# So Do I go HDTV or Not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530 "2006-09-13T12:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/41 "2006-09-17T04:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=Annie] In Canada? Check [this site](http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/) for advice on what your sat. company offers on HD and if it seems worth it to you. If you like sports, keep in mind that a lot of the Sportsnet/TSN content on the HD channels is not HD yet. Sweet fuck all of CBC’s content is HD. [/quote] Not true. Hockey Night in Canada broadcast one of the two weekly games in HD every week last year (they had one HD truck, so had to pick). I beleive this year they will have a second truck, and most hockey should be HD. Every CFL game I saw this year was HD. Mind you, I only saw 3 or 4 games, but it made me think HD is the norm. And they broadcast all international HD content in HD. > [@](#): > > In short: > > 1. Check your cable/satellite company offerings for what channels they offer in HD > 2. Do you watch these channels now? > > I have Shaw, and effective January their basic HD tier will be ABC/NBC/PBS/CBC/CTV/CBS; their ‘pay an extra $10’ tier will be Sportsnet/TSN/CTVEast/Discovery/A&E/National Geographic. I watch the regular networks, but not the sports/geese fucking/CSI:Toledo channels so I’ll skip tier 2 when they start charging. I have Shaw as well, and their HD content sucks compared to the competition. Rogers has many more HD channels, as do both major satellite providers. I’m really annoyed that they think they can charge extra for HD channels when even with all of them being free they still wouldn’t have as much HD content as their competitors, all of whom offer their HD content for free. Shaw sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/42 "2006-09-17T05:52:09Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Not true. Hockey Night in Canada broadcast one of the two weekly games in HD every week last year (they had one HD truck, so had to pick). I beleive this year they will have a second truck, and most hockey should be HD. Every CFL game I saw this year was HD. Mind you, I only saw 3 or 4 games, but it made me think HD is the norm. [/quote] So, Leafs games, and whatever CFL games they can get the truck to? > [@](#): > > And they broadcast all international HD content in HD. They don’t have a lot of inter’l content (as compared to CTV & Global). When they get up to 50% HD prime time cotent I’ll think they have a lot of HD content. > [@](#): > > I have Shaw as well, and their HD content sucks compared to the competition. Rogers has many more HD channels, as do both major satellite providers. > > I’m really annoyed that they think they can charge extra for HD channels when even with all of them being free they still wouldn’t have as much HD content as their competitors, all of whom offer their HD content for free. Shaw sucks. If my building let me have a dish, I’d be getting one-whichever company it is that Shaw owns. Their customer service is pretty damn good, but the content-pthhhht. But now they have time shift CTV so I can watch the Daily Show at 8pm, so I’m happy. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/43 "2006-09-17T13:39:32Z")
[QUOTE=Mr2001] I suppose that term applies better to HDCP, the encryption scheme, than to HDMI, the connector. In any case, the goal is to keep the information being transmitted secret from you, the consumer. [/QUOTE] Ok, reading between the lines here, you confused HDCP with HDMI and are doing damage control. [QUOTE=Mr2001] If you buy HDTV, you buy into this whole scheme. If you don’t, you can point out the reasons you haven’t bought one and demand that manufacturers support _you_ instead of the other way around. If you only use it to watch cable or broadcast TV, rather than movies, I suppose it’s not so bad. But you’re still increasing the installed base of sets that support this insidious scheme, making it more likely that future generations of technology will only work with encrypted connections. [/QUOTE] You can continue your one-man crusade against this perceived threat all you want, but in the meantime the HDTV innovation continues. Until my hardware blocks me from doing something I want to do (like um, watch a movie or watch TV), it’s not a big deal to me. This is a sour grapes, way off-topic tangent to the OP. The OP asked if they should get HD satellite, to which I answer definitely yes if they want to get the best picture on their new TV, at least on the channels that are available in HD. The OP should also check out whether local stations are available over the air in HD, over a plain old antenna. I get NBC in HD and the widescreen HD shows (not all of them are) are beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/44 "2006-09-17T14:57:20Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Ok, reading between the lines here, you confused HDCP with HDMI and are doing damage control. [/quote] Those sets aren’t allowed to play movies at full resolution because they don’t support HDCP, and they don’t support HDCP because they don’t have HDMI ports. > [@](#): > > Until my hardware blocks me from doing something I want to do (like um, watch a movie or watch TV), it’s not a big deal to me. IOW, “I wasn’t using those rights anyway.” All right, best of luck to you. May your keys never be revoked, and may your kids never step on a disc that you were unable to back up. 