Buying a new TV?

I am in the process of buying one of those new slim widescreen televisions. However, I am a bit confused about some of the terminology they use these days. For example, is it essential to buy a HD TV? What about a tv with a digital logo. What is the difference between the two? Also, the government is saying that it will be changing to digital from analogue within the next few years. So does that mean I must buy a HD or digital tv? What happens if I buy an ordinary wide screen tv? Would I miss out on tv programmes?





Finally, if I buy a HD TV, would I need to buy another dvd player? At present, I subscribe to sky. With a HD TV would my subscription to sky increase? Would I need a new sky box?





Many Thanks in advance for your response

Buying a new TV?
If you are buying a new tv there are basically two types of tvs out there hd and digital the first one is ready to accept hd signals as it has at least 1 hdmi socket incorporated in it the second type digital just means if you connect a digital source to it ai will work with it ie digital cable or standard sky. secondly if you buy either set you only need to subscribe to sky hd service if 1 you want to but you would need to purchase the hd ste as a digital one would not generally have the hdmi connexion fitted just a scart socket and to answer your question about the dvd recorder a standard one will work on either set but I would hang fire on the hd dvd recorder as they cant make their mind up about which format to use HDD or blue ray or another format and the recorders are anywhere between £500:00 and £1200:00 at present even the film industry dont know which format will win out a bit like the old betamax and vhs wars 20 years ago I hope this helps
Reply:There are a lot of questions here so I have taken them one at a time -





%26lt;is it essential to buy a HD TV?%26gt;


No. HD means High Definition - the picture quality is better so long as you are watching a HD channel or using a HD source





%26lt;What about a tv with a digital logo. What is the difference between the two?%26gt;


'Digital' means the TV will receive Freeview through your TV aerial. HD refers to the ability to view a high definition channel (which could be Freeview or Sky)





%26lt;the government is saying that it will be changing to digital from analogue within the next few years. So does that mean I must buy a HD or digital tv?%26gt;


HD is not an issue. You say you have Sky. If you intend to stay with Sky then it makes no difference whether the TV receives digital (i.e. Freeview) or not. If you think you may stop subscribing to Sky then you should buy a digital TV (although even if you didn't you could always plug in an external Freeview box, but having digital built in makes more sense)





%26lt;What happens if I buy an ordinary wide screen tv? Would I miss out on tv programmes?%26gt;


Not if you stick with Sky, otherwise you will need a Freeview box when the analogue service is terminated. The lack of HD is not a factor, it just means you will not be able to take advantage of the High Definition channels (but you can see the same programs in the ordinary resolution).





%26lt;Finally, if I buy a HD TV, would I need to buy another dvd player?%26gt;


Your present DVD player would work, but you would not be able to view in High Definition. For that you would need a new machine - currently quite expensive but prices will tumble next year.





%26lt;At present, I subscribe to sky. With a HD TV would my subscription to sky increase? Would I need a new sky box?%26gt;





You could use your existing box and pay the same but you would be unable to view programs in High Definition. You would need a new Sky box and around a 15 quid per month increase in subscription to be able to see the new channels in HD mode.








Personally I would buy a HD set with Digital (unless money is really tight). A good 32 inch can be bought for less than 600 pounds. That way you are ready for HD when it really takes off and you have the option to leave Sky and go with Freeview if you want to save the subscription
Reply:u dont need a hd tv an ordinary lcd tv would be fine, if you did get a hd you wouldnt need to upgrade sky, only if you wanted a better picture