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I've got a great HDTV-ready set which I got for DVD viewing. Now I'm wondering if its worth it to go for HDTV broadcasts too, but...- Are there enough channels?
- Are the signals really good enough?
- Should I go with a satellite or OTA receiver?Anyone with experience care to share experiences?
Thanks!
Follow Ups:
Joe S, how do you really feel? :-)With TimeWarner (in my city anyway), the upgrade to an HD box costs nothing (compared to a "digital" box)--but they do visit your house to make sure you really have an HD tv (they won't give you an HD box for a 4:3 set, even if digital and "HD ready").
For me it only costs the additional $10/mo to get Showtime in order to have the one HD channel. Even if I only see a few movies/month, it's about the same as renting a few dvd's. I didn't consider HBO because of their lack of OAR support...
Also, that's my only choice for HD programming--I won't see OTA HD for many, many years--unless I put an antenna on a 100+ foot tower. Although if TimeWarner keeps adding channels I don't want, and charging for them, I may switch to satellite at some point--and given all I've read, I'd go with Dish.
In order of your questions: No, sometimes, satellite (maybe).The thing about HD is its still in its infacny and the broadcasters are still sorting it out with varying degrees of success and commitment.
When it comes to the networks CBS is the most committed with 7 or 8 series each week broadcast in HD, NBC's got the Tonight Show, ABC has one series I think and Fox doesnt do it at all. Period. PBS reputedly has some of the best HD programming going, but thats where the real question about HD network broadcasts come in - Does your local affiliate broacast the HD signal anyway? In Boston my NBC local doesnt, even though they have a digital mirror channel of their analog signal which means you basically get 480i instead. And my PBS affiliate, one of the largest in the US, doesnt think there's an HD market so they dont even have a digital channel, never mind broadcasting in HD. So even if the programming gets produced you may not be able to get it in your market. This in one of the largest cities in the US. How are things in your town? Find out before committing to anything.
And just because a local station has a digital channel, dont assume that they pass on HD programming in 1080i. Many simply pass through a 480i or 480p signal, even on HD programming! And to get this signal you will have to buy a UHF antennae - either an indoor table top type or an outdoor unit with a rotator. It turns out these digital signals are HIGHLY directional and prone to multipath and you will find yourself frequently changing antenna orientation just to get a lock as you change channels. Welcome back to the 1950s world of crude, cumbersome antennaes! The dawn of a new age in broadcasting? I've got a $15 Rat Shack bow tie on top of my $4000 digital TV as we speak.
So if you want to go the over the air broadcast source route make sure your local affiliates actually offers the HD signal. And dont assume digital means HD. Make sure they actaully pass network HD programming in 1080i.
How's the OTA broadcast water once you've jumped in? Variable. Image quality, even on true HD programming ranges from startlingly good to no better than DVD or slightly worse. Sound? Substantially lower sound quality than ANY DVD player. And back to content. If you are expecting to turn the tv on in prime time and choose between 2 or 3 HD shows - forget it. Theres a lot less HD content out there than any HD booster I ever met is willing to admit. If you see 1 show a night you'll be lucky, even if every HD broadcast is passed through in HD form in your locale. And in most locales some of these network signals just arent offered since locals stations arent required to offer digital or HD even if the network offers it so that limits your choices even further.
And when it comes to the best form of HD content from an image quality standpoint - live sports - the choices narrow even further. In spite of pipe dream visions of HD superbowl, HD Monday Night Football, HD Masters, etc, and drule inducing descriptions of the "looking through a window" type - these events are painfully few and far between. The fact is that HD Monday Night Footballs been cancelled, and you can go months between HD sporting events assuming your local affiliate even broadcasts them in HD. Case in point - I've had HD OTA / satellite capability for over 3 months. The only HD sporting event I've seen in that time was a one time only Cubs game broadcast. The image was breathtaking, but 3 months is an awfully long time between breaths. Now that's supposed to be changing soon. ABC has commited to a series of Saturday HD college football games this year - 1 game each Saturday. But make sure your local affiliate will carry it and that they will carry it in HD. Otherwise you'll be watching it in NTSC even if you buy the necessary tuner.
How about satellite? Well Direct TV is out. They offer HD HBO and a HD PPV movie channel that only offers programming after midnight. Wow. And they have been telling subsribers that they are about to add HD Showtime and HD Discovery (which doesnt even exist yet) for two years. The reality? They never seem appear - so be wary of salesmens promisies that they will be adding new HD channels soon. They've lost lots of satellite HD customers to Dish for exactly this reason.Dish Network looks much better on the surface. HD HBO, HD Showtime and a 24/7 HD PPV movie channel. But the reality of satellite is substantially compromised by source material. 90% of HD Showtime's movies are 1080i UPCONVERTED from 480p source material. That means not true HD and an image quality roughly comparable to a DVD player (I think a little bit worse actually) and sound thats a clear step down in dynamic range from DVD. HBO's HD movie content is quite variable, ranging from the outstanding to the sub DVD caliber level. Unfortunatley lots more of the latter than the former IMO. Why? They dont show movies in their original aspect ratios. 2.35:1 films are digitally zoomed to fill the 16:9 frame and this typically results in a loss in resolution. Their recent broadcast of The Perfect Storm was inferior in color purity and sonics and offered so little improvement in sharpness compared to the DVD of the same film I qued up and switched between during the film the difference was hardly noticelable. All in all I preffered the progressive scan DVD.
