The HDTV Market Follows the Same Route as the Personal Computers.

by Alfred Poor

Sales of HDTVs are more than doubling each year, technology advances are announced daily, and it's hard to keep up with this heady pace. But it all sounds strangely familiar. Take a moment to consider the personal computer market of 15 years ago. Back in 1991... * The computer you really wanted cost $3,000 or more; * System specifications were a confusing mess of acronyms and jargon, such as EGA and VGA, MHz and KB, IDE and DRAM, cache and interleave; * The technology was changing rapidly, making it hard to keep up with the differences between the 80386 and 80386SX and the new 80486; * If you walked into a computer store, you'd likely be confused by the answers to your questions; * If you went to more than one computer store, you'd find that you'd be told conflicting answers to your questions; * Some familiar brands such as IBM had personal computers, but you also were confronted by a host of unfamiliar brands such as Swan and Gateway and Sager and Packard Bell; * Your purchase was going to have to last you at least five years, so you wanted to make sure you bought a system that wasn't going to be obsolete overnight; and * You didn't want to make a stupid mistake, but it was hard to get enough information to make a confident decision. Fast-forward to 2006: this same list describes the current HDTV and digital TV market, only the jargon and acronyms and brands have changed. Early adopters and high-end HD television enthusiasts either have the time and interest to educate themselves, or have the money to let someone else figure it out for them. These people rely on the specialist magazines and custom HDTV installation services. As we climb into the fat part of the HDTV adopter curve, however, we encounter HDTV buyers who are more concerned with maximum results for minimum costs than with becoming experts in high definition television on their own. They need a source of independent, expert HDTV advice that will help them learn enough to make a confident, informed decision about their HDTV and home entertainment purchases, without having to invest a significant amount of time and money in the process. Alfred Poor's HDTV Resource Center is designed to meet the needs of the "fat part" of the HDTV adopter market, providing access to information that is presented in clear and accessible terms that will help buyers understand the important issues so that they can make up their own minds about which factors are most important for their needs and tastes. Alfred Poor has spent the last 20 years helping millions of readers cope with the confusion surrounding personal computers and related products, and has earned an international following in the process. He now turns his skills and two decades of experience to the HDTV and home entertainment market, with the goal of helping bewildered readers cut through the confusion, and make confident HDTV buying decisions. About the author: Alfred Poor has been one of the display industry's most knowledgeable and influential analysts and journalists for the past 20 years. His HDTV Resource Center and HDTV Buying Guides help consumers make sense out of the confusing HDTV market. As an independent industry expert Alfred provides expert advice consumers can trust.