Well HDTVs are relatively old. But now they are fairly cheap. And yes, I'm not making that stuff up. The problem still is that most HDTVs still will need a digital decoder to actually recieve the digital signal and send it to the TVs. As much as HDTVs kick ass and you should have one right now, the longer wait, the better off you are. I think most of us would rather just plug the cable wire into the TV and have a digital broadcast than plug it into another $500 decoder, then hook that up to the HDTV. What a waste.
And should I remind you that even today's HDTVs won't be that great in a few years. See, most TVs today don't support 1080p. Why? Because nothing supports 1080p. The only way you would really get any use out of it is if you had a scaler that would scale everything to 1080p. Those only cost about $25,000, BTW. But then it would scale all your TV broadcasts, games, and movies to 1080p. yummy.
Well, the point is nothing supports 1080p, and for good reason. But as soon as 2005 you will see a new movie format hit the market, HD DVD. These will of course require a new player, but they will have all movies running in 1080p. I believe 6 channel surround sound may also be a standard, don't remember. But once a use for 1080p is out, more TVs will start supporting it. So then your new HDTV will be out of date within a matter of a couple years, that is, if you jump on the technology right away. DVDs are mainstream now, but I remember when I only has a small shelf full of them, and the cheapest DVD player was $300. HD DVD will likely be the same way. But considering DVD has already proven itself as a great medium, you never know. Home theater buffs will probably be all over the technology for the amazing picture.
Bottom line is nothing standardized yet. So even if you buy an HDTV today, don't be suprised if you buy another before 2010, as well as a new DVD player.
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