I loved my first digital camera. I paid around $500 for it years ago.

It seemed like a miracle worker, even though the pictures often looked like bad paintings.

Things have changed a lot, and changed fast. The digital camera I own now records images that make great 13-by-19-inch enlargements. If I want the picture to look a little soft, I use photo-editing software.

Today's column is not about digital cameras. It's about HDTV. Here's how they relate:

The quality of digital cameras rose fast, and prices fell faster. Models that were state-of-the-art three years ago are now outdated. The same thing will happen with HDTV, as it has with every new consumer electronics technology.

I can promise you that, a year from now, better HDTV television sets will be available for the same price you're paying now, or less.

If you want an example of the changes to come, Mitsubishi plans to use laser-powered sets that produce images better than you see at the movie theaters. The technology could still be a bust, but there's no doubt that more innovations are on the way.

So do you wait for them, or buy HDTV now?

Old-time computer users will recognize the paradox. We've become used to better computers at lower prices constantly coming into the pipeline. If you insisted on waiting for a better computer at a lower price, you would literally wait forever.

I don't think you should wait forever for HDTV.

HDTV is too good to miss. If you love sports or movies or just pretty pictures --- and if you can afford it --- you should own an HDTV. But you also need to keep those new technologies in mind when you make your purchase.

The best advice I've heard comes from Clark Howard, the Atlanta-based consumer advocate. He tells listeners it's fine to buy an HDTV set now but not to spend much over $1,200. At that price you can move the old set to another room and buy a replacement as your main TV.

We could quibble over price here --- I think you'll end up walking out of the store about $2,000 poorer --- but Howard's reasoning is on target.

Buy an HDTV --- but please, shop at the bottom end of the price bracket.

The most important innovations in a technology come fairly early --- and things are still early for HDTV. The biggest leaps should come over the next year or two.

You don't want to be stuck with a $6,000 TV that is outperformed by a set selling for one-third that amount.

Now, let's talk about putting this theory to practical use at the store.

Setting a budget of $2,000 makes shopping easier. It automatically eliminates the big-as-a-truck sets. It also puts most reliable plasma TVs out of reach. But it leaves plenty to consider. Let's take things one at a time:

> Size: I recommend a 42-inch set. You can't meet my budget if you go larger. And if you go smaller, you won't get the full impact of the movie-like experience of the HDTV. All 42-inch sets come in the wide-screen format, and that's a good thing.

While a wide screen is not a requirement for HDTV, it really should be. The wide screen lets you watch movies in their original format. And HDTV sports programming is just more fun in wide screen.

> Technology: You can get a tube-type HDTV (that's what Clark Howard did), or an LCD or DLP. I think a dependable 42-inch plasma won't fit into the $2,000 budget. When I shopped I decided on a rear-projection LCD set. Sets using the DLP technology are also worth considering. If you haven't seen a rear projection set lately, you'll be pleasantly surprised. They are thin and light now. Mine is about 17 inches deep.

> Tuner: Many sets come without a tuner. That's the receiver for the TV signal. So to receive broadcast TV, you'd need to buy and use a separate tuner. But if you use an HDTV cable box or satellite receiver anyway, you don't need a tuner.

> Extended warranty: I'm against them in general. I did not buy one for my own set. One thing is for sure, you'll get a high-energy sales pitch at the store. I can't say there's no argument for them. So make your own judgment.

> Research: Do some before you go to the store, and then again after you've seen some choices. I recommend these Web sites:

electronics.howstuffworks.com/hdtv.htm

www.cnet.com (Look for the review section on the right of the Web page.)

www.consumerreports.org

> Last but not least: Make sure you have a clear picture of your own budget before heading to the store, and take some willpower with you. That new HDTV set won't work very well if the power company turns off your juice for nonpayment of bills.

tecbud@ajc.com