HDTV and You.

cosmonutcosmonut
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm just curious to know how many of us have switched to HD already. What are your thoughts about having switched or not having switched?



I own a tube HDTV and watch over-the-air HD broadcasts with its ATSC tuner. I've got to say that I love it -- especially since I don't have to pay out the wahzoo for HD programming! Since we have about double the digital channels vs. analog on our airwaves, our family has plenty of options for TV viewing.



I'm definitely looking forward to more and more programming going HD as time goes on. This June we will have local news in HD as soon as one of our stations finishes their new building.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    smashbrosfansmashbrosfan Posts: 139member
    I don't own a HDTV, and polled as such. But when I do end up getting one, it'll be over the air television for me. To be honest, I can't get cable, and satellite is far too expensive for me in my area. I'll most likely be getting a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player and renting movies.
  • Reply 2 of 17
    danielmorrisdanielmorris Posts: 5member
    I only saw a HD broadcast for the first time a few weeks ago, it's only just starting to take off in the U.K, I plan on buying Bravia with tv in a few weeks. I was very impressed with the quality, just wish there were more titles and channels available.
  • Reply 3 of 17
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    I own a HDTV because I won one a few years ago and my parents also have a HDTV because my Dad got it as a bonus from his work. I don't have a cable box but I'm able to get ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, NESN (which broadcasts Red Sox games), FSN (which broadcasts Celtics games), and PBS in HD over the cable wire. My parents have a cable box with their set and are able to get the same channels I listed along with ESPN, Discovery, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Starz HD, and Showtime HD.



    I kinda wish I got ESPN but it's not worth the added cost of renting a cable box each month.



    I know that there will be more HD programming in the future, but other than sporting events and primetime, it's rare to see any HD content. None of the local news programs are broadcast in HD, and I haven't seen any of the morning or national nightly news broadcasts in HD either. In fact, when I try to show people HD content during the day, I have to turn on a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD movie or turn to PBS HD.



    While it might be the future of television, people still have plenty of time for the cost of sets to go down before HD programming really becomes mainstream.
  • Reply 4 of 17
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fran441 View Post


    I haven't seen any of the morning or national nightly news broadcasts in HD either.



    Good Morning America and Today are both in HD and NBC Nightly News will go HD on Monday the 26th.
  • Reply 5 of 17
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    I will probably get an HDTV this year. Thought I was going to get one last year but had an unexpected expense come up that set me back a little. I'm still conflicted as to whether to get a 720p set or a 1080p capable set. The 720 sets are getting really cheap but will I regret it in a few years?
  • Reply 6 of 17
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    Wow, I have the only response so far for "not planning on getting one soon"



    It'll be at leaset two years for me, and probably longer. I most likely won't end up getting one until I buy a house, which is probably 4 or 5 years away.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,026member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    I will probably get an HDTV this year. Thought I was going to get one last year but had an unexpected expense come up that set me back a little. I'm still conflicted as to whether to get a 720p set or a 1080p capable set. The 720 sets are getting really cheap but will I regret it in a few years?



    True 1080p is still expensive, though it's starting to come down. When I bought my Panadonic 42" plasma (about $2100 then, $1600 now) they were still about $4000-5000.



    I don't think I'd wait or spend the extra cash, depending on what technology you're going to get. I have to say that even an upconverted DVD at 480p on my set looks great...almost as good as 720p content. My plan is to wait another 5 years...when everything is likely 1080p, then buy a second set or digital projector for a theatre room.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    dutch peardutch pear Posts: 588member
    Unfortunately the 20 channel analog philips tube from the early eighties is still humming along fine and moneywise the priorities are elswhere (getting a car, going on holiday, buying a MB with Leopard for work). Lucky for us Dutch tv sucks anyhow, so the mrs and me will just keep watching CSI and Lost on the iMac for the foreseeable future
  • Reply 9 of 17
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    True 1080p is still expensive, though it's starting to come down. When I bought my Panadonic 42" plasma (about $2100 then, $1600 now) they were still about $4000-5000.



