Televisions Full Story

The end of analog TV

While manufacturers have spent most of their time in recent years refining and improving their HDTV offerings, analog television has remained a popular and economical alternative for many, especially those who get all of their TV programming from non-high-definition cable or satellite. That alternative is now gone. By Federal Communications Committee (FCC) mandate, all TVs must now include a digital tuner. You can still find some old non-digital TVs on dealers' shelves, but when that inventory is sold out, only digital TVs will be available.

The end of analog televisions runs parallel to other legislation requiring the end of analog television signals on Feb. 17, 2009. At that point, all television will be digital. You'll still receive TV signals the same way -- through cable, satellite or over the air with an antenna -- but the signals will be digital rather than analog. That means you should get a clearer picture without the "snow" or fuzzy signals associated with analog TV (although digital signals can also suffer from occasional picture-quality problems). If you have an older analog TV, you won't be able to display digital television signals without an external adapter box. The legislation regarding new televisions means that you won't need any kind of adapter or external tuner to receive digital transmissions. Rather, the digital tuner is built into the TV.

There's a big difference between digital TV and high-definition HDTV. Digital television programs are broadcast at the same resolution as a standard DVD, while high-definition HDTV is a much bigger jump in picture quality and detail. If you have a standard-definition digital television, you'll be able to receive digital signals and HDTV broadcasts, but you won't be able to display HDTV programs at their full resolution. The images will instead be scaled down to fit your digital TV. Even so, digital television will provide a nicer picture quality than analog TV, and standard-definition digital televisions are less expensive than HDTVs.

Regardless of whether you purchase a new standard- or high-definition television, you will need no additional equipment aside from an antenna to receive digital signals over the air, assuming you are in range of a broadcast station. For cable subscribers, a television set that's also equipped with a digital tuner might be all you need to receive non-premium, unscrambled HDTV and other digital content. (Digital tuners are also called QAM, which stands for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation. This is the transmission scheme cable companies use to distribute digital TV signals.) For premium programming, you will still need an external decoder (such as a cable or satellite box). Cable and satellite subscribers will still get signals through a cable box or receiver.

Best standard televisions

While standard-definition TV sets lack the "wow" factor of HDTV televisions, they have one major advantage: lower cost. Standard-definition CRT TVs are now primarily made by a handful of lesser-known manufacturers (though sometimes under more familiar brand names that are used under license) and in only a few screen sizes.

The 27-inch Sansui DTV2760 (*Est. $255) is the largest CRT TV still being made. It is a low-priced, bare-bones model with few features. The Sansui is a digital standard-definition TV with a QAM-compatible tuner. If you want to use the TV as the centerpiece of a home theater setup, a coaxial digital audio output makes hooking the TV up to a home theater receiver easy. The only other feature of note is a 120-minute sleep timer.

Reviews on the Sansui DTV2760 are mixed and not particularly plentiful. Sears.com buyers seem mainly pleased. Most say the TV is reliable, with good picture quality and low cost. Two reviewers give it a middling rating. One criticizes image quality compared to an HDTV. The other complains about image lag when fed analog signals from a cable box and colors that are off. Interestingly, that same reviewer makes similar comments at Amazon.com. Two other reviews are posted at Amazon.com as well. One likes the TV, but spends most of the time complaining about a retailer. The other received a set with a discoloration at the top of the screen.

If you are looking for a more modest 20-inch screen, choices are more plentiful. Overall, we saw the best feedback for a pair of Funai-made options. One is the 20-inch Emerson CR202EM9 (*est. $135). There are a few positive reviews for this TV at WalMart.com (where it is primarily sold). The least favorable rating is three out of five stars, and even that reviewer says that the Emerson CR202EM9 is a solid set. The only complaint is that the sleep timer is only two hours long.

The Emerson CR202EM9 television has few features, and the tuner is not QAM compatible. However, this TV uses a flat picture tube, which does a better job than old-fashioned and less expensive curved tubes in combating room reflections. Users indicate that sound quality is above average -- which is important in a small television set since those are less likely to be hooked up to an external sound system. If you do want to send audio to an external home theater system, a coaxial digital audio output makes that possible. This TV is the successor to the 20-inch Emerson CR202EM8, which was also well received by users.

The 20-inch Sylvania CR202SL8 (*Est. $180) is largely similar, save for cabinet color (the Emerson TV has a charcoal cabinet, while the CR202SL8 is housed in a silver cabinet) and a higher price. The TV is available from a number of retailers, including Sears.com and Amazon.com. Reviews at Sears.com are again mostly positive, although one reports problems with a power supply that's failed several times, and two complain about poor picture quality. All other users seem pleased and say that reliability, picture quality and sound are good. We name the Emerson version of the television a ConsumerSearch Fast Answer because of its lower selling price, but the Sylvania CR202SL8 is otherwise a good choice as well in this screen size.

Dynex brand standard TVs are exclusively sold at Best Buy stores. The 24-inch Dynex DX-R24TV (*Est. $200) splits the screen-size difference between the Sansui and Funai TV's described above, but is otherwise unremarkable, and user reviews are not particularly strong. Some users are clearly fans, but a few too many complain of issues such as poor picture quality and slow channel changing. Less than 70 percent of reviewers say they would recommend the TV to a friend.

Reviews are notably better for the 20-inch Dynex DX-R20TV (*est. $150), though there are a number of complaints about slow channel changing. All in all, among 20-inch television sets, the Emerson CR202EM9 seems to leave customers more satisfied and is a better value.

Smaller-sized CRT-based TVs have almost completely disappeared from the marketplace. One option is the 13-inch Haier HTR13 (*Est. $140) . That TV gets positive support at Amazon.com, but the three user reviews there don't provide enough of a basis to make a strong recommendation and availability is very limited. The Sylvania CR130SL8 (*Est, $160) is another option. However, we've seen no user feedback on it at all.