[macintologist]

Following the news about HD displays and HD movie rentals on the Apple TV has been interesting because I am 100% not interested in spending extra money for HD stuff. I have a 27" TV that is approx. 3 years old. I love it, I know it's not HD but watching movies on it is awesome. If something looks crappy and pixelated on the computer, watching it on the TV makes it look much better (live news streams).

Are you caught up in the hype or are you perfectly satisfied with your SDTV/DVD setup?

[MacosNerd]

No, While I now own a 30" (or whatever size) samsung flat screen tv, I've not opted to give Direct-TV more of my money, i.e., signing up for Hi-Def programming.

I think when we replace out main tv (the noted tv above is for the bedroom), I may opt but for now, its being used as a normal lo-def tv.

[davidflas]

I own a 27" Sony CRT TV that does 720p and 1080i, it also has HDMI input. I also own a Sony BDP-S300 which I picked up for $269.00. I am very happy with this modest setup, it provides a noticeable improvement in sound and picture over my old DVD player. I run the whole thing through an old Onkyo 601 receiver. I'm waiting for things to settle down before I invest much more.

[alligator]

I have a full HD setup, but things are changing too fast for me to keep up. Contrast ratios keep improving, TVs keep getting thinner, and Blu-Ray features keep changing. It's not like the old days when a TV lasted 10+ years and was still current.

[design219]

I have an old (9+years) analog set and don't watch tv much at all. I suppose I'll wait until next year when I will be force to go digital, and the prices should be lower to look into HD.

[Cipher13]

Not interested at all, to be honest. I'll adopt it in the future, no doubt, but right now I see no benefit. No movies I like are available in true HD (any that are I'd bet are upsampled).

[Paco500]

I have an HD TV but no way to get real HD content on it it. I have SD sattillie and SD DVD (though my player "upconverts").

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by Cipher13 

Not interested at all, to be honest. I'll adopt it in the future, no doubt, but right now I see no benefit. No movies I like are available in true HD (any that are I'd bet are upsampled).

I find that hard to believe, unless the only movies you like are obscure titles no one has heard of. Most recent movies (last 5 years or so) are available in HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray (i.e., 1080p).

[osiris]

No. I refuse to buy another TV or switch anything with cable until all 1000 channels are HD. The very few that are HD look great, but stretching a 4:3 image to fit is a crime and ruins the whole deal.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

I find that hard to believe, unless the only movies you like are obscure titles no one has heard of. Most recent movies (last 5 years or so) are available in HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray (i.e., 1080p).

That's not really true. The catalog for both HD DVD and Blu-Ray are both quite small right now. And the majority of my favorite movies are not available on either format.

However, there are no "upsampled" high definition movies. Film offers a higher resolution than HD DVD and Blu-Ray can offer, so if anything you could say the movies are downsampled to fit onto an HD disc.

And yes - I do have an HD setup. It's almost hard to go back to regular TV now.

[ctt1wbw]

Actually, HDTV is not hype. I think HDTV is the way tv should have always been. I have two HDTV's at home. A 48" DLP Zenith and a 48" Pioneer plasma.

Here's my analogy of HDTV:

Imagine you are driving through Montana during the spring. Your windshield is a little dusty and dirty like they all are. Imagine seeing the cobalt blue skies and the crystal clear air and the mountains in the distance, so clear you can see the trees. Now get out of the car and look at the view with your own eyes. To me, that's the difference between watching college hoops on regular ESPN and watching college hoops on a 48" HDTV on ESPN-HD.

[legacyb4]

Yup, I've got a 46" LCD and a PS3 at this point. Completely happy with the picture quality on the content side (probably because I'm overwhelmed by the quality on the game side).

The PS3 upscales DVDs quite well and until my cable provider (Shaw) stops screwing customers and offers their HD tuner at a reasonable cost, I won't even consider upgrading to HD cable content.

[zro]

I suppose so. A 1080p set and the base HD package from Dish Network. That's the extent of it though. I have no plans on buying into either disc format. That is, until Star Wars is on one.

[cjrivera]

Yes and love it.

I have a PS3 that came with 10 free BR discs and the picture is remarkable on a 1080i projector.
HD OTA is excellent (especially with sports in HD) and DirecTv HD is also an amazing picture.

I hate watching anything in SD after seeing the sharpness and the vibrance of color in HD.

[pman68]

I love it too.

I got in real cheap. Got a great deal on a 32" no name LCD ($395). And it rocks. Especially for sports. Looking forward to the superbowl. go pats!

[Eug]

I own 3 HDTVs, 2 HD PVRs, and 1 HD non-PVR cable box.

I also have HD DVD.

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

I find that hard to believe, unless the only movies you like are obscure titles no one has heard of. Most recent movies (last 5 years or so) are available in HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray (i.e., 1080p).

That is of course false. Most recent moves are still not available in either format.

[lavar78]

Yes. I have a 40" 720p Samsung, a DirecTV HD DVR, an antenna to get HD locals, and HD DVD (which I feed through Netflix). Love it!

[CheesePuff]

I have a 1080i 42" Plasma with an XBOX 360 connected via HDMI for obviously games and upconverting my standard DVD's (yes I know I should be using a stand alone but this works fine.) My next purchase will be a Blu-ray player once I can get a decent model below $250.

[Chuckit]

I would like to, but there don't seem to be any decent sub-$500 HDTVs (at least, not that I've found while shopping), and I'm not that caught up that I'm going to blow a month's pay just to get picture quality as good as the TV I have now only in HD.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Yes, I HDTV

[ort888]

Have a 51" HDTV. Love it.

