Upgrading to HDTV before the Super Bowl

By Aimee Norton

Published: January 30, 2008

Do your Superbowl plans include a new TV? You aren’t alone.

“I’ve seen a huge increase. We stay constantly busy,” said Chris Gray, a Senior Sales Associate in Best Buy’s Home Theater Department.

He’s seeing a rush of people looking for a new HDTV. It’s the same story at Sam’s Club.

“Most people want to get the high definition picture and so they look for one that’s affordable. They look for one that’s pretty much a bigger size,” said Sam’s Club Sales Associate Chris Jaggers.

An average HDTV runs between $700 and $1,200, plus the cables and components. They can add another $100 to $300.

“It’s a little bit more expensive but the quality is the best you can get out there right now. It has the audio and video in the one cable which makes it a lot nicer so you don’t have to have a whole lot of cables wrapped up in your TV,” said Jaggers.

“You just want to look for an HDTV which is going to be digital and has a digital tuner built into it,” Gray said.

Because next February all broadcasts will be digital. That doesn’t mean you have to run out and buy an HDTV. You can get a converter box instead to get a digital signal, but Jaggars says if you’re thinking about an upgrade…

“A high definition TV’s the way to go because it has everything you need in it.”

“Most of what we sell is HD. So when you’re upgrading, it’s better just to go ahead and upgrade with one of the newer technologies,” said Gray

If you get in the game now...you’ll be ready to watch the Super Bowl in high def by Sunday.