Just an informal discussion to see how many people here have an HDTV and are watching programming in HD. Any problems with your TV or reception? Favorite channels? Thoughts?
I'm too cheap to get digital cable and HD channels for my 32" CRT HDTV.
However, after seeing sports in HD, anything less is an abomination!
I got a sony SXRD 50" HDTV and love it... I'm running Dishnetwork 622 vip HD PVR. I also have OTA HD in my area too so I get ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and couple others in HD also.
As far as the Dishnetwork service goes the reciever is nice, its a dual tuner pvr that also can do OTA as well, so I can record 2 channels of dishnetwork programing and record one OTA HD channel as well. I sub to the HD gold package for like $80/month.. right now I'm on a $20/month for 10 month discount from signing up.. so I'm paying ~$60 now..
I do have problems with the 622 vip reciever. I'm on my 3rd one cause the others keep randomly rebooting.. this one I have now is working good so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
I dont have HTDV.. I'm not THAT up-to-date with the American lifestyle ;)
Bob, that's great info. I have Dish Network too and I'm looking to upgrade to an HD DVR setup and maybe the HD channel package. I can get NBC, CBS, and ABC over the air in HD; Fox, CW and PBS are local digital SD channels. I'm on the 120-channel package now...wondering if the extra $$$ is worth it for HD channels though. Right now it's free but limited to OTA signals, and I don't think the locals will be HD on the upgraded HD package. Basically it would be Discovery HD, ESPN HD, and the older Voom channels, right?
Anyway...yes, sports are pretty awesome in HD, especially football. You see a lot more action going on toward the edges of the screen.
I jumped on that HD promotion they had with rebate on the reciever so I had to pay the $199 up front for the 622 pvr and get $20/m for 10 months.. The voom channels are pretty nice. only voom channels I don't watch is game,gallery and monster but every now and than something good is on them. The HD gold is the same as the 180 package w/ all the HD they offer.
I got it cause with the baby we don't get to watch tv when we want to so I really wanted it for the HD-PVR..
Eric, I come back here to browse and you make me read this??? Only thing I watch on TV in HD is Lost... otherwise I dont watch that much TV it's all movies babe... tv isnt worth watching anymore.
We have a 54in HDTV projection, but we dont have an HD reciever yet (we looked at them a few months back and it wasnt worth it at the time).
Sorry to bore you, Mikey. I thought you'd at least be watching Ugly Betty also. ;)
Aight Bob, thanks again for the info. I'll let you know what I end up doing. Chances are, I'll have to buy the receiver myself...not looking forward to that...but a call to Dish Network will let me know for sure.
I take it you've never seen Hero or Battlestar Galactica.....
I find myself watching National Geographic, Discovery, and Science Channel most; they have some really interesting shows. :dunce:
What is HDTV ? a heavy-duty television ? i have one, i see it like 15 hours daily and never a single problem...heck , even i throw things to it (like shoes, belts, chains, cans of beer) and still works like a champ !
:dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:
Yeah me too, I can't wait till history channel goes HD :)
I'm assuming these new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD's require an HDTV or Monitor, eh?
I might re-consider my purchase of a flat-panel monitor for one that's HD compliant so maybe someday I can watch HD-DVDs. You know what susprises me about those though? The HD-DVD's don't cost 3x more than regular ones. Like how the first DVD's that came out cost so much more than VHS.
I have a 50" Mitsubishi Diamond that I am using with the local cable companies HD box/DVR. I get ABC, NBC, CBS, TNT, FOX, NBC Universal, ESPN, ESPN 2, Discovery, HDNET, HDNET Movies, HBO, and Showtime is available, but I don't subscribe to it. The only channels I watch that aren't HD are Speed, Sci-fi, History, and TLC.
It stands for High Definition Television. Standard TV's have 480 lines of resolution; HD has 1080 lines for a much sharper picture. There is also an in-between resolution of 720 lines which is very good.
HD got its life when our former president of the U.S., Bill Clinton, signed a telecommunications law approximately 10 years ago that by the year 2006, every television station broadcasting in the U.S. had to switch to an all-digital signal. Digital broadcasts require less power and can travel further. Well, our Congress pushed that back to 2008 now. It's expensive for stations to convert but the prices of the equiment are coming down. Since HD broadcasts are 100% digital, it's only been recently that anyone can receive them in a lot of places. The reason the president made this law was to get a jump on other countries in the world, to show that we can be technologically advanced before any other country (read: puppiesan). It was a good idea but it's just been taking longer than expected. That's why not too many people have HDTV's in the U.S. (estimated at roughly 7%). But that will change in the next few years. And that's sort of why I started this thread...to get a good cross-section of how many people here are receiving HD signals on a regular basis.
Can you receive any U.S. broadcasts, or are you too far south of the border?
Eric, I have a sony WS 55" HDTV, and use our time warner cables (pioneer) HDTV DVR, we love it! I get ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN and National Geographic as well, sports in HD (Nascar, NHL, etc.) is awsome. I have had to replace the DVR reciever twice as the hard drives don't seem to last, but that is a simple trade in..
He's not into shows like that. He's just pissed that there is no HD Spongebob Squarepants...
I take it you never got the dvd's ...
Better sound and picture and I dont have to wait... season 1, 2 and 2.5 are mine. ;-)
Hero... eh, didnt get into it
I know, what's the deal with that...:pbb:
HD TVs have been on the market since '99, and virtually all big screens since '02 have been HD capable. Few had the HD tuner so those need a converter to get HD. So some how I'm doubting that 7% figure... Maybe only 7% are actually watching the HD programs, but judging from the amount of HD sets I serviced(and its been a year and a half) I'd estimate there is at least a 50% saturation at this point...
Do I have one... Nope... Yea they are impressive, but I watch maybe a hour per week... As long as the '96 Hitachi 50" works as well as it does, I ain't ever buying one... I also have a 35" from '86, one of the very first 35s sold, it's still going strong...
Actually my internet/cable provider offers HDTV, but still is very expensive. I am living too far from the border (like 700 miles or so....). And the TV´s HD capable are ultra expensive,too....
I have 2 HDTV got stupid w/the wife w/the credit cards at PC Richards 60 Sony LCD projection in my basp00get 42 plasma in the living room almost paid them off LOL real happy w/HDTV channels they come for free w/ Long island cable though I wish there was more channels there a lot that are available on dish that I don’t get but they are free. And they are real nice watching DVD’s especially w/the surround sound.
One recommendation is be careful buying plasma in less then a year I’m on my 3rd one first one was the Philips and it had auto picture fit but it always looked funny and the speakers were no-good so they came to my house took it and 2 weeks later I got it back all scratched up. The service man apologized and called his supervisor. Well PC Richards said go to the store and choose one equal or less value so I got the Samsung sound was nice picture was nice but when I when to HD channels or anything in widescreen there was a shadow of the borders still there and I was upset so I complained and I guess being my 2nd set the store manager came to my house and again he said that shouldn’t happen so I’m on my 3rd it’s a LG its lasted the longest it took 3 months to burn that shadow like image in when I’m on widescreen. So I’m upset again not with PC Richards cause I haven’t complained yet but with the plasma I general. Maybe LCD flat screen is the way to go not plasma. Good thing I bought the warranty.