Have you converted to HDTV yet?

[GreenHornet99]

With the electronics push on to get everyone to switch from their conventional TV's and DVD players to HDTV with Blu-Ray, I was wondering how many terbites switched.

I have stuck with my Sony Trinitron with Digital cable and find it looks good as ever.

 

[Cycleguy007]

I've had my Sony Grand Wega HDTV for a couple years now...

I'm resisting the move to Blu-Ray until SOMEONE produces a 5 disk carousel version...

 

[Rockslinger]

Bought a Samsung 40" HDTV on December 21, 2008 at the Boxing Day special price of $800 plus tax. Just found out yesterday that HD CFTO is on channel 518 (was still tuning in to channel 8 for the past 11 months).

 

[robc2343]

I got my HDTV a year ago and my blu-ray player about a month ago and I'm happy with both. Even regular dvd's look clearer with blu-ray so its pretty good if clarity matters to you.

 

[realthing69]

With the electronics push on to get everyone to switch from their conventional TV's and DVD players to HDTV with Blu-Ray, I was wondering how many terbites switched.

I have stuck with my Sony Trinitron with Digital cable and find it looks good as ever.

Gotta go HD if you watch sports or movies especially sports. I don't think I could go back to regular digital TV after watching sports in HD. Everything is blurry and blocky with regular digital.

I have the older Sony Wega Trinitron TVs that supports 1080i and have a PS3.

 

[Safdar]

I switched about 7 yrs ago. It was a 1080i projection it died last year and I upgraded to an 1080p LCD. Bought a blu ray a few mths later.

 

[alexmst]

What is the basic advantage of a bluray player over a DVD player on a HDTV? I have a DVD player and a HDTV.

 

[Riley.Royal]

With the electronics push on to get everyone to switch from their conventional TV's and DVD players to HDTV with Blu-Ray, I was wondering how many terbites switched.

I have stuck with my Sony Trinitron with Digital cable and find it looks good as ever.

I have gotten my HDTV last year. but I don't think I will be going over to blu-ray I will stick with regular dvds.

Right now I am looking at the Sony Creative Software for a new video editing software.

 

[tboy]

What is the basic advantage of a bluray player over a DVD player on a HDTV? I have a DVD player and a HDTV.

regular DVD's are SD, Blu Rays are full 1080P HD. You can get upconverting DVD players that look pretty good when compared to many Blu Ray discs. Frankly, I can't see a two times the price increase in quality but it IS better although not dramatically so (IMO).

if you put a regular DVD into an HD tv without an upconversion, you are only getting SD (or 720p) resolution.

The thing about HD is: Not all channels are available in HD, and even if you buy an HD pack from Robbers, I mean rogers, you don't get ALL the HD channels. They have recently moved all the network HD channels up the range and now you don't get them for free (even though THEY get them for free).

Then, even on channels that are stated as HD, not all programming on those channels are really HD. HBO canada is famous for this. So is The Movie Network. They had a Stanley Kubrick film fest going on earlier this year and it wasn't available in HD.....

 

[my2cents]

Went HD ,blue ray and use built in ATSC tuner. I get my HD channels from my regualr antenna and the quality is far better than rogers. I only get the over the air broadcasts but the quality is great. Obviously it pays to shop around for sales but considering what rogers charges for just basic cable it pays to just go off air for the HD and digital signal.
1080p is great with blue ray dvd but like I said wait for sales to get your system together. These days most hdtv units have an over the air ATSC tuner built in to pick up over the air HD signals but you should check to insure it does. Oh and don't be surprised the sales person doesn't know that you can get HD over the air with a simple UHF antenna since alot of people don't know this. You won't get the number of HD channels offered in packages but if you want a basic list of American channels and Canadian over the air channels the consider freeing yourself of cable.

 

[C Dick]

I went with an HD TV several years ago, the last of the rear projection dinosaurs. What annoys me is that everything is still broadcast square. It is bad enough when you are watching a non-HD channel, you have several choices: stupid empty bars at the side, cutting off the top and bottom, or several kinds of distortion. I can not stand distortion, so I go with the cut off top and bottom. It is generally ok, but you can not see the score in hockey games, and sometimes the heads in UFC.

What is even more annoying is when I buy the HD feed of UFC, and the heads are still cut off. Why would they not broadcast an appropriate feed for an HD TV? What am I missing? Why would you have to distort the picture in HD?

 

[OnTheWayOut]

Got a Samsung HDTV for Christmas 3 years ago. It came with an HD-DVD player. As we all know Blu-Ray won that lil battle so I got one of those last year for Christmas. Still have the old HD player if anyone wants a museum piece.....

 

[Rockslinger]

but you can not see the score in hockey games, and sometimes the heads in UFC.
What is even more annoying is when I buy the HD feed of UFC, and the heads are still cut off.

I had a similar problem but I just adjust the pic to fit the screen (similar to the "fit screen" feature on the PC monitor).