    I don't think I'd wait or spend the extra cash, depending on what technology you're going to get. I have to say that even an upconverted DVD at 480p on my set looks great...almost as good as 720p content. My plan is to wait another 5 years...when everything is likely 1080p, then buy a second set or digital projector for a theatre room.



    Is your Pany a 720 or 1080 set? Are you happy with it?
  • Reply 10 of 17
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    Quote:

    Good Morning America and Today are both in HD



    I didn't check Good Morning America but the Today show was not broadcast in HD today, at least in my area. Maybe the Boston NBC affiliate doesn't broadcast the HD feed?



    Good to hear that the NBC Nightly News will be going HD on Monday though.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fran441 View Post


    Maybe the Boston NBC affiliate doesn't broadcast the HD feed?



    Sounds like it, but that's strange. Even the NBC affiliate in Kansas City shows it in HD.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Flounder View Post


    It'll be at leaset two years for me, and probably longer. I most likely won't end up getting one until I buy a house, which is probably 4 or 5 years away.



    Well you'll need to buy something by February 2009*, unless you have cable or satellite. If you watch over the air, the analog signals will be turned off then and you'll need a digital tuner box at a minimum to get anything after that.



    * - unless the date gets pushed back yet again.
  • Reply 13 of 17
    sw20sw20 Posts: 2member
    I cant stand watching SD programs now that I have OTA HD & limited channels on DTV in HD.No going back when watching something on HD,picture quality is so good.My PS3 is even better when playing Blue Ray
  • Reply 14 of 17
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CosmoNut View Post


    Well you'll need to buy something by February 2009*, unless you have cable or satellite. If you watch over the air, the analog signals will be turned off then and you'll need a digital tuner box at a minimum to get anything after that.



    * - unless the date gets pushed back yet again.



    Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the date is pushed back again. I do have cable now (first time ever!) although I haven't decided if I'll keep it once the introductory price (which I managed to get for 12 months) expires.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Here on da equator we get satellite TV which is great, since the free-to-air local stations are pretty much, well, for the unwashed masses. .... but the signal is Standard Def, and pretty mangled already with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compression at various stages of transmission etc etc. They are switching to a new satellite so maybe in the next few years some HD programming will start showing up. The shows are not that current though, except for like Gringo Idol, Heroes(w00t), and luckily NBA/ ESPN/ English Premier League/ PGATour etc etc. My ISP shapes BitTorrent hardcore, and it's international links are not that great, so even B1tor33nt is just nice for xvid SDTV rips.



    HD, oh HD, where art thou? When I was in Australia though free-to-air seemed to be starting to shift to digital, with some digital HD... though for PayTV the cable (Foxtel) receiver is at this stage SDTV only... This is AFAIK in Aust.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,026member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    Is your Pany a 720 or 1080 set? Are you happy with it?



    The first one was defective (anyone who knows me knows I have the worst luck with consumer electronics EVER. My last TV purchase took FOUR sets to get right). This one is nice. It's the highest rated consumer plasma (or was) in its class. Black level is excellent and it has great features like two HDMI inputs, HD zooming, etc. Color is extremely vivid. DVDs look almost HD-like.



    It does have some annoyances. I get jagged lines watching football at times (field lines), especially with motion. Fades are also uneven at times, looking blocky or pixelated. Some of that is the source material though, I'm sure.



    As for 720 v. 1080. Here's the thing..I am confused about that. I posted this in the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD thread in future hardware. It's supposed to be 720p/1080i. But when I hooked up my PS3, the PS3 told me it detected that the TV supported 1080p. How can that be?
  • Reply 17 of 17
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,026member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Flounder View Post


    Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the date is pushed back again. I do have cable now (first time ever!) although I haven't decided if I'll keep it once the introductory price (which I managed to get for 12 months) expires.



    I don't think it will get pushed back. It was supposed to be 2006.
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