At the end of last year, Clark proclaimed that HDTVs would be getting cheaper in January; more expensive closer to the Super Bowl; and cheaper once again as spring came. But that hasn't been the case. One disgruntled listener wrote in to say prices aren't getting cheaper, and Clark doesn't know what he's talking about.

The reality is that the prices of bigger screens are falling, while the prices on smaller screens are hanging out where they've been the past few months. Here's why: The early adopters got the biggest sets they could. Then the next wave of buyers bought in the 23-36 inch range. So demand remains strong in the smaller sizes and prices have stagnated. Meanwhile, the larger sets are dropping steadily in price.

Plasmas and rear projection HDTVs are the real deals, now that LCDs have emerged victorious in the format war. But over time, the prices of all HDTVs will decline and the picture will improve. Today it's not uncommon to get a 42-inch LCD in the $800 range, while you might find comparable plasmas in the $700 range. On a related note, did you know that you can get the best hi-def picture for free? Just buy an HDTV antenna for around $20, hook it up to your HDTV and you'll get a superior picture on regular broadcast channels than you would with satellite or cable.