Topic: How many of us are HD capable?

[Dunrobin]

The discussion about Blu-Ray and high definition TV keeps coming up (most recently on the Vol. 7 thread), which got me to wondering if there really is a demand for HD when it comes to the Stooges.

Whether or not the Stooges shorts would look even better in HD, if hardly anyone has an HD TV the question becomes moot.  I haven't been that interested in the subject, myself, because I do not have a high definition TV and I'm not planning on getting one any time in the near future.  Since there is nothing wrong with my current 32" set, I don't feel a need to rush out and replace it, although I suppose that by the time I am ready for a new TV the HD sets will probably be the only ones available anymore.  As far as I'm concerned, Blu-Ray is just not important until I have a TV that will take advantage of it.

But what about the rest of you?  Have you purchased an HD TV and/or a Blu-Ray player, or are you planning to do so in the near future?

[metaldams]

My parents and brother both have HD TV's, but I don't.  Then again, with the exception of ipods, I'm not into newish technologies in general.  I have a cell phone but only use it for emergency purposes.  I tried text messaging with an ex a few years back, did so about a week, got bored with it, and have since forgotten how to text.  Even as somebody who plays music, I've always been more interested in playing music then the actually gadgetry behind it.

So to answer your question, no I don't have an HD TV nor do I feel the need to rush out and get one.  But I may also be the wrong person to ask.

[Dunrobin]

In my case it isn't that I'm not into new gadgets - I'm posting this from my brand new Acer Aspire notebook - but I am too frugal to spend money on new toys when there isn't anything wrong with the old ones.  (Comes from being Scottish, no doubt.)

Of course, I'm driving an 18 year old car, which should give you some idea of just how cheap frugal I can be.   

[archiezappa]

Here's something interesting that I found out about this weekend.  My brother and I went to a video game store that specializes in used (old school) video games.  We're talking about the old Atari and Nintendo cartridges and stuff.  Anyway, I asked about hooking up the old Nintendo system to his TV and playing the old games.  That's when I found out something very crucial.

Certain games don't work on HDTV's.  Games like "Duck Hunt," which use the laser gun, don't work because the whole thing is based on the flicker of the old TV's.  I never knew that!  That's very important information.  If I upgrade, I want something that will play the new formats, without leaving the old formats behind.  I guess I'm gonna keep my old analog TV.

[xraffle]

I voted for both. I have an HDTV and Blu-ray player.

I honestly never planned on getting an HDTV, but for some strange reason, my old 20" CRT TV developed some weird flickering problems. I had the problem for a year and it drove me nuts. So, last November, I saw a nice Samsung 32" LCD TV on sale at PC Richards for $580. It wasn't a bad price, so I bought it. I was actually amazed at the clarity of the picture. Of course, $580 was a great price at the time, but not anymore. You can get one for a much cheaper price now.

I never intended to get a Blu-ray player either, especially at these prices. But a few months ago, Amazon had a killer deal. They were offering a sale where if you buy a Samsung Blu-ray player along with four selected movies, you get a $125 coupon. So, I couldn't resist. The player and the four movies only totaled up to $180. So far, I'm impressed with the format, but like I mentioned at another thread, it has more bugs than DVDs. So, it can be frustrating at times. One great feature about Blu-ray is that you can access the menus while the movie is still playing. Just press "menu" on the remote and the main menu pops up at the bottom of the screen while the movie is still playing. With DVDs, the movies need to stop and you have to deal with all the annoying animation and stuff on the menus.

Since I'm a young person, I'm into new technology, but not every new technology interests me. Cell phones, blackberries, and video games, I'm not into. I used to love video games, but as time went on, I start to realize that they're just big time-eaters and you can do a lot more valuable things with that time instead. I hope I didn't offend any video gamers here because that wasn't my intention. I'm just stating why video games don't tickle my fancy like they used to. Cell phones and Blackberries just cause more problems for me because people abuse it by contacting you all the time everyday. So, that's why I have a cell phone just for emergency reasons only. It's always off and people get annoyed that I'm unreachable, but oh well! So, the only newish technology that interests me are home theater stuff, which is why I'm into HD and Blu-ray. I like collecting movies and some TV shows. But other kinds of technology, I'm not really into.

By the way, looking at that poll, I'm really shocked to see that one person voted for "I have a Blu-ray player." You should either have voted for HDTV or both because Blu-ray is totally pointless without an HDTV.

[Dunrobin]

By the way, looking at that poll, I'm really shocked to see that one person voted for "I have a Blu-ray player." You should either have voted for HDTV or both because Blu-ray is totally pointless without an HDTV.

I was going to ask if anyone had actually used a Blu-Ray with an older analog TV.  I was pretty certain that it would be pointless (i.e., no improvement over DVD to justify the expense.)