 

[alexmst]

I went with an HD TV several years ago, the last of the rear projection dinosaurs. What annoys me is that everything is still broadcast square. It is bad enough when you are watching a non-HD channel, you have several choices: stupid empty bars at the side, cutting off the top and bottom, or several kinds of distortion. I can not stand distortion, so I go with the cut off top and bottom. It is generally ok, but you can not see the score in hockey games, and sometimes the heads in UFC.

What is even more annoying is when I buy the HD feed of UFC, and the heads are still cut off. Why would they not broadcast an appropriate feed for an HD TV? What am I missing? Why would you have to distort the picture in HD?

Yes, I am in the same position with one of those HD rear projection dinos lol. I know what you mean about the square or else the distortion as TV is stretched to fit. I have a Pioneer Elite and have Bell Expressvu. Just a regular DVD player and HiFi VCR. I don't mind buying a bluray but all my collection of movies is either in DVD or VHS and I don't rent movies, so I either watch MovieNetwork or buy movies on DVD.

If I wanted to upgrade the new Pioneer Elite Pro-151 FD 60" plasma set at $6,669 MSRP is about what I paid for my old rear projection Pioneer several years ago. My current one is about a year away from needing to be replaced as it is starting to dim. I would get both a bluray and DVD for it.

 

[Whosyodaddy]

A bit of " Insider Info".. Almost ANY Blu-Ray player up-converts DVDs' to 1080p. If you have a PS3, you already have a Blue-Ray player that up-converts DVDs' already, just drop the $20.00 for the hand held BlueTooth remote so you don't have to use the gaming controller.

If you're gonna drop the better part of $100.00 on an up-converting DVD player, just go to the cheapest BluRay player ( $160.00 is now entry level ). Personally, I've only had a bad experience with the player trying to upconvert screener burns, on rentals, it's as good as it gets..

Actually, come to think of it, since I found out that my PS3 upconverts DVDs', I haven't used my upconverting DVD player.. I'd let it go real cheap, but realistically, it's worthless. It was just a stop gap platform that stopped making sense once the price of a BluRay player dropped under $200.00

 

[tboy]

I went with an HD TV several years ago, the last of the rear projection dinosaurs. What annoys me is that everything is still broadcast square. It is bad enough when you are watching a non-HD channel, you have several choices: stupid empty bars at the side, cutting off the top and bottom, or several kinds of distortion. I can not stand distortion, so I go with the cut off top and bottom. It is generally ok, but you can not see the score in hockey games, and sometimes the heads in UFC.

What is even more annoying is when I buy the HD feed of UFC, and the heads are still cut off. Why would they not broadcast an appropriate feed for an HD TV? What am I missing? Why would you have to distort the picture in HD?

That isn't exactly correct. The SD stations are in 4:3 format but any HD channel is 16:9 (for the most part). With that being said however HBO Canada often puts things on their HD channel in a 4:3 format (which pisses me off). All the sports and network HD channels are in 16:9.

The thing that kills me about spike and AMC is that robbers doesn't offer them in HD widescreen, but if you go to channel 100 and watch it later it IS in HD and widescreen......bastards.

As for the UFC PPV: be careful: Robbers has PPV HD and regular screen PPV channels. You have to purchase the HD version. I downloaded UFC 100 HD and it was in widescreen.....

 

[C Dick]

As for the UFC PPV: be careful: Robbers has PPV HD and regular screen PPV channels. You have to purchase the HD version. I downloaded UFC 100 HD and it was in widescreen.....

I have ExpressVu, but it is the same deal, there is the regular UFC PPV, and the HD PPV for $10 more. I get the HD, and it seems sharper, but their heads are still cut off. So that means it is still 4:3, doesn't it?

You can use "fit to screen", but that is what distorts it and makes everything short and fat. My family like that, but I can't stand it.

 

[tboy]

I have ExpressVu, but it is the same deal, there is the regular UFC PPV, and the HD PPV for $10 more. I get the HD, and it seems sharper, but their heads are still cut off. So that means it is still 4:3, doesn't it?

You can use "fit to screen", but that is what distorts it and makes everything short and fat. My family like that, but I can't stand it.

You might want to check your settings. I know my plasma has 2 widescreen formats that I have to switch between when changing from TV to computer. It seems one is actually a little bigger than the other.

Same as your settings for widescreen, fill, zoom, and wide zoom. Plus you should check your expressvu box to make sure it is set to 1080p widescreen format. I know with my rogers PVR you have to manually set the output to accept 1080p even though it is going through an HDMI output.

You also might want to check your screen to insure it can accept ALL forms of HD input. I know I have to set my plasma to accept 720 AND 1080 by putting it on automatic formatting. Otherwise I have to manually set the zoom function for each channel.

 

[toughb]

I have no plans to convert till there is considerably more content through the cable systems and by them I'm sure the LCD's will have a new variation to sell.

...

 

[tboy]

I have no plans to convert till there is considerably more content through the cable systems and by them I'm sure the LCD's will have a new variation to sell.

...

They already do: LED LCD and Oleds are out now......

I'm waiting for the roll up tv/panel.......