JOHN! no need to throw away that old tv!

https://www.dtv2009.gov/

sure you have to buy something, but you get more channels in "better" quality. PLUS three channels of PBS.

and a show about a teacher that like GBV would be called "mr pollard's homeroom"

Johnny,

Please do not get rid of your television set next year. You can purchase an inexpensive converter box (they cost between $40-$70)that will allow you to continue to receive over-the-air broadcasts after Feb 17, 2009. The government currently has a program in place where you can receive coupons that you may use toward the purchase of these boxes --- you can visit WFYI's Web site for more information on this program www.wfyi.org

If you're currently a cable or satellite subscriber --- there's nothing you need to do to your current set.

And yes, once the dtv conversion is complete, you can look forward to receiving all three of WFYI Public Television's digital services:)

I understand all the technicalities (I should have said my VCR is soon to be obsolete since I use that as a tuner for my TV which is really just a monitor) but I am still not convinced that HDTV is all that great. My son has a new TV with a HD antenna and there's still an irritating amount of pixelation.

HD Antenna? Get the HD channels through your cable company and get the right cables and I guarantee you'll notice the difference. Regular channels look kinda s---ty on HDTVs but hopefully their days are numbered anyway.

I don't want to change anything on our set either, glucose.

Bought my plasma TV almost a year and a half ago and love it. PBS (3 channels!) looks glorious. Currently I'm watching the NCAA tournament. The difference is night and day. Movies look great (no high def DVD player yet).

I don't have cable or satellite (they compress their HD channels to fit the bandwidth) and don't watch much prime time network TV.

Remember, DTV does NOT equal HDTV. You DO NOT need a "special" antennae to get HDTV over the air. If you still have rabbit ears from 30 years ago, they'll work just fine. Better yet, if you still have an outdoor antennae you'll get a very strong signal. My indoor antennae works fine except when it's windy.

I wonder when they'll start lowering the prices of some of these HDTV's?

HD IS AWESOME. A lot of people say they can't tell the difference, but getting an HD setup where you can watch an HD show (especially a sporting event) next to the standard def version, there is no comparison. Totally worth it, and musicjunky, the prices are starting to drop pretty quickly on them now, though the higher-end ones are still pretty steep.

Even though my tube TV is only 3 years old, I'm still wanting an HDTV. I keep checking them out every few months to notice any price drops. You're right, some of them are starting to get a bit more reasonable in price.

I finally broke down and bought a 67" Samsung DLP HDTV when the Colts went to the Super Bowl last year. Watching the game in Hi-Def, we easily had a better seat than anyone in the arena. The shots taken with the camera that swoops over the field are particularly stunning.

Since then, I've been exclusively using Over the Air HD signals (I'm holding out for AT&T U-Verse to come to my neighborhood before taking the cable plunge), and have had little to no problems. Then again, I live close to most of the broadcast towers, and am using an amplified antenna. I have found that Over the Air channels seem to be fairly uni-directional, meaning you have to be facing a certain direction to get the clearest signal. The fix to that problem is I bought an antenna that rotates internally and is controlled by remote. I can program it to remember the best direction for each station.

I agree with 'getstumpy' that the PBS channels are the best! NOVA, Nature, Travels to the Edge, History Detectives, Antiques Roadshow, Rick Steves' Europe, Soundstage, Austin City Limits...TONS of great shows.

I think the problem some people see with HDTV is caused by user error just like issues people have with computers. To truly appreciate high-definition television, your TV either need an internal over-the-air HD tuner or you need to subscribe to HD cable channels.

When connecting an upconverting DVD player, a PS3, or Blu-Ray player, you need to use HDMI cables, not RCA cables.

And I find it sad that people go out and spend $3k on a flat-screen television and then use the horrible built-in speakers rather than getting some external surround-sound speakers and a subwoofer.

And here's a tip, if you don't plan on hanging your TV on the wall, go with a slightly thicker DLP or LCD projection TV instead of a flat-screen plasma or LCD. The picture quality is superior. With the flatter TVs, you sacrifice picture quality for size and they're usually more expensive as well.

A nice 60" HD LCD projection TV these days will weigh around 80 pounds, and be around a foot thick, not much bigger than an 60" LCD flat-panel.