HDTV advice

[Jam The Man]

Anyone bought one lately that has been good quality/value?... at under a grand?

Saw one in Sainsburys for £600.. thinks it was a Samsung... tempting unless told otherwise...

 

[Beeercan]

Worth Getting as the BBC is showing the World Cup in HD so would be proper excellent.

However if you buy one then you woukd have to sort out a HD source, if it has an in-built freeview reciever & decoder then this would be good. If not you will have to pay over the odds for Sky

 

[Wozza]

However if you buy one then you woukd have to sort out a HD source, if it has an in-built freeview reciever & decoder then this would be good.

Freeview doesn't carry HD broadcasts (or Dolby digital sound).

 

[Beeercan]

Freeview doesn't carry HD broadcasts (or Dolby digital sound).

Doesn't it, oh well errrm ring up the BBC and ask

 

[tinx]

The only way of getting the world cup in HD is by subscribing to SKy HD which will set you back £300 for the box and an extra tenner a month on your subscription.

 

[Wozza]

Have the BBC confirmed that Sky will be carrying their HDTV test this summer? I've only heard talk of cable companies.

IMO, the only people who should be looking at HDTV right now, are gamers - Xbox 360 owners and future PS3 owners.

There's very little HD content around - no Blu-Ray yet, for example.

I think most people like the idea of having an LCD TV (and don't realise that lo-res footage can look pretty ropey scaled up).

 

[Gazwag]

Just bought a Tosh 32" LCD HD ready TV and its is superb, even though the feed isn't in HD yet programmes such as Planet Earth which are filmed in HD and downgraded to transmit are still such an improvement over the SD braodcasts.

Jam go and review http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php it helped me loads when I was looking for the best system

 

[Wozza]

Just bought a Tosh 32" LCD HD ready TV and its is superb, even though the feed isn't in HD yet programmes such as Planet Earth which are filmed in HD and downgraded to transmit are still such an improvement over the SD braodcasts.

That series is 'nicely shot', that's all - it looks good on *any* TV!

 

[Gazwag]

That series is 'nicely shot', that's all - it looks good on *any* TV!

Tha majority of it was shot in with HD cameras

Apparantly only half the series is being shown now with the other half in the autumn when it will be possible to watch it on Sky HD, it is being regarded as BBC's flagship HD show

 

[Wozza]

Tha majority of it was shot in with HD cameras

Yes, but the broadcast is STANDARD DEFINITION.

 

[Gazwag]

Yes, but the broadcast is STANDARD DEFINITION.

Yes thats what I meant in my first post, but I have just edited my second as well

Its still the best picture I have ever seen on any TV

 

[Wozza]

Its still the best picture I have ever seen on any TV

Right, but the fact that you have an HDTV makes no difference, trust me.

If you have half a pint of lager in a pint glass, you have half a pint!

 

[nomad]

Right, but the fact that you have an HDTV makes no difference, trust me.

Actually not so... even though it gets broadcast over the SD channels the actual stuff that gets broadcast still has most the information that it has when it was filmed (eq quality). The picture looses a bit of information when it gets sent out, correct, but because it has so much more than an SD recording, the end result it looks better on all televisions!

having an HD television does make this experience a little better because, although the final result comes through as SD (less pixels) the HDTV has more pixels to make this fit, and because there was a better recording in the first place it can size it up better without making it look stretched as you see on SD broadcast.

However when HD goes fully live, the results wil be much much better - in other words, you havent seen nothing yet, even SD TVs will notice a difference.

 

[Wozza]

having an HD television does make this experience a little better because, although the final result comes through as SD (less pixels) the HDTV has more pixels to make this fit, and because there was a better recording in the first place it can size it up better without making it look stretched as you see on SD broadcast.

Er, yeah, sure.

 

[Jam The Man]

Just bought a Tosh 32" LCD HD ready TV and its is superb, even though the feed isn't in HD yet programmes such as Planet Earth which are filmed in HD and downgraded to transmit are still such an improvement over the SD braodcasts.

Jam go and review http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php it helped me loads when I was looking for the best system

Cheers muchly

 

[Albion Dan]

HDTV is the biggest con going at the moment imo.

You have to shell out loads more for a tv that cant even receive the signal and in reality wont for at least another year +, and then to receive HD you will get stung by SKY again.

By the time HDTV is actually being broadcast the HDTV's will have dropped significantly in price.

Obviously if you are buying the tv for gaming this doesnt apply.

 

[Gazwag]

HDTV is the biggest con going at the moment imo.

You have to shell out loads more for a tv that cant even receive the signal and in reality wont for at least another year +, and then to receive HD you will get stung by SKY again.

By the time HDTV is actually being broadcast the HDTV's will have dropped significantly in price.

Obviously if you are buying the tv for gaming this doesnt apply.

I dont think its a con, if you do your groundwork first you know exactly what you are getting, its only going out to buy a HDTV blindly that will feel conned.

I needed a new TV to replace my 12 year old 23" CRT and as I had the cash I went for the Tosh on the basis that I would have it for maybe the next 10 years.

HDTV will only be available on Sky from May this year until BBC get their act together in 8-10 years time, again an easy thing to find out with the internet. Like everything new the first people to jump in will get stung, but its their choice

 

[METALMICKY]

I dont think its a con, if you do your groundwork first you know exactly what you are getting, its only going out to buy a HDTV blindly that will feel conned.

HDTV will only be available on Sky from May this year until BBC get their act together in 8-10 years time, again an easy thing to find out with the internet. Like everything new the first people to jump in will get stung, but its their choice

As you say it's an informed choice and some AV enthusiasts like to be first with the new gadgets and they accept they will pay over the odds intially.

What really remains to be seen is just how great an improvement HD broadcasts are over SD. Early suggestions are that it's not going to as revolutiuonary and with the wow factor as perhaps when we moved from B&W to colour pictures. Forget the showrooms displays you will not really be able to guage the picture till you have it at home.

In my case my old CRT TV was 12 years old and had packed up terminally. Subsequently i plumbed for an 32in Philips HD ready and i am resigned to the fact that now 6 months later its £200 cheaper.

 

[Cian]

The only way of getting the world cup in HD is by subscribing to SKy HD which will set you back £300 for the box and an extra tenner a month on your subscription.

Not so, it'll be free - you can get any consumer HD satellite box from anywhere on the continent and not pay Sky a penny

Currently Discovery HD and Artsworld HD are also free but thats not going to last.

The BBC will be broadcasting at least 2 hours a day of HD content on satellite every day for the next two years. No case of needing "8-10 years", its starting in May.

They will also be trialling HD Freeview in London off the Crystal Palace (spit) transmitter but compatible boxes aren't available to consumers.