😉 > [@](#): > > This is a sour grapes, way off-topic tangent to the OP. The OP asked if they should get HD satellite, to which I answer definitely yes if they want to get the best picture on their new TV, at least on the channels that are available in HD. :o Can’t believe I missed that detail. My mistake. Yes, if you have an HDTV already, and you notice a quality difference with DVDs, then you may as well upgrade your satellite box to get an improvement from TV too. (BTW, you might want to look up what “sour grapes” means. It doesn’t apply here.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/45 "2006-09-17T17:53:42Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] IMHO, if you don’t watch a lot of sports, it may not be worth it if your tight on cash. If you do watch sports it is the shiz-nit!!! [/QUOTE] I disagree. Sports are great, but nature programs are where HDTV really shines and the Discovery Channel has the best picture quality of any of the HD channels I get. There is a 3-D quality to HD that is stunning. Also, don’t forget that HD is more than just better picture quality-- you get a wider picture, too. The 16:9 aspect ratio beats std TV’s 4:3 any day of the week for sports, nature shows or just “CSI” or “Lost”. Even non-golf fans will sit in awe watching the Masters at Augusta in HD. It’s ubelievable. The clarity of picture, the wide angle and the depth of field is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/46 "2006-09-17T19:55:38Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] I disagree. Sports are great, but nature programs are where HDTV really shines and the Discovery Channel has the best picture quality of any of the HD channels I get. There is a 3-D quality to HD that is stunning. Also, don’t forget that HD is more than just better picture quality-- you get a wider picture, too. The 16:9 aspect ratio beats std TV’s 4:3 any day of the week for sports, nature shows or just “CSI” or “Lost”. Even non-golf fans will sit in awe watching the Masters at Augusta in HD. It’s ubelievable. The clarity of picture, the wide angle and the depth of field is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. [/QUOTE] Absolutely. HD has actually changed my viewing habits. My favorite shows are now things like ‘Great Museums’ on PBS. Man, getting a tour of the Louvre or the Smithsonian in high definition is just fantastic. Or archaological shows - getting to tour ancient ruins in HD is wonderful. I also really enjoy watching shows that highlight paintings. In high definition, you can see the texture of the paint and the brush strokes - it really brings the paintings to life and lets you see them as they were intended to be seen. And the nature shows are spectacular. And HD golf - I never miss an HD golf tournament. Not only can you see the ball much better, but the beauty of these great courses just leaps out at you. The Augusta golf course is just gorgeous, and I love watching people play there. The 16 X 9 aspect ratio really improves most sports, because they are played on rectangular fields. Hockey in HD is a much better viewing experience, because you can a much larger piece of the ice. Watching hockey in a 4:3 box causes you to miss what’s going on with the defence, how the wingers are setting up, etc. And, it’s much easier to follow the puck, both because the resolution is higher and because there’s not as much panning required with the cameras. The game really comes alive in HD - you get a much great sense of the fluidity and speed of the game. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/47 "2006-09-17T20:22:24Z")
And it’s easier to fallow that damn puck around on the ice! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/48 "2006-09-17T20:56:22Z")
If you’re going HD, make sure your display is a full 1080p screen. That is, it has a resolution of 1920x1080. Then it can display broadcasts of 1080i and play DVDs of 1080p. 720p screens (1350x768) are just a stopgap, and so-called HD-ready screens (often 1024x768 like the one advertised at the bottom as I type this) even more so. I don’t know about the US, but here in the UK, such screens still cost a pretty penny - £3500 (US$7000) for a 46" Sony Bravia. And here in the UK, HD programming is limited and the availability of HD disks is very limited. I’m reckoning on going HD in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/49 "2006-09-17T23:59:35Z")
