I’m slowly getting ready to buy a high def TV but I’m a little unsure which direction to take. I have read that the 1080p standard is the highest we’ll see (for now) so the natural conclusion is to get the best I can. That said, I’ve also read that most broadcasts, DVDs, and the XBOX 360 will not make use of that standard.
Does anyone know what video I can actually see at 1080p?
If 1080p is not going to be a common standard then which would someone who wants to watch high def cable, DVDs, and XBOX 360 games shoot for?
Stictly a HDTV user here, but my belief is that a progressive scan will become the de facto standard in the coming years, as (1) progressive scan makes for an easier film-to-video transfer, and (2) there is a perception that interlaced formats show objects in motion more poorly; this is why ESPN and Fox–two channels committed to sports action–broadcast in 720p.
Personally, my HD-ready set can handle either format, while my tuner (HD-Tivo) will convert quite nicely between the two. I would think any decent HD-ready monitor would do the same.
So what would be the basic toys to buy to have an HD setup? I already have various VCR and DVD players/recorders with my current TVs. Besides the HDTV itself, do I need to purchased anything else?
Also, I believe there was a Slashdot story months back claiming the HDTV manufacturers really are not producing true HDTV equipment. Instead, they compromised on the components and that’s why prices are coming down real fast. Any truth to this?
Your VCR won’t record HiDef content, so best to get a HiDef DVR. If you have to buy one, plan on shelling out at least $500, maybe more. I have comcast cable, and they will lease you one for about $15/month ($5 for the HiDef feature, $10 for the DVR).
A decent surround system will help, too, since HiDef content is usually broadcast in Dolby5.1. You can get a pretty good one for not much money.
Most HiDef TVs do not have the HiDef tuner in it, unless you shell out quite a bit more for the unit. If you have line of site to the transmitting tower, you can receive the signal over-the-air. If not, you’ll have to buy a tuner. For cable, see my note above. I think for satellite you end up buying the tuner, but I’m not sure about that.
I just purchased a Mitsubishi WD-52678 two days ago and I am in awe…and then I found out I can make the picture even BETTER (going from 1080i to 1080p) by getting a cableCARD from the cable company and get rid of my cable box. Lotsa other goodies that I’m still learning about as well. Got it for $3300+tax.
I did see the difference (at the electronic/appliance store) between 1080i (interlaced) and 1080p (progressive scan) and 1080p was very appreciable, I became hooked for about half hour just staring at the differences with both tv’s running the same loop, side by side. 1080p is a MAJOR step up in picture and price ($2200 v. $3300).
1080p (while awesome) is nowhere near being any kind of “standard” yet. AFAIK, no one is broadcasting in 1080p and no HD video games support it. In fact, the only thing that supports it is HD DVD (both BluRay and HD-DVD), but I’ll be damned if I’m going to buy an HD DVD player any time soon*. Also, there are thousnds of people that have had HD for a couple of years already that don’t have HDMI or 1080p, so I don’t think that broadcasters want to piss off the early adopters by going to 1080p only. (AFAIK, 1080p can be downsampled to 1080i for sets that only support it).
Oh, and I’d skip CableCARD for now. Sure, they sound cool and all, but every CableCARD in use in the United States is version 1.0, which only supports one-way data transmission, and that’s from the cable company’s head-end to your TV. Which means that you can’t use Pay-Per-View and Movies on Demand with CableCARD at present. CableCARD 2.0 will support two-way data transfers (and thus PPV and MOD), but CableLABS have been dragging their feet with 2.0 so long, one wonders if it’ll ever show up at all.
Having said all that, all of the logic and hardware needed for CableCARD to work on your TV are included on the card itself. This means that if you buy a TV with CableCARD support today, it won’t be obsolete when (if) CableCARD 2.0 comes out. CableLABS designed it that way, in a rare showing of a company\consortium actually keeping the consumer’s needs in mind.
= Of course, there are no HD DVD players out yet, so that’s also an issue. But either format - both BluRay and HD-DVD - require an HDMI connection, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up my DVRs HDMI connection just for the occasional DVD. Plus, I’m not going to ditch my current DVD collection so I can pay thousands for the HD DVD equivalent. As standard “upsampling” DVD players continue to improve their picture quality, one wonders if they won’t become the HD format of choice instead.
Very good info, thanks guys. It sounds like the 1080p stuff isn’t where the action is at even if its the highest standard out there. Maybe I’ll shoot a little lower and get the 720p which the XBOX will support. Thanks again!
FWIW, an update: I went to my cable company yesterday and decided to get an HD Cable Box instead of CableCARD 1.0. Charter wanted $35 for the installation of the CableCARD but only $1.50 per month thereafter, but I will wait for 2.0 to come out next year and then have it installed…meanwhile, I am thoroughly enjoying my new TV to the point of falling asleep in my recliner for the last 3 nights.
HD is the only way to go. I’m almost to the point where I won’t watch programs that are not in HD. I’m definitely there with movies on cable channels-- if it’s not in HD, I just don’t watch it.
I think we’re going to see a huge upsurge in HD sets in households next year. With luck, that will banish SD programming to the hinterlands, where it bleongs.
Depends on the program type. Expect news and reality TV shows to continue in interlaced format for a long time to come, for the simple reason that we’ve come to associate video-like, interlaced pcitures as “here and now and real and live” as compared with film style progressive images that usually mean “fiction, past tense, scripted” etc.
I’ve worked on TV shows where they’ve had the opportunity to use progressive scan and have stuck with interlaced – even though it looks worse – for just those reasons.
And I can’t say I disagree with them, much as I prefer progressive images.