My own prediction is that solid-state chips will come into their own.  Think how convenient it would be to have a movie on a small, virtually indestructible chip that you could just slip into a slot on your TV to watch.  (I'd buy a new HD TV in a heartbeat if they built in that kind of functionality.)   

[xraffle]

My own prediction is that solid-state chips will come into their own.  Think how convenient it would be to have a movie on a small, virtually indestructible chip that you could just slip into a slot on your TV to watch.  (I'd buy a new HD TV in a heartbeat if they built in that kind of functionality.)   

The problem with that is cost. A Blu-ray disc holds 50 GB and all it's made of is just one layer of plastic. That's a lot cheaper to manufacture than a sold-state chip that holds 50 GB.

[Dunrobin]

The problem with that is cost. A Blu-ray disc holds 50 GB and all it's made of is just one layer of plastic. That's a lot cheaper to manufacture than a sold-state chip that holds 50 GB.

Perhaps, right now, but 5 or 10 years from now that will undoubtedly be completely different.  16 years ago my brother paid $200 for a 4 Mb RAM chip.  15 years ago he paid $350 for 1.3 Gb hard drive (I paid $90 for my 1 Tb hard drive.)  His first computer cost him over $2000; my new laptop cost only $400 and has 1000 times the computing power, 1500 times the memory and 160 times the disk space.

Technology does not stand still.   

[locoboymakesgood]

I'm a tech geek. I have a 52in Sony HDTV and a PS3. I'm just in to new technology even though people believe the world is shoving it down your throats. If that was the case cable providers would only allow you to get HD channels.. there's options. HD is now, tube sets are the yesteryear.

Again, nobody here except maybe a couple of people understand and get the whole Blu-ray/1080p/HD thing, but I think if people actually read up on this stuff they'd be more apt to look in to this stuff. Prices are coming down. I didn't buy a DVD player when they came out in 1997 - I waited until they came down in price. Just wait it out if you can't afford it.

[tvradio]

I'm a tech geek. I have a 52in Sony HDTV and a PS3. I'm just in to new technology even though people believe the world is shoving it down your throats. If that was the case cable providers would only allow you to get HD channels.. there's options. HD is now, tube sets are the yesteryear.

Again, nobody here except maybe a couple of people understand and get the whole Blu-ray/1080p/HD thing, but I think if people actually read up on this stuff they'd be more apt to look in to this stuff. Prices are coming down. I didn't buy a DVD player when they came out in 1997 - I waited until they came down in price. Just wait it out if you can't afford it.

you do know tube tvs recently had HD, sony made some, sanyo did and others. also the flat screens tou reference some are only 480i which is sd not  hd

[FineBari3]

Perhaps, right now, but 5 or 10 years from now that will undoubtedly be completely different.  16 years ago my brother paid $200 for a 4 Mb RAM chip.  15 years ago he paid $350 for 1.3 Gb hard drive (I paid $90 for my 1 Tb hard drive.)  His first computer cost him over $2000; my new laptop cost only $400 and has 1000 times the computing power, 1500 times the memory and 160 times the disk space.

Technology does not stand still.   

Man, I remember when a friend of mine bought a 1 GB hard drive in 1991. We were all saying "Youre NEVER going to use all of it!". This was before anybody had digital cameras and images on their computers.

I have a 47" Samsung DLP TV. I bought it in 2007, and I figured I might as well buy an HDTV. Little did I know that there was not DTV tuner built in, and I would have to buy a tuner that costs over $100.  (I refuse to pay the ridiculous rates our hillbilly cable company charges for HD).  I cannot get a dish because my landlord won't let me put one up. 

Don't make fun of me for having a DLP TV....old movies, especially black and white, look great. The DLP technology uses mirrors, and the silver of those mirrors give a luninescent look to the picture!

[locoboymakesgood]

you do know tube tvs recently had HD, sony made some, sanyo did and others. also the flat screens tou reference some are only 480i which is sd not  hd

Oh yeah you know so much more than me. How fucking silly of me! What flat screens did I even mention??

Fucking putz.

[Stooges#1]

Im not sure if this is HD in the tradition sense. - I have a Plasma which is SD, I've got a PS3 connected upto it (That is also a Blu-Ray player) and my PS3 is connected using a HDMI Cable.

Im not in the least bit bothered with Blu-Ray. One day if I buy a Full-HD Plasma/LCD I might borrow a Blu-Ray movie just to see what all the fuss is about, but I wouldnt re-buy my entire Movie/TV Show collection just to have everything in Blu-Ray. I dont even watch my DVDs on my PS3 even though it apparently upconverts them, not really interested. My DVD Player is HDMI powered so that is good enough.

