How do you know it's time to junk that old television and move to HDTV?

Clark Howard — the Atlanta-based consumer advocate who's famously frugal — just bought one.

CURTIS COMPTON/AJC (ENLARGE)
B.J. Long (right), senior department supervisor, discusses flat-screen plasma high-definition televisions with Keith Hawley from Dallas, Ga., at the Best Buy store at North Point Mall in Alpharetta.
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THE ABC'S OF MODERN TV Buying a television isn't as simple as it used to be. First you have to decide what type of signal you want your TV to handle: • HDTV: Crystal-clear definition comes from more lines of digital information. HDTV sets use either an internal receiver or a special cable box or satellite receiver. All Atlanta stations now broadcast in HDTV. An antenna is needed to pick up over-the-air HDTV signals. Some satellite customers also need an antenna to get local programming, while cable customers get local programming in HDTV. • EDTV: These sets convert the HDTV signal into a lower-resolution image. It's still a clear digital image, just not as good as HDTV. • Analog: The old-fashioned TV your parents had — and you may still have. Can display HDTV signals when used with a digital cable box, but the improved clarity doesn't show up. Then you have to decide on the type of television you want: • CRT: The old picture tube. Good picture and low price but heavy and bulky. These can be HDTV-ready or not. • Plasma: Flat-panel TVs with screens up to 60 inches across. Look cool but run hot and use lots of electricity. Prices vary from under $2,000 to $20,000. • LCD: Look like plasma sets but use the technology of flat-panel computer monitors. They run cooler, and light weight makes them best for wall mount. A 32-incher can be had for $2,700 or so, bedroom-size units for much less. • DLP: The newest flat-panel technology uses microscopic mirrors mounted on a computer chip to produce the image. Many sets in the $4,000 range can be found. • Rear projection: Huge screens and prices below plasma or LCDs, but bulk requires lots of room. • Front projection: Think of a movie theater. The picture is projected onto a screen that can be almost any size. Best for dedicated home theater setups. Prices are in the $1,500 to $2,000 range for the projector. ADDING IT UP The cost of an HDTV system can go well beyond the price of the television. These are sample prices. Costs will vary wildly, especially for the television and sound system: • Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV: $5,500 • Surge protector: $380 • Sony 600 watt-audio system with speakers and progressive scan DVD player: $2,000 • Four-year extended warranty (Best Buy): $400 • Antenna to receive broadcast HDTV signals: $139 • Installation for antenna: $300 • TV stand: $270 • Audio and video cables: $50 • Total: $9,039 Source: Staff research and Consumer Reports

"I followed my own advice and waited until my old set broke down," said the host of the nationally syndicated Clark Howard radio show. "Then I bought a poor man's HDTV, a 32-inch high-definition set for $398."

Howard picked a set that uses a picture tube, the old-fashioned CRT technology, rather than a fancy plasma or LCD model.

But while prices are dropping, shopping for an HDTV-capable set still means wading through an alphabet soup of competing technologies. There's the CRT; LCD, a flat-panel liquid crystal display; DLP, digital light processing, an emerging flat panel option; and plasma, the original big-screen HDTV option.

And despite enticing entry-level units, many buyers can still expect a price tag that would do a used car justice. Most shoppers will end up buying a system costing between $2,000 and $6,000.

The first decision is whether you should follow Howard's example and buy an HDTV set now or wait for even better deals — which he thinks will come as prices fall dramatically by the end of this year.

Dave Warner hasn't yet taken the leap. He's director of engineering at Atlanta-based Crawford Productions, where HDTV television shows are produced for networks, and has been working with HDTV for more than six years.

"It's hard to know when it's time to jump on the train," he said. "With any developing consumer product, prices start very high as research and development costs are recovered and then they start going down.

"I have a standard-definition 28-inch set at home that we've had around for years," Warner said. "The prices have been kind of high."

The Consumer Electronics Association says HDTV set prices are dropping about 10 percent a year, and it expects that to continue.

Dueling technologies

Once the decision to buy HDTV is made, the confusion really starts.

Art Boccuti, of Buckhead, wants a large flat-panel HDTV set for the home he's building. Boccuti has researched the various options, but "there's no question about it being confusing, one technology will have this benefit and the next one has that benefit. Even when I read about it, the experts don't make it clear."

B.J. Long, a senior salesperson for HDTV sets at the Best Buys in Alpharetta, sees customers' confusion first hand.

"They come in so blind," he said.

"I've had some customers that were so confused that I've sent them home," said Long, who's paid on salary, not commission. "I tell them to grab some of the model numbers of the sets they like and spend some time on the Web reading the reviews."

Patrick Bomdavem, marketing director for television at the Atlanta-based North American headquarters for Philips Consumer Electronics, agrees "there may still be some confusion from consumers, but you're seeing associates at the stores who are much more educated themselves these days."

Flat-panel TVs are growing in popularity, and LCD is growing faster than plasma, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. That's partially because almost all plasma sets are giant-screen models, while LCD sets come in screen sizes from tiny to huge.

The trade group projects sales this year of 1.4 million plasma sets, up 61 percent from 2004. LCD sales are expected to hit 3.8 million, up 111 percent.

Warner, the HDTV engineer, thinks any of the technologies — CRT, LCD, plasma or others — will work fine. He recommends consumers look at sets in a showroom and pick one that suits them best.

"Spend more time finding a set with the right screen size for your room," he said.

Large-screen sets of 42 inches and larger are viewed best from 9 to 10 feet. Smaller screens require about 5 to 7 feet.

Adding to the bill

Many consumers are enticed into the HDTV showroom by low-price ads. But that's just the start of what you'll actually pay.

"Sometimes customers come in with a $2,500 set in mind, but before they're out the door they've spent nearly $5,000," said Long, the Best Buy salesman.

Some add-ons seem obvious: amplifiers and speakers for sound that's as good as the picture; a progressive-scan DVD player that delivers better video than conventional DVDs; special connecting cables made for HDTV; an HDTV receiver for those who do not use a cable or satellite receiver; better satellite receiving equipment for some customers, even a new stockpile of DVDs to watch.

But some of the additional items aren't obvious. Many customers are surprised when Long tells them that he believes they need a special voltage regulator that can cost $400 or more to make sure that power surges don't trash their expensive flat-screen TV. Long also pushes customers to pay an additional $400 for a four-year extended warranty on the set.

Even Howard, a longtime foe of extended warranties, waffles a bit when asked if that's needed.

"Well, in the March issue of Consumer Reports, the magazine said that you might, might, consider an extended warranty on a DLP, LCD or plasma set," Howard said. Howard didn't buy a extended warranty but acknowledges they may make sense for higher-tech sets.

High financing

Stores such as Best Buy have begun offering 36-month no-interest payment plans.

"It's just like with cars," Long said. "When they got more expensive, people started using five-year financing. For a TV, it used to be 12 months, now you can get three years."

The March Consumer Reports cautions readers to be careful when applying for long-term loans.

"If you don't repay the loan in full before the term expires, you could be socked with interest from the date of purchase."

Howard agrees that such loans "can potentially ding your credit."

But he also says HDTV's picture quality makes for better TV-watching.

"What you see will startle you," Howard said. "You see every blemish on an actor's face. And the picture is so good that's is almost eerie. It's breathtaking."