Most digital TV sets on the market today display pictures in HDTV because manufacturers want to show off the best digital format to customers first.

Cheaper sets display the lowest digital TV format, standard-definition TV. SDTV eliminates snow and ghosts in pictures but doesn't have the resolution of HDTV. Sets that accommodate SDTV should be on the market by late 1999.

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Q: Is the difference in picture quality that noticeable?

A: With HDTV, viewers can pick out faces in a crowd or veins on a leaf, details that analog signals can't provide. SDTV cleans up interference in analog pictures, but viewers won't notice a large difference from their current picture, Kaufhold said.

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Q: Do I have to get rid of my old TVs to receive digital TV?

A: No. Some retailers recommend that consumers wait to buy a digital TV until manufacturers sort out what features they want to offer.

Consumers have several options now. They can purchase HDTVs at eye-popping prices of $5,000 to $10,000. Most of these sets are enormous rear-projection models in various widths. And some sets on the market are "HDTV-ready," which means they require a decoder box to receive digital signals.

Eventually consumers will have to replace their analog sets or buy a digital decoder box.

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Q: When will the new TV sets be available?

A: HDTV and HDTV-ready models are available now. Most major TV manufacturers have sets on the market. Some--such as Thomson, which owns the RCA and ProScan brands--will ship display models this fall, with sets for purchase available next spring. Others, such as Mitsubishi, will sell several models this winter.

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Q: When will the price of digital TVs start to fall?

A: Manufacturers say limited sales expectations and expensive components have boosted prices. Prices will fall when the industry sells enough of the TVs to justify manufacturing larger numbers of them. But this is unlikely to happen soon.

About 95% of all TVs sold in the U.S. today are priced below $1,000. HDTV prices won't hit the $1,000 range in the next five years, according to Jim Palumbo, president of U.S. marketing and sales for Sony. Even smaller standard-definition sets are expected to be priced in the $3,000 range.

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Q: Will the new digital TVs be compatible with my current VCR and my stereo?