Zenith Chops Prices for HDTV

HDTV is another technological advance that's on a lot of peoples' "when it becomes affordable" wish list. I don't watch many movies, but whenever I drop by the electronics store and see a basketball game in progress on one of these boxes, I start to seriously consider raising the balance on my credit card. Zenith says that it's making an effort to make HDTV more affordable with a series of incentives ranging from zero-percent financing to rebates to price reductions on a bunch of its DTV products. The no-interest initiative, which is backed by GE Capital and runs through Feb. 28, 2002, lets you buy Zenith's 60" widescreen plasma panel HDTV display with no down payment, no payments and no interest payments for a year. Zenith also dropped the selling price on this display (model DPDP60W) to $19,999 from $25,000. The zero-percent financing offer also applies to the company's flat, thin LCD TVs: the 15" HDTV monitor (model ZLD15A1) which sells for $1,299, and the 20" EDTV (enhanced-definition television ) monitor (model ZLD20A1), which sells for $2,499. The rebate program, which applies to sets purchased through authorized Zenith dealers, extends to the company's line of direct-view CRT (cathode-ray tube) HDTV monitors including two 27", two 32", and two 36" models. Rebates in this limited time offer range from $50 to $150, depending on the model. Zenith also cut prices on its line of widescreen rear-projection HDTV monitors. Prices have been dropped to $2,799 from $3,000 for the 56" set (model D56W25), to $3,199 from $3,500 for the 61" set (model D61W25) and to $3,499 from $4,000 for the 65" set (model D65W25). If you're a sports fan, don't forget that the 2002 Winter Olympics will be broadcast in high definition.