I use it mostly for gaming.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by macintologist 

Are you caught up in the hype or are you perfectly satisfied with your SDTV/DVD setup?

Hype?!?!

Watch a single sporting event in HDTV. It's better than being there.

I watch about 95% HDTV content. It's like the switch from B&W to color. Or like the switch from silent movies to "talkies".

Some people just hate change I guess. I am glad I am not one of those people.

[exca1ibur]

1080p 40" Samsung and a PS3 here. Dish Network HD and and an antenna for free local HD. If you think there is no difference between SD and HD, something is seriously wrong.

Gaming and watch NBA and NFL games in HD... is the ultimate.

[Eug]

BTW, going from broadcast HD to Blu-ray or HD DVD is also another huge step... if you have a very large screen.

Some broadcast HD can look like ass on a 90" projector image. The artifacts of broadcast HD become very, very prominent when blown up that large. (I notice them on my 42" LCD as well, but they don't bother me as much.)

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

If you think there is no difference between SD and HD, something is seriously wrong.

Seriously.

[subego]

Originally Posted by osiris 

No. I refuse to buy another TV or switch anything with cable until all 1000 channels are HD. The very few that are HD look great, but stretching a 4:3 image to fit is a crime and ruins the whole deal.

One of the things that tipped me over was seeing an HD set which detects letterboxing on SD material, and then stretches it vertically.

[MacosNerd]

I wonder if there's a run on HD TVs and services in New York and Mass, with their teams in the super bowl and all. The last few years have spurred the sales of HD TVs in locations that had teams make it to the championship game.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Good call. Absolutely there is.

[G4ME]

i don't own a tv

btw my roommate has a decent 50something HD set, and i think its only really nice when watching the sox, everything else i could care less.

when i move out, I plan on snagging a 65-75 gallon fish tank and some Jewel chiclids which will become my HDTV

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by MacosNerd 

I wonder if there's a run on HD TVs and services in New York and Mass, with their teams in the super bowl and all. The last few years have spurred the sales of HD TVs in locations that had teams make it to the championship game.

I believe Costco changed their loose return policy for this very reason a while a go.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by G4ME 

i don't own a tv

btw my roommate has a decent 50something HD set, and i think its only really nice when watching the sox, everything else i could care less.

when i move out, I plan on snagging a 65-75 gallon fish tank and some Jewel chiclids which will become my HDTV

I've given up on my fish tanks. Too much work, for only a 37" equivalent viewing area.

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

I believe Costco changed their loose return policy for this very reason a while a go.

I didn't mean exchanging, but purchasing. You are correct though. Costco changed what was probably the most liberal return policy because of abuse from people "upgrading" their TVs.

I'm not much of a shopper, so I haven't been out and about this past week here in Boston but I suspect that stores have been busy.

[G4ME]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I've given up on my fish tanks. Too much work, for only a 37" equivalent viewing area.

i see it as interactive HDTV that doesn't come with a $100/mo bill?

I already have a 30 gallon and besides filter changes and plant trimmings once a month, i don't consider it much more work the brushing your teeth every morning.

hey, to each his own.

[Doofy]

No TV.

You wouldn't believe the amount of Need For Speed Carbon racing work you can get done if you don't own a TV.

Plus, the chicks dig it.

[sek929]

I'm one of those guys who can wait 5 years or so and buy when the tech gets way cheaper.

I bought a SNES when the Playstation was out. I bought a Dreamcast when they were 35 bucks. I get 32" SDTVs for free (two of them).

When all this malarky about version numbers and firmware updates vanishes I'll buy whatever is cheap and decent.

[Dakar the Fourth]

You own a 360, so shut the hell up.

[sek929]

At least I didn't buy the HD-DVD drive!

I also bought my PowerMac the second day after it was announced. I had to take out a $2500 loan to buy everything I wanted.

PM is still going strong, and I'm on my second 360 after only a year.....

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by sek929 

At least I didn't buy the HD-DVD drive!

I hear that.

[sek929]

My breaking point is the decent 1080p 30" LCD TV for under 600. Once I see my video games in HD there will be no going back.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by sek929 

My breaking point is the decent 1080p 30" LCD TV for under 600. Once I see my video games in HD there will be no going back.

At that size, a good 720p LCD would be even better.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by lavar78 

At that size, a good 720p LCD would be even better.

Yeah unless you're sitting 2 feet away you wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.

[Eug]

Yeah, don't waste your money and effort trying to find a 1080p 30" TV, unless you plan on using it as a computer monitor on your desk or something.

At any reasonable TV seating distance, the benefit of 1080p over 720p is essentially nil on a 30" TV.

[sek929]

A 32" 720p LCD is still out of my price range, hopefully in a year.

[Ghoser777]

I have HD mainly for sports. I can see a lot of pixilation on my parents old TV that I didn't used to see (especially around words).

[Face Ache]

52" HDTV and a PS3.

Can't wait for Wipeout HD.

[Chongo]

46" Sammy DLP, DirecTV HR20, HD-A2

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by sek929 

A 32" 720p LCD is still out of my price range, hopefully in a year.

That's what I opted for but I've yet to upgrade my direct-tv account and I'm in no hurry to give them any more money.

[Shaddim]

I think almost all HD TV (Dish Network) looks like **** on my projector, too much compression. It's not bad on my 52" LCD upstairs, though.

[MacosNerd]

I could be wrong but from what I've read, I thought direct-tv compresses their signal less then comcast. Regardless I'll be dumping them as soon as I can. The weather really does effect the quality of the signal and my wife really doesn't like the problems that are associated with direct-tv

[Shaddim]

Direct TV and Comcast rubbed me the wrong way, so now I'm with Dish Network and I'm much happier.