hd television?

Question

anyone tried it yet? is it any good or a waste of money as it seems only sky are selling it?

Answer 1

HDTV has at least twice the lineal resolution of standard-definition television (SDTV), thus allowing much more detail to be shown compared to analog television or regular DVD. In addition, the technical standards for broadcasting HDTV are also able to handle 16:9 aspect ratio pictures without using letterboxing, thus further increasing the effective resolution for such content.
The optimum formats for a broadcast depends on the type of media used for the recording and the characteristics of the content. The field and frame rate should match the source, as should the resolution. On the other hand, a very high resolution source may require more bandwidth than is available in order to be transmitted without loss of fidelity. The lossy compression that is used in all digital HDTV storage/transmission systems will then cause the received picture to appear distorted when compared to the uncompressed source.

Advantages of HDTV expressed in non-engineering terms

1. All commercial HD is digital, so the signal will either deliver an excellent picture, a picture with noticeable pixelation, a series of still pictures, or no picture at all. The system cannot produce a snowy or washed out image from a weak signal, effects from signal interference, such as herringbone patterns, or vertical rolling.
2. HD programming and films will be presented in 16:9 widescreen format (although films created in even wider ratios will still display "letterbox" bars on the top and bottom of even 16:9 sets.) Older films and programming that retain their 4:3 ratio display will be presented in a version of letterbox commonly called "pillar box", displaying bars on the right and left of 16:9 sets (rendering the term "fullscreen" a misnomer). Or, one can usually choose to zoom the image to fill the screen.
3. The colors will generally look more realistic, due to their greater bandwidth.
4. The visual information is about 2-5 times more detailed overall. The gaps between scanning lines are smaller or invisible. Legacy TV content that was shot and preserved on 35 mm film can now be viewed at nearly the same resolution as that at which it was originally photographed.
5. Two new pre-recorded disc formats support HDTV resolutions, namely HD DVD (supporting 720p and 1080i; future players will support 1080p) and Blu-ray (supporting up to 1080p). Players for both systems are expected to be backward-compatible with DVDs. However, the two formats are not compatible with each other.
6. The increased clarity and detail make larger screen sizes more comfortable and pleasing to watch.
7. Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is broadcast along with standard HDTV video signals, allowing full surround sound capabilities. (Standard broadcast television signals usually only include basic stereo audio.)
8. Both designs make more efficient use of electricity than SDTV designs of equivalent size, which can mean lower operating costs.

Answer 2

My PVR gives much better results on an LCD than it did on a CRT - the CRT was good - and that is just with standard definition. I have read, and experience does seem to confirm, that HD will be beneficial to picture quality if you use a set larger than 32". So I'd say that unless you have a large set you might as well wait until more HD broadcasts are available. Freeview HD won't be available until analogue is abandoned.

Answer 3

I got it because my old 32" RCA got fried.. I went to a JVC 32" widescreen. I didn't change anything else, still hooked up to Dish Network (digital, not HD) and the picture is still much clearer and sharper... I love the wide, flat screen, plus, when more HD programming becomes available, I'm ready.

Answer 4

Fantastic!! games look great on the Xbox 360

Answer 5

It really is good, but remember no matter how good the picture quality there is very little on TV worth watching!!

Answer 6

If you re looking at a tft monitor chances are you re looking at HD