Hamburg  - High-definition TV is the newest big thing. About 1.4 million Germans will have HDTV by the end of the year, according to BITKOM, a Berlin-based industry association.

That means they'll need a television with the HD-ready or Full-HD logo and a receiver to turn the high-definition satellite or cable signals into pictures and sound.

"Of course, this raises the question of who even needs HDTV," says Reinhard Otter of Video, a magazine published in Stuttgart.

HD films are becoming more common on Blu-ray, making the purchase of a Blu-ray player a no-brainer.

But investing in an HDTV receiver remains an investment in the future. A few broadcasters, like Premiere, primarily with its Premiere HD service, offer shows in HD format. Pro Sieben and Sat. 1 have only recently set up their HD services. ARD and ZDF have also announced that they will begin regular HD broadcasts in February 2010 with the start of the Winter Olympics.

But there are good reasons to invest in an HDTV receiver, especially when the old receiver is broken or a customer thinks its time to invest in a receiver with a hard drive. After all, HD receivers can also accommodate TV signals in the standard PAL format until HDTV becomes more widespread.

HD receivers cost about 200 euros (308.28 dollars). One of the simple models is the HC 5101 CICO from homecast, which receives the signal over a standard digital cable connection. Like most models, it comes with two CI slots for pay-TV cards.

The DSR9005/02 from Philips is designed for DVB-S, or satellite digital. It costs less than 300 euros (462.41 dollars). It does not need a special antenna for HD reception. A satellite dish for digital television reception will do. The DCR9000/02 for cable customers costs as much as the DSR9005/02.

Anyone interested in a Premiere subscription should ensure that their receiver supports the channel, which is not always the case. In an emergency, an adapter running for 70 to 100 euros (107.80-154.13 dollars), can help.

Some HDTV receivers come prepackaged with a hard drive, like the iCord HD from Humax, with a capacity of either 320 or 160 GB. It receives its HDTV signal via satellite, just like standard HDTV receivers.

The iCord comes with a twin-tuner, or two HD-tuners, allowing it to record up to four signals simultaneously in HD quality. The Topfield 7710 HD PVR also has a hard drive and two HD tuners, but can only record two signals simultaneously. With 160 GB of memory, both cost about 450 euros (693.60 dollars). The DigiCorder HD-S2 from Technisat retails for the same price.

Whether a customer opts for a hard drive or not, make sure your receiver comes with a connection so files can be transferred to an external hard drive. This is usually possible with an USB port. Ethernet connections are usually only for downloading technical updates.

The perfect HDTV receiver still doesn't exist, according to c't, a magazine published in Hanover. Based on a test it conducted, the magazine said the iCord scored well on recording due to its two tuners. But performance drops off when it has to play movies on a computer. Other models have problems with firmware. Then again, with so many developments popping up regularly, it won't take long for any test results to become outdated. (dpa)