Out With the Old

Christmas is coming, and for early adopter videophiles across the valley that can mean only one thing.

TV-buying season has begun.

But, this year, shopping for the latest and greatest TV will be a little trickier. That's because, at midnight on Feb. 17, 2009 -- a mere 72 days from now -- that analog TV signal you've been receiving on the trusty Philco will disappear forever and be replaced by a spanking-new digital signal.

The bottom line: If you don't have a digital TV set, and you receive your programming over-the-air instead of through cable TV or a satellite dish network, you'll see nothing -- nada, zip -- if you don't do a few things between now and then.

And, while it's not the only, and certainly not the least expensive, solution to the digital transition, many probably will happily decide that buying a new TV is the way to go.

According to Linda Yun, spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters' digital television transition team, an October survey revealed that about 92 percent of Americans do know that this analog-to-digital switch is imminent.

But, Yun says, the survey also said that "people still had questions about what they needed to do."

Juergen Barbusca, a spokesman for Cox Communications Las Vegas, says the company has not received "a significantly noticeable number of calls, but we are expecting more as we got closer to the holiday season and, particularly, as we get closer to the Feb. 17, 2009, date."

It turns out that Cox cable subscribers -- whether they receive limited basic, expanded basic or digital service -- need to do absolutely nothing, Barbusca says, because Cox will make its signals watchable on any TV hooked up to its system.

On the other hand, viewers who get their TV the old-fashioned way -- that is, through signals picked up by their TV's antenna -- and watch on an older, analog TV set can opt to hook up their TV to a digital converter box.

Of course, viewers with older analog sets also can buy a new digital TV. And, for TV enthusiasts with such inclinations: Retailers are awaiting your visit.

This isn't a bad time to be shopping around for a new TV, notes Megan Pollock, spokeswoman for the Consumer Electronics Association. Prices are competitive, and the fact that the Christmas shopping period is one of the busiest TV shopping times for retailers -- the period before the Super Bowl is the other -- means deals should be available.

With the digital transition coming up, a shopper first should make sure that a prospective new TV is a digital TV. Yun says most TVs sold within the past two years "do come with a digital tuner," and will be able to pick up broadcast signals both now and after Feb. 17.

"If you're not sure -- say you bought your TV three or four years ago -- look on the TV set for a marking that says 'ATSC.' That means it has a digital tuner," she says.

Next, determine your ideal screen size. The Consumer Electronics Association recommends measuring the distance in inches from your TV watching chair to the TV. Then, divide the total inches by two and then by three. The resulting numbers denote your range of ideal screen sizes.

Next, the CEA says, decide on an aspect ratio -- wide screen or standard-shaped screen -- and the image quality you desire: standard definition (good), enhanced definition (better) and high-definition (the best).

For more and more consumers, high-definition TV is the new TV-buying default. According to Pollock, about half of American households now have an HD set, and "we're starting to see it pick up."

And, Pollock says, 75 percent to 80 percent of consumers choose to "make the jump to HD if they're going to spend the money."

But, she continues, "we are starting to see a lot of enhanced definition -- sort of the middle ground. You can still get an LCD or plasma, and the quality is better, but there's a little cost savings there."

Pollock says it doesn't appear that consumers are using the digital transition as an excuse to upgrade to a new HD set.

"Surprisingly enough, we see that as a very small driver," Pollock says, although, "I will not deny I've heard, actually, quite a few people (who say), 'I might as well (upgrade to HD).' "

Most consumers who own analog TVs and don't have cable or satellite providers are "really looking for just a fix," Pollock says. "They're not looking to spend money to make a big change."

As a result, Pollock says, "we're seeing a lot of people going out and buying a converter box. There are a lot of people who are wedded to keeping their analog set."

Now, it's time to choose your display type and, for most, that means a flat-panel TV. According to Pollock, about 73 percent of all digital TVs shipped this year have been flat-panel TVs. And, among flat-panel TVs, the choice is mainly between a liquid crystal display, popularly known as an LCD, or a flat-screen plasma TV.

"The LCD has really become the winner of this battle," Pollock adds, in part because LCD screens "could scale smaller, where plasma was 42 (inches) and up sets."

Another option is the CRT, or traditional tube TV, which remains the least expensive inch for inch. But, Pollock says, "that's really something that's being phased out.

"People are so quickly adapting to the flat panel that when they go out to buy a new set, especially with prices dropping, it's just so easy to get flat panel."

Some manufacturers already have stopped making tube TVs, and they seem fated to "go away," Pollock says.

Front- and rear-projection TVs still are players, too, mostly for those who seek a large -- 100 inches or more -- image for a home theater-type setting.

Among the features consumers are seeking this year are TVs designed to be energy-efficient and TVs designed to fit attractively into a home environment. For example, Pollock says, there are "ambient light" displays behind some flat screens that create the effect of "color panels" rather than "just a big box sitting in the living room."

Buyers this holiday season also will find TV prices across the board lower than they did a year ago.

TV prices are "always very competitive," Pollock says. And, because new models typically arrive in showrooms during December and January, retailers have an incentive to move current models to prepare for arrival of the new.

"You can really find something in every (price) range," Pollock says, and good deals can be found even at prices at less than $500.

In fact, Pollock says, "you can get close to a 60-inch set for close to under $1,000 and that's phenomenal. So I think we're going to continue seeing price drops there. When you're talking the $1,000 range, that's still a lot of money for a 60-inch set. But that set, five years ago, you're looking at four guys to bring it into the house and it was several thousand dollars."

This year's shaky economy does throw an unforeseen variable into the holiday TV-buying season. Pollock says retailers are waiting to see whether nervous consumers postpone TV purchases.

But there's another school of thought, too: Families, looking for lower-cost alternatives to movie theater visits and other pricier out-of-home entertainment options, will decide that investing in a new TV or subscribing to cable or satellite TV will save money in the long run.

On one hand, there is "less discretionary income for households to make that extra purchase or make the jump to digital HD," Barbusca says.

But at the same time, "the consumer may just as well decide that if they're going to stay home, one of the ways we entertain ourselves is to watch TV. So, if you're going to do that, why not make the most of it?"

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.