Free LCD TV prize fantastic; but set-up costs are big surprise

Yes you read it right ... I WON AN HD TV! Pepsi Canada and Doritos sponsored a contest, giving away a prize every hour, 24 hours a day for more than month. There were hundreds of free prizes, including Samsung portable DVD players, Samsung MP3 players, Xbox gaming systems plus Xbox accessories and once a day Samsung 40" flat-panel LCD TVs .

It truly was an amazing promotion (in Canada only) which made a lot of Americans jealous and a lot of us Canadians very very happy.

Naturally I was thrilled when the courier arrived with the huge Samsung box. Even he was impressed with the size of the package and of course the fact that I won it. But strangely, this great $2,500 prize sat unopened in my family room for several weeks. Why?

Because I was completely intimidated by the world of HDTV. The extensive research I did online only compounded my procrastination. Setting up my prize seemed very complicated, and certainly not the simple plug'n'play offered by the analog TV that had entertained me for years.

That 37-inch Toshiba was state-of-the-art television in its day. It had a cable TV input, couple of RCA video/audio outlets and new-fangled technology called ‘S' video for high-resolution input from high-priced DVD players (yes, I'm old enough to remember when DVD players cost well-over $1,000).

HD televisions can be intimidating (and expensive) to set up

As I read about HD TVs, there were new terms: HDMI/DVI, component cables, and digital audio. Plus there was something relative new in Canada: high-def digital personal video recorders (PVRs) that are absolutely necessary to enjoy hi-definition Canadian television.

I started by visiting several electronics retailers to get a better idea what I needed to buy. The Samsung and most HDTVs come with the basic cabling necessary get the high-end device up and running with standard analog devices such as DVD players and VHS recorders. But other optional pieces of the hi-def puzzle need to be added, at additional cost.

That's when I discovered the first essential piece of the puzzle was a high-definition digital box from either my local cable company  (Rogers, Shaw, etc), Canadian satellite companies (BellTV ExpressVu or StarChoice ) or a new USA upstart now here - TIVO Canada . The cost for this device varied from $25 a month rental all the way up to $750 plus taxes for the full personal digital recorder (PVR), depending on the provider. But without it, you will not see any high-definition broadcasts. Period.

Many Canadians end up disappointed when they plug their new HDTV straight into their non-digital cable or satellite boxes and wonder why the programs look horrible. Turns out the digital signal requires that expensive new equipment. Hmmm, add that cost to the total price of your switchover to hi-def.

But before you buy or rent your new digital box, you need to decide on cable versus satellite services because all the digital boxes are proprietary. Costs vary dramatically depending on the broadcast packages you want.

Okay now you've bought or rented the new digital box. Hmmm, now you need to subscribe to the high-definition channels in Canada. Without going into details, Rogers, Shaw Cable, BellTV Express Vu and Star Choice all have a wide variety of entertainment and sports packages available to subscribers.

Research it carefully though. Everyone's tastes and interests are different. Every company has promotional deals, so work one company against the other. I got three months of premium channels from my cable provider when I threatened to switch over to satellite.

 Extra Cables, Stand and Mount All Add to Cost of Installing HD TVs

Okay, you've decided on your TV services provider, then bought or rented your digital box. So far, so good. Turns out you need new HDMI cables to get the best output to your TV from your digital box and gaming device. Hmmm, depending on length and manufacturer, that new high-end wire will run from $29.95 from Apple Canada (promoting their new Apple TV device) all the way to $300 from Monster Cables (ouch!!!).

It all adds up quickly, and you're not done yet. That old TV stand that held up the monster analogue television will probably not work for the new lighter LCD or plasma HDTVs. I decided to move the old TV to another room while mounting the new flat-panel TV on the wall.

That meant I needed to buy a new TV stand for my various input devices like the DVD player, VCR and Sony PS3 console. I splurged on a $500 beautiful black Sonora home entertainment stand that is a piece of art. Afterall, the HDTV was free (though my wife starting to wonder how much my free prize was actually going to cost us)!

And finally I decided that the flat-panel would look best mounted on the wall. I got more sticker-shock when I started looking at the various mounting components. Again prices ranged from $80 for an articulating wall-mount, all the way up to $1,000 for a name-brand version. I was really nervous about buying the much, much cheaper wallmount. The price discrepancy seemed too much. However, the 40-inch TV is still hanging beautiful, despite the fact that my son-in-law and I took a couple of hours to do the installation rather than pay an installed a couple of hundred dollars.

Oh, and I added a three-year extended warranty for $269 with my local electronics store. Hmmm, I think that's it (or at least all that I'm willing to admit in case my wife is reading this).

Final price tag setting up my free HDTV:  $1,500 ... but at least I didn't have to pay for the television (thanks Pepsi)!

So are you ready to make the switch to high-definition from the old TV sitting in your family room? Make sure you add up all the costs, beyond the price tag on that new HDTV. I love the fabulous crisp detail and surround sound available on HD channels. Once you go hi-def, you will certainly never go back. Was it worth the cost? Absolutely. Just make sure your budget includes all the extras you will want or need to buy to maximize the wide-screen experience. It makes watching television almost like going to the movies.