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There's a lot of talk about the economy these days.  Things are slowing down and people are trying more than ever to make their hard earned money work for them.  We don't claim to be financial advisers or economic experts, we don't even play them on the Internet, but we do have a few options for those looking to enjoy HDTV while riding out a difficult economy.  Because as we all know, some things in life are optional, Starbucks, Swedish massages, expensive creams and lotions ... but HDTV is not.

HDTV Options on the Cheap

Over the Air TV
HDTV is available for in many different places all across the globe.  Certainly here in the United States, if you have a big enough antenna, odds are you can get crystal clear HDTV with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for not monthly fee whatsoever.  In fact not only is it free, it tends to be the best quality broadcast available.  All you need is the antenna and a tuner and you can watch all of the major networks (NCB, CBS, ABC, FOX) without paying a penny.  Clearly no one should be without HDTV even in the worst of times.

Basic Cable
Basic cable tends to give you a handful of analog channels for a very reasonable monthly cost.  Of course most people don't have basic cable.  They upgrade to digital and then to HDTV, add a few movie channels and voila, you're paying over $100 per month.  You can save a ton of money every month by cutting that back tremendously.  And here's the kicker.  With that basic cable package you tend to get all your local channels - in SD and in HD!  That's right, most Cable companies broadcast the locals in HD unencrypted. 

You get all the benefits of over-the-air for a small monthly fee, but no antenna is required.  If you live too far from the broadcast towers for the antenna option to work, basic cable is a great idea.  All you need for this one is a QAM tuner.  While they aren't as standard as the ATSC tuners needed for over-the-air, most HDTVs have them built in.  And you get the added benefit of being able to randomly tune in what your neighbors are watching on Pay-Per-View.  Be careful, though, you never know what they could be into.

Hulu
Hulu is a website that streams TV shows and movies for free.  They have a limited number of commercials, but what doesn't these days?  Even websites have commercials now.  Hulu has a bunch of movies and TV shows including some current programming like the brand new Knight Rider, The Office, The Daily Show and Lipstick Jungle.  Hulu is working on HD content.  While it isn't available for the stuff we want to watch yet, it could be soon.  And the stuff they have isn't that bad.  With a small investment in PlayOn, you can stream Hulu content to your Xbox 360 or PS3.  Another free TV option.  Not HD, but could be.
 
Netflix
Where else can you have access to any movie you'd ever want to watch for only $8.99 a month.  For the cost of a larger burger combo with fries, you have over 100,000 DVD titles at your fingertips.  There's also the 12,000 TV shows and movies available for instant streaming to your computer, or your TV with a small investment in a player.  If you prefer watching movies or don't mind waiting for a show's season and just renting the DVD, Netflix is a great option.  We're still very optimistic that Netflix will begin to add newer and newer titles to the instant viewing library so you don't even have to wait for the DVD to show up in the mail.

If you look hard enough, there are options out there.  Combining over-the-air TV and Hulu gets you a solution for a small upfront investment (antenna and potentially a Hulu player) but zero monthly cost.  Stepping up to basic cable and Netflix provides more content than most people can watch in a week, reduces the upfront cost but incurs a small monthly fee.  There are options out there.  You shouldn't have to go without HDTV.  Do your homework and you'll find the solution that's right for you.