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RETRO FIND: The high cost of High Definition TVs

HD TV in 1998 promised theater-like clarity at home. The cost? A whopping $5,500.

RETRO FIND: The high cost of High Definition TVs

HD TV in 1998 promised theater-like clarity at home. The cost? A whopping $5,500.

The picture is crisp. The sound is rich, high definition TV, sets shaped like movie screens are now at *** store near you. I've got, you know, projection TV, and this just makes it look sick. But the $5500 price tag can cause *** queasy feeling you have to get the box and that's another $1500. So would you pay $5500 for *** TV? Down payment on *** car or *** house? The FCC says Sacramento area stations must start high definition broadcasting by November of 1999. That doesn't mean we pitch our old tvs. If 85% of the public does not have HD TV, or is not capable of receiving HD TV signal, then they will continue analog broadcasting. They're not going to take away from people and not let them be able to see it. Broadcasters will start *** gradual conversion be like TV, history repeating itself like when color first came on the scene. So they broadcast color T VA few hours at night and then as more and more programming became available, there was more and more color broadcasts, the high definition revolution is forcing another change. Local TV, repair guys have to go back to school. It's all digital so we have to upgrade all the things. Now, when computers vcrs and games first came out, they were pretty pricey too. But the dealers who sell the HD TV, say that those prices will have to go down too. Dealers insist it's only *** matter of time before we're looking at TV. Differently in Sacramento, Tim Herrera channel three reports.
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RETRO FIND: The high cost of High Definition TVs

HD TV in 1998 promised theater-like clarity at home. The cost? A whopping $5,500.

Major upgrades to television have sparked excitement and worry since its inception. The biggest since the advent of color broadcasts was the switchover from Standard Definition to High Definition. The new HD technology of 1998 promised to bring the clarity of the movie theater into your home. Stations were mandated to broadcast in HD by the end of 1999. It was a new era, but not one that came cheap. A new HD TV cost around $5,500. That’s about $10,600 in today’s money. To the vast relief of many, the costs of TV went down as the technology improved and became more readily available. Today you can buy 55-inch smart TVs for under $400!Do you remember the switch from SD to HD? Watch the video to see the amazing late-90s tech.If you enjoyed this video, here are a few more blasts from the past.

Major upgrades to television have sparked excitement and worry since its inception. The biggest since the advent of color broadcasts was the switchover from Standard Definition to High Definition.

The new HD technology of 1998 promised to bring the clarity of the movie theater into your home. Stations were mandated to broadcast in HD by the end of 1999. It was a new era, but not one that came cheap. A new HD TV cost around $5,500. That’s about $10,600 in today’s money.

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To the vast relief of many, the costs of TV went down as the technology improved and became more readily available. Today you can buy 55-inch smart TVs for under $400!

Amazon
Roku 50" Select Series 4K HDR Smart RokuTV
Amazon
TCL 55-Inch Class S4 4K LED Smart TV
Amazon
LG 43-Inch Class UR9000 Series Alexa Built-in 4K Smart TV

Do you remember the switch from SD to HD? Watch the video to see the amazing late-90s tech.

If you enjoyed this video, here are a few more blasts from the past.