HDTVs should be gradually going down in price the more ubiquitous they become. Already some companies abandoned making analog sets, they're no longer profitable.
I did a huge amount of homework deciding which brand and model to get. I also had a tight budget and though I ended up spending more than I planned I'm so very happy with what I got. My TV before was a tiny 15" non-widescreen Magnavox LCD. I was originally set on upgrading to a 23" but decided it wasn't enough of a difference so waited a little longer til I had some more money.
By choice we don't have cable here (we'd never watch it) so watching broadcast stuff isn't important to me. But immersive gaming and catching up on films are. But I still wanted to be able to receive over-the-air HD signals if there's anything I happen to want to watch and this Samsung model includes a tuner for it:
Quote:
The transition from standard definition analog television to high-definition has been compared to the transition of black and white to color television: HDTV is expected to become the new standard. The government mandated a conversion from the current analog airwaves in the early 1990s to a much improved, efficient digital delivery system that is taking shape today. Televisions being sold are capable of displaying the digital signals produced by broadcasters like ABC.
The federal government (through the Federal Communications Commission) mandated that all TV signals will be delivered by the year 2009 when the analog spectrum will be turned off. (The actual date is currently set for 2/17/2009). Digital signals are transmitted using computer code -- ones and zeroes -- which means they are less susceptible to interference and provide a higher quality picture and sound than analog.
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http://abc.go.com/site/hdtvfaq.html
