-JA> Hello Greg!
-JA> Sunday May 18 1997 00:59, Greg Caliri wrote to Mike Castor:
-JA> GC> It is expected that digital sets will hit the market in two years
-JA> GC> and carry a heavy price tag.  It is also expected that the price tag
-JA> GC> will drop significantly as 2006 approaches.
-JA> I saw a notice (in Broadcast and Cable Fax) that a
-JA> BROADCAST-ONLY set would be coming out around Christmas
-JA> next year ('98) and the expected price would be about half
-JA> the cost of a small car....ie about $2-3,000! :(
 
Well, it might be the price of a small used car - you're not
going to get a new car for $6,000 anywhere that I know of.
 
Like any technology, the research and development costs will
be paid for by those who first buy into it.  For comparison-
 
VCRs - in the late 1970s, they were around $700 in the currency
of the day.  Now, you can pick up a cheapo for $200.
 
Color TV - back in the 1950s, an RCA cost around $550, a Zenity
even more, a DuMont even more.  In the 1970s, they still cost
around that much.  Now, a 27 inch TV is, what, around $350? Or
less?
 
Cellular Phones - used to be very, very steep, now they give
them away.
 
Satellite TVROs - three years ago, they were $700 or more. Now
they can be had in the $250 range, or for free if tied into 
subscription to a particular service.
 
It's anticipated that the cost will drop to a little more than
today's prices for conventional sets by the time you will need
one.  My only advice would be not to invest big $$$ in a TV
set using conventional technology now, as it will have a limited
lifespan.  I have a Kloss NovaBeam (11 years old) and a 21" TV
(13 years old).  If the NovaBeam dies, I will not go out and 
buy a large-screen TV right now.  If the upstairs TV craps out,
I will (obviously) have to replace it but won't spend over $250.
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