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Do you notice any difference with your HD television?
- Thread starter Rogero
- Start date
Uncle C
Well-known member
Some people only have HD ready TVs which are cheaper. They then fail to get the full 1080 effect.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,338
Good for playing Blu-Rays tho eh?
Seagull over Canaryland
Well-known member
My experience is that HD TV is noticeably superior. Non HD channels look fuzzy.
I have had the Sky HD box and a 42'' Panasonic plasma HDTV for a couple of years. Initially I was sceptical - not with the picture quality which is fantastic but mainly because of the lack of HD channels. This has significantly improved and now I would not want to be without HD. It helps that I have offset the cost by surrendering some of the other Sky options.
I would strongly recommend taking great care to match the TV screen size to your viewing position and distance otherwise you will not optimise the quality of image that HD gives.
I have had the Sky HD box and a 42'' Panasonic plasma HDTV for a couple of years. Initially I was sceptical - not with the picture quality which is fantastic but mainly because of the lack of HD channels. This has significantly improved and now I would not want to be without HD. It helps that I have offset the cost by surrendering some of the other Sky options.
I would strongly recommend taking great care to match the TV screen size to your viewing position and distance otherwise you will not optimise the quality of image that HD gives.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
If we are talking broadcast HD, I notice a massive difference between say BBC normal and BBC HD. Some of the documentaries like 'Planet Earth' are simply stunning in HD. Sport is also great. However, it can depend on the broadcaster. It costs them money to send the information down at the higher bit rate, and so some (noticably Sky and ITV) often cut back their HD quality so that the difference is not as great. ITV for example, on their HD will cut to an advert in the middle of a crucial derby FA cup tie, or for a FIFA world cup match right when a goal is scored!
I'll always watch something in HD though over normal, Virgin have a decent range of HD channels now, and normally the broadcast rate is high for their HD channels.
I'll always watch something in HD though over normal, Virgin have a decent range of HD channels now, and normally the broadcast rate is high for their HD channels.
Depends on the HD channel. Some HD channels are much better than others. You realy need a 1080 HDTV ("Full HD" 1080 rather than "HD ready" 720) to appreciate the difference. Sky Sports and Eurosport are probably the best quality. ITV and BBC not as good, but still noticeably better than non HD
Well are you watching anything that was filmed in HD? You need more than just a HD TV to watch HD.
I find the whole HD thing quite annoying. It's a great format but it isn't really understood. So many companies offer 'HD TV's' but when I looked into it what they were offering wasn't true HD*. Just because you have a 'HD TV' (and assuming it's true) that means it capable of presenting something that has been shot in true HD in all it's glory. If it hasn't been made for true HD it won't display true HD. Technically, 720p is HD ONLY if you see HD as a term just used to describe higher-definition video content. 720p, which is supported in full resolution at 1280x720, is technically HD, but it isn't true HD.
If you are watching standard definition TV on a HDTV then all you are really doing is playing with the aspect ratio and so no, you won't see any difference. Assuming your previous TV was also pretty decent. It's a question of resolution but it's also about data rate. But it fundamentally comes down to whether what you are watching has been filmed in true HD, and if your 'HD TV' is 'high definition' or 'true high definition'. Good HDTV's are made such that the panel is exactly 1920x1080 pixels, so when the codec reads the content there is a 1:1 between the image data and the physical size of the screen. Now the less expensive HD TV's have different resolutions - not a lot but enough - as a result you don't get 1:1 and scaling is needed. This is normally between 4-8%. This display can look pretty good, but compared to an exact pixel true HD it falls way short.
Unfortunately true HD has been high jacked by TV companies jumping on the bandwagon before they could offer the goods. Therefor they are offering 'high definition' - which is better than standard but isn't true HD in the way it was meant to be received/viewed/filmed/enjoyed.
*True HD HD is 1080p, meaning there are 1080 vertical lines on your screen, progressive scanning format.
I find the whole HD thing quite annoying. It's a great format but it isn't really understood. So many companies offer 'HD TV's' but when I looked into it what they were offering wasn't true HD*. Just because you have a 'HD TV' (and assuming it's true) that means it capable of presenting something that has been shot in true HD in all it's glory. If it hasn't been made for true HD it won't display true HD. Technically, 720p is HD ONLY if you see HD as a term just used to describe higher-definition video content. 720p, which is supported in full resolution at 1280x720, is technically HD, but it isn't true HD.