But there is always PPV right? Well yes, the image quality of the PPV HD channel is consistently quite good, its just that the selection is a bit limited to say the least. While its on 24 hours a day it only shows 1 or 2 movies a month simply running them over and over again! Movie choices only change once a month so if you buy both it'll be a month before you see anything new. Wow.
So make of it what you will. HD is still a brave new world. Its tweaky if you go the antennae / OTA route with inconsistent results depending upon your local staions commitment to the format. And the satellite requires an added dish and still deliver remarkably limited true HD content.
Things to remember:
1. Your local affiliates determines whether or not OTA makes sense for you
2. Digital broadcast does not necessarily = HD (see point above)
3. UHF antennates are a pain in the ass
4. Satellite isnt a panacea: HD is not always HD
5. Upconverted 1080i = 480p at best (see point above)And a final thought. If I didnt already have a very good progressive scan DVD player (Panasonic RP91 level) I'd buy that first. It would be a wiser investment IMO. If you've already got that base covered and are a bit tweak oriented and willing to work to get a few worthwile hours of HD programming a week HD may be for you. If I had known it was this messy I would not have bothered. I'd have waited another year to let a little more programming appear and for more local affiliates to come on line....
Oh yeah, you can find a lot more views on this topic at avsforum.com on the HDTV Programming forum.
Good luck!
joe
nt
Hi Joe: People here in Canada have tried to tell me there is lots of HDTV around. From what you say "phoee!" is the correct answer. It sounds like you are at the "bleeding edge" of technology!Antennae are for the private home owner. They are ugly, BUT they pull in lots of stuff for free. I am surprised with what I can get living where I am!
I'll kick your ass the next time you visit.
I see no reason for your inappropriate comment. Please refrain from comments like these.Co Moderator
Video Asylum
MiKe
Thanks Mike,I think Rich should be banned. Or barring that, at least poked several times with a pointed stick. Regarding the latter I have several for you to choose from....
joe
***I see no reason for your inappropriate comment.***I see no reason for your reaction to humor between friends.
I've never even met you.joe
Joe S., that is. He's far too helpful. Rich was merely pointing it out.Cheers.
Nigel
Detailed comments!
I have dish network HD and I would suggest to go that route if you do go HD.
The Showtime and HBO channels are the best part of HD for me, as the network shows are not normally to my liking (though CSI is cool)
Sopranos in HD is fantastic.I have found my HD viewing to be MUCH better than DVD quality (at least for Gladiator, Pitch Black) which I have seen most recently.
I am using a 100" front projection LCD.
Hey Dan, does DishNetwork broadcast their Shotime and HBO HD in widescreen, fullscreen or both? Also, are those HD channels in DD5.1 as well?I have the DishNetwork setup and have been seriously thinking of going their HD route, but getting accurate info from the teenagers who answer the phone doesn't make me warm and fuzzy.
Thanks!
The HBO HD and Showtime HD constatly broadcast teh same movies that are on the normal channels.
So, whether or not the films are mastered in 1080i HD or upsampled to 1080i for broadcast depends onthe source film.All those upsampled or original to 1080i (HD) are in widescreen mode.
Sometimes they are cropped so they are quasi widescreen, but cropped a bit to make the image bigger (instead of a thin horizontal slice, if you clip the sides you can take a bigger horizontal slice).If you look on the HD info sites you can get a listing of which movies on HBO and Showtime HD are in HD. Normally 1-3 films per day are in actual HD or upsampled HD (which does not look as good)/
Most new titles are now coming out in HD, so things are getting better.I think the investment for HD is questionable in the current market, and you certainly shouldn;t get it without Dish.
If you do have the moeny to spend though , it certainly looks better than DVD, but that is on my 100" screen, I dunno if the results will be as shocking on a smaller screen( but I suspect they still will)Whenever a film is true 1080i or upsampled it normally includes a DD5.1 soundtrack on the HD channel, yes.
Does this answer your questions?
Good info....thanks.BTW - I'd hope that the results would be shocking....I'm currently projecting to a 10'x5' screen.
Ed
Far superior to DVD clarity
to see what's available OTA in your area check www.titantv.com .as far as OTA vs. Sattelite, my opinion is sattelite since you can get a few more channels of HDTV via sattelite.
If you've got the set and are within range of a decent DTV signal then you should probably go ahead and do it. Of course it's not my money so you need to decide if you think it's worth it for you.
As far as how it looks. Do yourself a favor and go to a specialty High-End AV store in your area (BestBuy and CC do not count) and see their HDTV set-up. the demo's I've seen at good stores are truly spectacular.
no there's not alot available right now, but what there is is awesome. Big events such as the SuperBowl, HBO HD movies, and PBS programming in HD would be the biggest reasons to jump in right now.
good luck
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