Buying Your First Flat-Panel HDTV

This holiday season, flat panel televisions are sure to be among the hottest gift ideas. This new technology, once out of the average consumer's reach due to high prices and little competition, is fast becoming available at affordable prices. With growing demand for wide-screen formats and the increasing availability of high definition TV broadcasts via local cable providers, it looks like more consumers are making the switch to flat panel and sending their old, big, space-hogging sets to the junkyard. If you're looking to buy your first flat panel television for yourself, or if you're thinking about giving one as a gift, the Philips 17PF8946 17-inch model is a great place to start.

With a prohibitive list price of about $900, the Philips may seem a little steep. High seasonal demand and an increase in production and competition, however, have led to dramatic price decreases in recent times. Amazon.com now offers the Phillips 17" for under $500 ($491.90, to be exact, which they advertise as a price cut of 45%). With these kinds of discounts starting to spring up at all of the major retailers, it's hard to ignore the push the companies are making to get these products out there. So assuming you have a budget of around $500 for this device and this size range, is the Philips 17PF8946 worth your investment?