If you are watching standard definition TV on a HDTV then all you are really doing is playing with the aspect ratio and so no, you won't see any difference. Assuming your previous TV was also pretty decent. It's a question of resolution but it's also about data rate. But it fundamentally comes down to whether what you are watching has been filmed in true HD, and if your 'HD TV' is 'high definition' or 'true high definition'. Good HDTV's are made such that the panel is exactly 1920x1080 pixels, so when the codec reads the content there is a 1:1 between the image data and the physical size of the screen. Now the less expensive HD TV's have different resolutions - not a lot but enough - as a result you don't get 1:1 and scaling is needed. This is normally between 4-8%. This display can look pretty good, but compared to an exact pixel true HD it falls way short.
Unfortunately true HD has been high jacked by TV companies jumping on the bandwagon before they could offer the goods. Therefor they are offering 'high definition' - which is better than standard but isn't true HD in the way it was meant to be received/viewed/filmed/enjoyed.
*True HD HD is 1080p, meaning there are 1080 vertical lines on your screen, progressive scanning format.
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Lucky you (fnaar fnaar)
Colossal Squid
Returning video tapes
I don't have access to any HD TV broadcasts although I have a very decent HD telly so all I can comment on is Blu Rays and Playstation.
For me, watching a Blu-Ray on the telly is nice and it does look better than a DVD, but I don't know if it's THAT much better to the point where I could never go back.
However, the difference between Standard Definition and High Definition when playing my PS3 is IMMENSE and I could certainly NEVER go back to playing games in SD now. It's almost like upgrading from a 15 inch black and white telly to a 42 inch widescreen Dolby sound behemoth
For me, watching a Blu-Ray on the telly is nice and it does look better than a DVD, but I don't know if it's THAT much better to the point where I could never go back.
However, the difference between Standard Definition and High Definition when playing my PS3 is IMMENSE and I could certainly NEVER go back to playing games in SD now. It's almost like upgrading from a 15 inch black and white telly to a 42 inch widescreen Dolby sound behemoth
Djmiles
Barndoor Holroyd
We have HD in our house, and watching anything in normal resolution makes my eyes bleed. So yes, you do notice a lot of difference!
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,329
i have always maintained you cant tell the difference.
however, my digi-box or satelitte signal has gone funny recently so now all my non-HD channels are in original bottom spec 576i. i can definatly tell the difference from that. indeed previously i got 720p on all channels and i can tell the difference from that. but then, only when comparing like for like.
the quality isnt so poor to detract from what you are watching, just that the on screen text is blurred and when you change to a HD channel its a sharp contrast increase in quality.
however, my digi-box or satelitte signal has gone funny recently so now all my non-HD channels are in original bottom spec 576i. i can definatly tell the difference from that. indeed previously i got 720p on all channels and i can tell the difference from that. but then, only when comparing like for like.
the quality isnt so poor to detract from what you are watching, just that the on screen text is blurred and when you change to a HD channel its a sharp contrast increase in quality.
MORTY
Well-known member
When I first got an hd set, I didn't notice a lot of difference. Had it about a year now and if I now watch a non hd channel I can really tell how poor it is compared with the hd. Really notice it on SSN and sky news.
Horizontal lines, not vertical.
Anyway, you don't need to worry about true this and poxy that. Programs in HD look better than those in SD. Whether it's 720p or 1080i etc isn't such a big deal. You don't have to have 1:1 pixel mapping to get a decent picture. Watching some SD programs on a large screen can be painful, and it's better in HD, regardless of how fancy your equipment is.
You didn't get 720p on all channels - 720p is HD, your non HD channels would be 576i. If your TV is getting 720p, it's being upscaled from your digi-box.
Correct, and I wasn't arguing differently. I was simply saying to watch true HD you need something capable of displaying true HD as well as content that is being broadcast in true HD.
Ahh the old 'upscaling' and 720p argument - as I said earlier:
The assertion that any HD (regardless of being 'true' or not) is better than SD is obvious.
Braders
Abi Fletchers Gimpboy
that's the point I'm at , I have standard and it does for me