i am fairly new to the new landscape of tv's (beyond CRT). i want to purhcase a 42" plasma to mount on a wall above our (very little used) fireplace. however i am kinda overwhelmed with the plethora of terms/issues surrounding my decision.
for starters: i do not have cable nor satellite & we intend to put off subscribing to such for as long as possible. beucase of this i need a plasme with a built in tuner (or rather prefer to have one instead of using VCR as tuner & connecting); but i understand that analog signals (NTSC) will go away within the next few years?? and only HD signals will be broadcast. here's where my quiestions begin:
if HD signals will be the only broadcast, then will ATSC tuner receive this signal? or will i still have to buy an external HD tuner?
i understand some sets (HD ready) can either take external HD tuner or have a slot for and HD card to be installed on board eliminating the need for an external HD tuner. is this true? if so, is there a difference in quality?
& since i will likely have to replace the tv or at the very least buy an HD tuner when this mandated switch occurs, it doesn't make sense to me to spend the crazy bucks that is being asked for these tvs. given that i do see that $2K for a 42" unit is reasonable. any suggestions on manufacturers to avoid or buy?
any features that i hould pay particular attention to? i nitice that most tv's of seeming ly good quality have contrast ratios close to 1000:1 or more, and native resolutions >= 852x480. but beyond that i really don't know what kind of specs/features are needed/desirable or comparable. any suggestions??
i am sooo confused by the abundance of info going on & upcoming/expected changes that it makes the purchase decision challenging.
thanks for all/any help & sorry for the lengthy message kgj
regardless, you have to buy external HD turner(about $300 from Direct tv).
you might want to wait until you decide to get HD signal form satellite or cable before you buy it.
I bought an $8,000 Pioneer 1120hd plasmalast week and not very happy with digital signal. Plasmas do not look that good with digital signal but with HD signal, it is awsome. Actually my old 36" tube Sony get almost as good picture quality with digital signal as my new plasma with HD signal.