You can’t spend thousands of dollars on a Plasma TV and then slap a set of "rabbit ears" on it! This is the 21st century . . . you can’t expect to plug old style broadcast or cable into a Plasma TV and get a decent picture. A High Def Plasma TV is four times sharper than your old picture tube TV. It needs a high octane, finely detailed signal to produce that crystal sharp Plasma screen image you expect and deserve.

If you are willing to pay the price for a High Def Plasma, go all the way and upgrade to digital cable so you’ll have a HDTV signal to go with it. Of course you should buy a home theater system with a High Def DVD player, and get several good sets of HDMI cables to connect everything.

With your new Big Screen TV connected to a Dolby Surround Sound system, a HDTV DVD player and digital cable, you can sit back with your family and enjoy your splendid new Home Theater!

And also never forget to budget for all the peripherals you’re going to need. For full enjoyment of your new Plasma TV, you can’t just buy the TV and sit back grinning. You’re going to need other stuff: HDMI cables for each peripheral, surge protectors, a TV stand or wall mount, a HDTV DVD player and digital cable for High Definition broadcasts. You’ll also need an amplifier with at least Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, a subwoofer and speakers and a comfortable viewing area. "Home Theater in A Box" systems start at $200 with Dolby 5.1 and go up to more than $1000 for Dolby 6.1 and 7.1 systems.

If you are willing to pay the price for a High Def Plasma, go all the way and upgrade to digital cable so you’ll have a HDTV signal to go with it. Of course you should buy a home theater system with a High Def DVD player, and get several good sets of HDMI cables to connect everything. With your new Big Screen TV connected to a Dolby Surround Sound system, a HDTV DVD player and digital cable, you can sit back with your family and enjoy your splendid new Home Theater! You’re going to need other stuff: HDMI cables for each peripheral, surge protectors, a TV stand or wall mount, a HDTV DVD player and digital cable for High Definition broadcasts.

I’m not trying to scare you. A modest system can cost less than $300 if you hook up your old stereo, DVD player and VCR to the Plasma TV. This will not give you HDTV or Dolby sound, but it will beat the crappy built-in speakers.

A good system (with HDTV DVD player and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound) should cost in the range of $800-$1000. The sky is the limit for the price of a Top of the Line Home Theater System (Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, soundproofing, TiVo, digital cable, theater seating); prices start at $1500 and go up. None of the above cost estimates includes the price of a Big Screen HDTV Plasma, DLP or LCD TV.

By: Bob Willson