I got a 768p plasma for $1999 earlier this summer, I figured by the time 1080p is more standard the TVs will be cheaper anyway. A 768p TV will scale down a 1080i picture and most people won’t be able to tell the difference. 1080p TVs aren’t that expensive here, here’s a 42" 1080p LCD for $2331. It doesn’t have a TV tuner, but if you’re using a cable or sattelite box it’s not a big deal: > **[Amazon.com: Westinghouse LVM-42W2 42-Inch 1080p LCD Video Monitor](https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-LVM-42W2-42-Inch-1080p-Monitor/dp/B000E7RACK)** > > At 42 inches, it's a whole living room of pure HD entertainment. The Westinghouse 42" 1080p monitor is a true 1080p monitor, combining leading-edge technology with stylish design, to deliver the ultimate in entertainment enjoyment. The LVM-42w2 is... This 40" has a tuner and will be $2,200 when it is released: > **[Amazon.com: Samsung LN-S4095D 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV : Electronics](https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN-S4095D-40-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B000GDEZLQ)** > > From the Manufacturer Samsung's sleek 40" LCD leads the industry in realistic home entertainment. With its 6000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, over two million pixel resolution, Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, S-PVA Panel, and 10-bit processor... ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/50 "2006-09-19T18:27:02Z")
Thanks for the input gang! I have decided to go with it and will be hooked up this Friday. I’m worried that suddenly I may find that my set wasn’t a good purchase… I’ll let you know when I watch my first HD show! ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/51 "2006-09-19T19:38:46Z")
Is 1080p even that big of a difference over 1080i? I heard in many cases it doesn’t make a difference at all… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/52 "2006-09-19T20:26:55Z")
I think that we’re reaching a point of diminishing returns after you get to 720p or 1080i, at least for typical home TVs at typical viewing distances. Now, if you’re going with a front projector and throwing a 9’ wide screen, 1080p should be gorgeous. But 1080p projectors are still hella expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/53 "2006-09-19T21:01:17Z")
[QUOTE=phungi] I can’t imagine what your corrected vision is like. Even my dementing parents are astonished by the clarity and presence of the HD picture. In fact, everyone I have ever spoken to has recognized the superiority of the HDTV over regular TV but have provided practical or cost arguments against buying one. Lack of improvement in picture, however, needs validation. FYI: I moved my Sony 32" Wega Flat-screen non-HD TV to my bedroom, and this is one of the best tube-TVs made. However, it seems like a pixillated mess when I watch it after watching something on the HD Plasma. [/QUOTE] My wife and I have never been able to tell any particular difference between HDTV and regular TV. Some of us just don’t have the eyes for it or something. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/54 "2006-09-19T23:25:45Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] My wife and I have never been able to tell any particular difference between HDTV and regular TV. Some of us just don’t have the eyes for it or something. -FrL- [/QUOTE] If you had a proper comparision of a show like CSI in HD and regular broadcasts, you should be able to see a big difference. For one thing, you see a lot more detail on the characters, you practically see every hair on their heads. You also see a wider view of the scene, on my 42" there’s another ~6" or so on the left and right sides. I saw this morning they started doing (most) of the Today show in widescreen HD. The parts that aren’t widescreen have vertical “TODAY” logos on the left and right sides of the screen. I guess they’ll be all or almost all widescreen at most point. A 1080i or 720p HD widescreen HDTV broadcast is better quality than DVD (which is 480p.) For those that don’t know, those numbers refer to the number of vertical pixels, more is better. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/55 "2006-09-20T01:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] If you had a proper comparision of a show like CSI in HD and regular broadcasts, you should be able to see a big difference. For one thing, you see a lot more detail on the characters, you practically see every hair on their heads. You also see a wider view of the scene, on my 42" there’s another ~6" or so on the left and right sides. I saw this morning they started doing (most) of the Today show in widescreen HD. The parts that aren’t widescreen have vertical “TODAY” logos on the left and right sides of the screen. I guess they’ll be all or almost all widescreen at most point. A 1080i or 720p HD widescreen HDTV broadcast is better quality than DVD (which is 480p.) For those that don’t know, those numbers refer to the number of vertical pixels, more is better. [/QUOTE] How many vertical pixels are there on a non-HD TV? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/56 "2006-09-20T02:07:30Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] How many vertical pixels are there on a non-HD TV? [/quote] 480, but standard TV is interlaced rather than progressive, so it takes two fields (1/30 of a second) to draw all 480 lines. A 4:3 DVD at 480i is basically the best possible reproduction of a standard TV signal. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530/57 "2006-09-20T03:05:49Z")
NTSC has 350 lines of vertical resolution after filtering to remove artifacts from interlacing. Here’s an [excellent Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution) that explains everything you might want to know about display resolution. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-go-hdtv-or-not/372530.md?page=2)