# The biggest downer about HDTV... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693 "2003-01-05T00:53:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/1 "2003-01-05T00:53:36Z")
…you get over how good it looks in about 5 minutes. After that, it looks normal. All the rest of your non-HD channels then look shitty. You do not get over this. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/2 "2003-01-05T01:05:35Z")
Does it make your DVDs look better? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/3 "2003-01-05T01:33:52Z")
Yes, DVDs do look a LOT better. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/4 "2003-01-05T02:16:03Z")
Makes your wallet a lot thinner too 🙂 did you get a HDTV vcr yet? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/5 "2003-01-05T02:20:51Z")
I just wish I knew how good progressive scan was. I’m watching 1080i with my DVDs and it is incredible(I just love watching the opening of Lord of the Rings and seeing how the shire actually looks 3 dimensional). Personally I havn’t gotten over it at all. I have a progressive scan DVD player, and a TV capable of 480p, but the only way to change the TV to progressive scan mode is to use the official remote control which I don’t have. For people who have used both on the same TV do you guys think 480p is enough of an advantage over 1080i to justify spending 80 bucks on the stupid remote? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/6 "2003-01-05T02:41:43Z")
I’m with yojimboguy - I rarely watch cable any longer, SDTV now sucks - even with great deinterlacing/scaling. wolfman, I doubt that you would prefer 480p over 1080i for your DVDs. I’d put the 80 bucks towards more DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/7 "2003-01-05T03:23:55Z")
No HDVCR yet. Probably not for some time, there’s just not enough worth recording. I agree with jasg re DVDs. If you can see them now at 1080i, you don’t need 480p. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/8 "2003-01-06T03:33:58Z")
I’d never get over watching sports in 16:9, let alone widescreen. i watched a college football game at the Sony store in Toronto once on a 16:9 HDTV, and I was amazed how much more you can see. I wish all sporting events would we broadcast like that even on analog sets (just throw up some black bars). ---
**Author:** ![dvddesigner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@dvddesigner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvddesigner)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/9 "2003-01-06T05:40:58Z")
I own a 4:3 HD set that has 480p and 1080i component inputs. It does not have a turner but I use the HD box that my cable company has given me. The stations I currently receive on my cable system as HD are: HBO HD Showtime HD Local ABC affiliate Local CBS affiliate Here is what my impressions are: 1080i is better than DVD. However, a well mastered DVD played on a good progressive scan player on the 480p inputs of a good widescreen set will provide a very good picture. Unless the program is being sent in a widescreen format like it is on HBO HD and Showtime HD most of the programming on ABC and CBS is 4:3. This means my picture is both letterboxed and pillar boxed. Certain primetime shows like Jag and stuff like that are 16:9 and look very good. Also, all the segment breaks on HBO and Showtime are still 4:3 and suffer from the letter box/pillar box syndrome. I am told my cable company will be sending more stations soon. The problems with all this HD stuff is we are early adopters and will have to limp through the lean years as all this tech stuff shakes itself out. Our cable company updates the software in our boxes from time to time and that has fixed some of the early issues I had with the 1080i setting causing strange issues on non-HD stations. My friend has the 16:9 version of the same set I own and 16:9 material is wonderful but 4:3 stuff is still pillar boxed. So what does all this mean? If you like to play with the newest toys and don’t mind paying for it dive in. Keep in mind it will get cheaper over the next year and you will loose money in this game now. I just like toys so I went for it. Bottom line for most: Get a good progressive scan DVD player ($500-1000) and a good set that will accept the inputs plus is HD ready ($2,000+), buy some good component silver interconects (about $125) and skip going to the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/10 "2003-01-06T06:15:57Z")
I think it must have been a while since you got your DVD. Progressive scan DVDs are available for well under $200. I’m jealous of your cable provider. We have digital, but no HD channels on cable. But the local braodcast affiliates have all switched to digital, and have some HD programming (except Fox, which has gone digital but AFAIK has no HD programming). ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/11 "2003-01-06T16:48:12Z")
" I’m watching 1080i with my DVDs and it is incredible" How can that be if: “…commercial DVDs are restricted to 480p”? [http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/products/story/0,24330,3406970,00.html](http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/products/story/0,24330,3406970,00.html) "THE Standard for Video DVD is 480x720. Most DVDs are 480px720 (technically they are 525line but the extra lines are used for other video information so don’t let this number confuse you when you see it.)" [http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=2789&page=2](http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=2789&page=2) ---
**Author:** ![dvddesigner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@dvddesigner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvddesigner)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/12 "2003-01-06T18:23:32Z")
I am awareto the $200 dollar models, it’s just my friends and I like the higher end videophile stuff. A $200 dollar progressive scan DVD player will work, it just will not have all the attention paid to the video and analog sections that a more expensive player does. They also tend to be buld better in terms of chasis and parts quality. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/13 "2003-01-06T18:34:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimboguy \* > \*\*…you get over how good it looks in about 5 minutes. > > After that, it looks normal. All the rest of your non-HD channels then look shitty. You do not get over this. \*\* Isn’t this a universal rule about life though? Progress; it’s only always ends in tears. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-downer-about-hdtv/146693/14 "2003-01-07T00:42:59Z")
Cyberhome makes a $69 dvd player with progressive scan you can buy it at Best Buy… Model 500