Should I go HDTV?

[perdomot]

I've been watching DVDs on my TV via the players component video and was wondering if getting a new HD ready TV with progressive abilities would enhance the quality of the video. I have no intention of getting any HDTV services, only watching DVDs so would this be a worthy upgrade? Thanks

 

[imported_tss4]

not really, you'd be switching from 480i to 480 p. I believe the dvd is actually converting from 480i to 480 p, so you'd still have some motion artifacts even with the hdtv set. Unless, you're getting the hd service, its not really worth it (but if you do then its fantastic). Prices are coming down fast, so you might as well waite if your you're not going to use it fully.

 

[TGS]

I think you would get better results from using an upscaler, as the HDTV will give you nothing with a DVD source.

 

[Rage187]

I do not recommend buying any TV but a HDTV, anything else and it's a waste since you will have to rebuy another set within a year or so.

Don't forget HDTV is Widescreen, so techinically DVD's will look better since you will be able to see more. Might have to buy the widescreen versions though.

 

[TGS]

The only time I could really recommend a HDTV, is when the majority of the sources you watch are in HD format. If you don't watch enough sources to justify the purchase, it would be a good idea to just save to when HD becomes a bit more obiquitous. When it does, the go out and get the best HDTV on the market. I say this due to the fact that HD set technology is constantly being improved upon. Ask someone who bought a DLP gen 1 TV, about what s/he thinks about the current generation of DLP tvs at the same price...

 

[CyberZenn]

If you watch a fair number of DVDs I think you will appreciate the 16:9 aspect ratio and the 480p resolution. To me, that in and of itself makes it worth it. Now having said that, there are a number of other benefits to having a HDTV but no cable/sat HD service (I don't subscribe to any HD packages either).

- OTA HDTV broadcasts are great it my area, all the networks and several smaller stations broadcast in HD or at least digital. I probably get 25 or so channels that way. The best part is that its free!

- If you have a HTPC (or a computer located within 15 ft. of your TV) you can run a DVI/HDMI/component cable to your HDTV. Games/video/whatever from your couch!

 

[imported_tss4]

Since, you don't actaully get additional line infomration, its an expensive purchase to only provide native 16:9 format support. Let the prices continue to fall, since your not planning on watching any actual HD broadcasting (but if you are then that's a different sotry).

 

[Rage187]

Eh last year I got 3 HDTV channels, now I get


ABC
CBS
NBC
FOX
HBO
SHO
STARS
CINEMAX
DISCOVERY
HDNET
HDNET MOVIES
ESPN
PBS
WB
TNT


and 2 others I'm forgetting.



Not bad of an improvement for 1 year.

 

[imported_tss4]

Originally posted by: Rage187
Eh last year I got 3 HDTV channels, now I get


ABC
CBS
NBC
FOX
HBO
SHO
STARS
CINEMAX
DISCOVERY
HDNET
HDNET MOVIES
ESPN
PBS
WB
TNT


and 2 others I'm forgetting.



Not bad of an improvement for 1 year.

that's great, but he said he won't be watching any boradcasted HD signals. Given that and the fact that prices will continue to decline, he should wait.

I have an HDTV and I love it. But I love it for how great the HD content looks, not DVDs.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

You can get a widescreen EDTV...

 

[perdomot]

Thanks for the feedback folks. I didn't think I would see a big benefit although the Circuit City guy was swearing I would (right!). I think I will wait for prices to continue to drop but what would be a good price range for a 27 in set? Thanks again.

 

[Wag]

Originally posted by: perdomot
Thanks for the feedback folks. I didn't think I would see a big benefit although the Circuit City guy was swearing I would (right!). I think I will wait for prices to continue to drop but what would be a good price range for a 27 in set? Thanks again.

Don't. You can get a widescreen 30" Samsung HDTV w/HDMI inputs for $399 already.

 

[TheStigma]

Sh|t in = Sh|t out.

If anything, you'd see more artifacts in your DVDs if you ran them on HDTV, because the screen would actually be sharp, and not a blurry mess like a normal TV, obscuring details (and faults also). If you dont have any intention of actually running any HD-resolution material on it, then don't get one to begin with. Thats like buying a porche and driving it on roads with 60Km/h speedlimits. Better get a good widescreen EDTV, or wait and get a HD later (if you plan to get HD services sometime in the future).

-Stigma

 

[CyberZenn]

Originally posted by: TheStigma
Sh|t in = Sh|t out.

If anything, you'd see more artifacts in your DVDs if you ran them on HDTV, because the screen would actually be sharp, and not a blurry mess like a normal TV, obscuring details (and faults also). If you dont have any intention of actually running any HD-resolution material on it, then don't get one to begin with. Thats like buying a porche and driving it on roads with 60Km/h speedlimits. Better get a good widescreen EDTV, or wait and get a HD later (if you plan to get HD services sometime in the future).

-Stigma

It really depends on the TV. Some handle 480i/480p signals very well. The quality of the dvd player and the bitrate at which the DVD is stored at are often determining factors as well.

As I said above, you will get most of the non-premium channels Rage187 mentions in HD over the airwaves at *no cost*. All you need is an HDTV tuner (built-in or external) and an antenna.

I my area (Norfolk, VA), I get:

FOX
ABC
PAX
CBS
WB
PBS
UPN
NBC

And most of them have at least 1 other subchannel (PBS has 4!).

Check antennaweb.org and see what you can get where you live.

 

[xtknight]

How many of you have mounted your antennas somewhere outside? I just leave mine flat on a tall lamp, and it gets NBC very well. I also saw smoke coming out of that lamp because of the tape I used to 'glue' it to my lamp, but ehh, who cares. I get HD. 'Nuff said.

 

[JRW]

Actualy you will see a noticable improvment in DVD quality on a HDTV set ,The reason being HDTV's dont have visible scanlines like a standard set ,so dvd's appear more vibrant and detailed,I also noticed a big improvment when playing videogames. Most Xbox games only output 480P but they still look noticably more detailed than they did on my previous analog 32" Wega. The HDTV im using now is a Sony 32" wich I've mainly used for gaming and dvd's over the last 2 years (No hdtv service) and it was well worth it.

I took this shot awhile back, just a standard DVD (480P) being displayed on it via a Sony NS725P Progressive dvd player.Note how the image is solid and clear, If I would've taken the same shot on my previous analog TV you would of easily seen the scanlines and loss of detail.

Heres a couple shots I took off my previous set to show what I mean (scanlines = the dark horizontal lines you see throughout the picture)

Shot 1

Shot 2

 

[Quasmo]

Originally posted by: Rage187
I do not recommend buying any TV but a HDTV, anything else and it's a waste since you will have to rebuy another set within a year or so.

Don't forget HDTV is Widescreen, so techinically DVD's will look better since you will be able to see more. Might have to buy the widescreen versions though.

contrary to what you've heard, the only signal that will be affected by the 2006 switch is over the air signals. This means that all signals recieved over cable will still be SDTV. The governemnet was running out of bandwidth on the OTA, so they dropped all the SDTV for the HDTV signal. Whats gonna happen is that SDTV owners that only use the antenna, the people out in the boonies, wil have to get a converter.