Consumers confront a mind-boggling array of choices when they arrive at stores to buy a high-definition TV.
"Everybody knows the 'Wall of Hell,'" said Steve Hix, chief executive of Steridian Corp., a developer of microdisplay technology for the high-definition television market.
First, there's the alphabet soup of technologies - LCD, or liquid-crystal displays; DLP, or Digital Light Processor; and CRTs, the traditional cathode-ray picture tubes. Some are flat-panel, such as plasma and LCD. Others are projection TVs, such as DLPs.
If that's not confusing enough, some technologies are used in more than one format. LCDs are used in one type of projection HDTV and in flat panels. In addition, CRTs can be used in HDTV versions of traditional picture tubes as well as in big-screen projection TVs.
Many retailers further complicate the process. The televisions often are set at different angles, which can affect the viewing experience. Also, sales representatives offer a wealth of misinformation, Hix said. Price and brightness often guide people's selections.
The challenges consumers encounter when buying an HDTV set are among many obstacles that television industry executives identified at a January conference in Las Vegas presented by the Connecticut communications company Insight Media in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show.
Manufacturers, broadcasters, cable and satellite companies and accessory developers are rushing to complete the transition to digital high definition before Feb. 17, 2009, the date the U.S. government has set for termination of all analog broadcasts.
In January 2008, about a year before the HDTV transition takes place, the analog channels will be auctioned to the highest bidders. Proceeds from the sales are expected to top $10 billion, with $7.3 billion going to the U.S. Treasury.
For those who haven't bought an HDTV set by the 2009 deadline, the government plans to provide $1.5 billion in subsidies to owners of older sets for converter boxes that will transform the digital signals to analog.
Although all segments of the HDV industry are making progress, the task is daunting, said Hal Protter, senior vice president of technology for the WB network.
Topping his list was educating consumers. "Twenty percent have HDTVs, but not many of them are getting HD broadcasts," Protter said, adding that the reason is that the sets haven't been properly installed or supplemental equipment is needed.
Joe McGuire, president and chief executive of Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, said employees of his high-end retail chain spend 25 percent of their time at consumers' homes making sure the system works.
"Our customers, who are early adopters, are confused about how to hook it up," McGuire said. They're also surprised that the cost of the TV is only 75 percent of the total cost of the system, McGuire said.
The sector that appears to have made the greatest strides is broadcasters, the group under the gun to meet the transition deadlines.
With the exception of a few stations granted extensions because of local building and zoning delays, nearly all the nation's 1,600 TV broadcasters met the 2003 target for building digital television transmitters.
Now networks are filling their schedules with programs shot and edited with digital equipment.
"I don't think people understand how much programming is out there," said Robert Seidel, vice president of engineering and technology for CBS.
CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox are broadcasting all prime-time dramas and comedies in high definition. ESPN2 offers all its sportscasts in the digital format. Also, 65 percent of content on the WB network, 60 percent on UPN, 14 hours per day on HBO and 80 percent of content on the Showtime movie channel are compatible with HDTV.
In addition, ABC began airing "Good Morning America" in high definition in November, and NBC's "Today" show will begin doing so shortly. Even soap operas such as "The Young and the Restless" are starting to be digitally broadcast.
"One of the things we haven't converted yet is news, but we're experimenting in Raleigh (N.C.) and a few other locales," Seidel said.
He predicted that the recent development of lower-priced HDTV camcorders, which can cost $6,000 compared with $50,000 to $60,000 for a digital studio camera, will spur more high-definition newscasts in both national and local markets.
The new portable cameras also will boost conversion of reality shows to high definition.
"Mark Burnett (producer of "Survivor" and other reality shows) has said he's comfortable with the technology, but he typically loses four or five cameras due to conditions in the (jungle) settings," Seidel said.
Cable companies appear to be making the most headway in delivering the digital signals to HDTVs, the executives said. They have the largest number of subscribers and the ability to convert the broadcast signals to analog for clients that don't yet have HDTVs.
Satellite companies, however, have limited high-definition capability. They're facing the task of swapping out customers' dishes for ones that can receive digital signals.
