HDTV for Chistmas on a budget
If you don't have an HDTV set yet, do you need to spend upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 to get one this holiday season? Not necessarily, although you will give up some features, functions and (dare I say it?) the name brand of a high-end set. I took a look through the coming Sunday advertisements this morning, as I do every Saturday morning, and noticed that there are options for everyone these days.
My intent here isn't to point out specific sets or specific retailers for you to rush out to. No, the point here is to illustrate that you can spend under $1,000 or even under $500 for that first HDTV set this holiday season. It wasn't but a few years ago when you could spend $500 on an analog 27-inch television! Click the jump for some examples of how you can enter the world of HDTV and get your feet wet without breaking the bank!
Your major electronics retailers, such as Best Buy and Circuit City, typically draw your eyeballs to the large sets that cost thousands of dollars. These are often full-featured sets with plenty of advanced options. The quality is typically very good as well. Consider walking past the mega-displays for a minute and look in display aisles for the smaller sets. What can you find?
Samsung's 30-inch widescreen CRT can be had for $899 at Circuit City, for example. This is actually part of their SlimFit line so it's roughly 16-inches deep; not bad for a CRT that is 1080i capable.
What's that? You'd sacrifice some depth for a better price at Circuit City? How about a Panasonic widescreen CRT that's also 30-inches diagonal? It's deeper than the Samsung by about 8-inches, but still has 1080i resolution and costs only $599!
Best Buy offers the same size for even less if you don't mind a Magnavox set. Their 30-inch widescreen flat tube is just $499 this coming week.
Keep in mind that you won't get a built-in HDTV tuner with any of these other than the Samsung (thanks for the catch, Dealhack!); these are HD-Ready sets, so you have to provide a digital signal from an outside source such as cable, satellite or over-the-air (note: an OTA tuner and antenna is required for this option, but it does provide you free local channels in DTV and HDTV). You also want to verify that these sets have the input jacks you need for the source; look for HDMI or DVI, although composite will work as well.
If the major electronic stores aren't for you, check other retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and even warehouse stores like Costco or Sam's Club. Target is running an on-line special this week for a Syntax Olevia 32-inch LCD set at only $888, for example! Normally, the set will cost your over $1,100.
Again, you need to do your due diligence before you spend your hard-earned money this holiday. Take your time and make sure the set has the features you want and looks good to you. For additional information, be sure to check out our previous related articles and buyers guides:
How many of you have recently purchased an HDTV set for under $1000? What did you buy and what would you caution against for some of our newer readers?
