why… the new broadcast standard is 720p. That means that on-air, cable, or even satellite dish will look as good on a 720p set as a 1080p set. If you plan on watching only TV, save the money and go 720p. Some say they might change the broadcast standard to 1080p. Don’t bet on it, the last standard lasted almost 60 years! It cost billions upon billions of dollars to change.

Let’s blog about it. Just leave info in a comment and we will help.

Harmony Remote Press one button and it does the rest. To watch tv press the “Watch TV” button. To watch a dvd press “Watch DVD”. It’s just that simple. Even my wife can operate the TV now.

I will write more about my Harmony 1000 experence soon…

Are you still waiting for the price of blu-ray to come down? Here is something to think about… these DVD players take standard definition DVDs and scale them to HD resolution.

Oppo Digital products achieve the highest picture quality of anything I have seen. In fact, since I have owned one of these the performance jump to blu-ray was sad. They make SD DVDs look 85% as good as blu-ray disc!

If you are looking for a cheap 50 inch TV, look no further the Vizio 50″ “Jive” Plasma HDTV - JV50 is it! Not only does it have the best picture quality of any 720p 50″ I’ve seen for under $1,500, it also includes a Dolby Digital surround sound system for free! That’s right three integrated front speakers, two wireless rear surround speakers and a sub woofer.

Act quickly as the model has been discontinued. You will be able to find good discounts.

• Here are some quick specs:
  Native Panel Resolution: 1366 x 768
  Contrast Ratio: 15,000 to 1
  3 HDMI Inputs
  Integrated SD/HD Tuner
  Integrated 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound System

I will be posting a video of the installation soon.