"They are addressing it, but it's very expensive for them," Seidel said.
Telecommunications companies are entering the fray, making major investments to deliver high-definition video on their networks, which have an unlimited number of channels. As a result, the telecoms have a huge HDTV growth potential, Seidel said.
"HDTV has been one of the biggest focuses (at the electronics show) for the past two to three years," said Insight Media editor and senior analyst Chris Chinnock. "We're beyond being wowed by the technology. Manufacturers are all focusing on price reduction, but they're looking beyond to these bits and pieces and how you connect all that."
Nevertheless, the biggest battleground in the HDTV market remains among set manufacturers.
Premium-brand companies such as Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba and Samsung dominate sales. But former television makers such as Motorola and Zenith are re-entering the market, and a host of new manufacturers, including some from China, are working to make their own high-definition sets.
The fight for the dominant technology is even being waged within some companies. Senior vice presidents from Samsung - one touting plasma sets and the other liquid-crystal display sets - appeared together on one panel of the HDTV conference. Each predicted his product would prevail.
"Each one is trying to be better," said Chris Kim, vice president of marketing for Samsung's plasma sets. "Ultimately, the consumers will benefit."
HDTV TECHNOLOGY
The purchase of an HDTV is complicated by the wide range of technologies capable of producing high-definition images. The technologies determine much of the quality and cost of a TV.
In general, the cost of an HDTV goes up as the screen size increases and the technology gets thinner. A svelte, 60-inch plasma TV, for example, will cost about 10 times as much as a bulky, 30-inch CRT.
Several others create images using small electronic microdisplays along with lights, mirrors and lenses to project that image onto a large screen.
Two other technologies create flat-panel TVs capable of hanging on the wall like a painting.
GET THE PICTURE?
— CRT
Direct-view CRT ($500-$1,000)
An upgraded version of the traditional cathode-ray tube picture-tube TV.
Pros: Generally the least-expensive HDTV option. Considered the gold standard of picture quality.
Cons: Limited screen size. Bulky and heavy.
Rear-projection CRT ($1,000-$1,700)
A digital version of traditional big-screen TV technology.
Pros: The least-expensive big-screen HDTV option.
Cons: Limited image brightness. Extremely bulky and heavy.
— Microdisplay
Rear-projection DLP, or Digital Light Processor ($1,700-$5,000)
A microdisplay technology using more than 1 million microscopic mirrors to control the image on the screen.
Pros: The most common, time-tested microdisplay TV. Brighter, thinner and lighter than CRT projection TVs. Less expensive than flat-panel TVs.
Cons: Some viewers perceive a "rainbow effect" on the screen, especially on earlier models.
Rear-projection LCD, or liquid crystal display ($1,700-$4,000)
A microdisplay technology that uses three tiny LCD displays, one each for the colors red, blue and green, to control the pixels projected on-screen.
Pros: Brighter, thinner and lighter than CRT projection TVs. Less expensive than flat-panel TVs. No "rainbow effect."
Cons: Black pixels not as dark as DLP.
Rear-projection LCOS, or liquid crystal on silicon.
A microdisplay technology that uses mirrors, similar to DLP, and three displays, similar to LCD.
Pros: Brighter, thinner and lighter than CRT projection TVs. Less expensive than flat-panel TVs. No "rainbow effect."
Cons: Black pixels not as dark as DLP.
— Flat panel
Plasma ($2,000-$10,000)
A flat-panel technology that uses tiny fluorescent bulbs to create pixels.
Pros: Thin. Picture quality second only to direct-view CRT. Plasma monitors larger than about 40 inches can be less expensive than comparable flat-panel LCDs.
Cons: Expensive. Heavy. High power consumption. Smaller models often not capable of true HDTV (minimum 720 horizontal lines). Early models had problems with burn-in and longevity. Many analysts believe those problems have been resolved.
LCD ($400-$3,500)
The familiar flat-panel technology found in laptop and cell phone screens.
Pros: Thin. Weigh less and use less power than plasma. LCD monitors smaller than about 40 inches can be more affordable and have higher resolution than comparable plasma TVs.
Cons: Black pixels not as dark as plasma. Limited screen size.