[xraffle]

Im not in the least bit bothered with Blu-Ray. One day if I buy a Full-HD Plasma/LCD I might borrow a Blu-Ray movie just to see what all the fuss is about, but I wouldnt re-buy my entire Movie/TV Show collection just to have everything in Blu-Ray. I dont even watch my DVDs on my PS3 even though it apparently upconverts them, not really interested. My DVD Player is HDMI powered so that is good enough.

I haven't repurchased any titles on Blu-ray. All the Blu-ray movies I have are ones that I never owned before on DVD. I see no reason to upgrade my entire movie collection.

[archiezappa]

I haven't repurchased any titles on Blu-ray. All the Blu-ray movies I have are ones that I never owned before on DVD. I see no reason to upgrade my entire movie collection.

I also see no reason to upgrade my entire movie collection.  In fact, I've never completely upgraded to DVD.  I still have several vhs movies.  I've decided not to get rid of them.  Instead, I've decided to make sure that I keep a working VCR.  Also, I've managed to use this to my advantage.  Most people are upgrading to DVD and are selling off all of their vhs movies.  I've been able to purchase many good movies for as little as 10 cents each at yard sales.  Come to think of it, I did the same thing back in the early 1990's, when everyone got rid of their vinyl to switch to CD.  I ended up with some awesome vinyl.

[Larry Larry]

Oh yeah you know so much more than me. How fucking silly of me! What flat screens did I even mention??

Fucking putz.

Good grief!  Can't we be a little more considerate, if not to the original poster, at least for the rest of us?

Been HD for several years.  BD for 2.  I've read concerns from people sometimes that they don't want to get BD because they don't want to replace their DVD collection.  As most of us know, you don't have to replace your collection.  BD is backwards compatible and will play DVDs.

I have gotten to the point that I rarely watch SD material anymore.  The exceptions being DVDs that have not yet been issued on Blu-ray like the Three Stooges Collection. 

[moglia]

Good grief!  Can't we be a little more considerate, if not to the original poster, at least for the rest of us?

Been HD for several years.  BD for 2.  I've read concerns from people sometimes that they don't want to get BD because they don't want to replace their DVD collection.  As most of us know, you don't have to replace your collection.  BD is backwards compatible and will play DVDs.

I have gotten to the point that I rarely watch SD material anymore.  The exceptions being DVDs that have not yet been issued on Blu-ray like the Three Stooges Collection. 

For those of you who don't have Blu-Ray HDTV combo if your looking to save money don't get or even look at one. Very hard going back to Standard DVD or to a lesser degree Realta or Reon (Not Faroudja - not so good) upsampled DVD. The difference is almost great as standard DVD compared to a 2nd or 3rd gen VHS tape.

[Smaug]

I was going to ask if anyone had actually used a Blu-Ray with an older analog TV.  I was pretty certain that it would be pointless (i.e., no improvement over DVD to justify the expense.)

When my HDTV died i hooked up the HDDVR to my analog 32" RCA. Don't have Blu-Ray, but the HD channels are a lot sharper and cleaner. Plus they are 5.1 Dolby. Last time I will buy a Samsung.

[xraffle]

When my HDTV died i hooked up the HDDVR to my analog 32" RCA. Don't have Blu-Ray, but the HD channels are a lot sharper and cleaner. Plus they are 5.1 Dolby. Last time I will buy a Samsung.

Yikes! My HDTV is a Samsung. I really wanted a Sony, but darn it, they're expensive as heck!

[Dunrobin]

Been HD for several years.  BD for 2.  I've read concerns from people sometimes that they don't want to get BD because they don't want to replace their DVD collection.  As most of us know, you don't have to replace your collection.  BD is backwards compatible and will play DVDs.

When my HDTV died i hooked up the HDDVR to my analog 32" RCA. Don't have Blu-Ray, but the HD channels are a lot sharper and cleaner. Plus they are 5.1 Dolby. Last time I will buy a Samsung.

That's good to know - when my DVD player craps out eventually I will probably look into Blu-Ray then, even if I haven't replaced the TV yet.  (I might as well, since it's a given that the TV will get replaced with an HDTV when it dies.)

Question: Am I correct in assuming that "SD" means something like "Standard DVD"?  I haven't seen that abbreviation before this thread.   

[xraffle]

Question: Am I correct in assuming that "SD" means something like "Standard DVD"?  I haven't seen that abbreviation before this thread.   

SD= Standard Definition
HD= High Definition

And in case anyone out there is wondering, BD stands for Blu-ray Disc.

[Dunrobin]

SD= Standard Definition
HD= High Definition

Muchas gracias, senor!   

[tvradio]

SD= Standard Definition
HD= High Definition

And in case anyone out there is wondering, BD stands for Blu-ray Disc.

SD= Standard Definition = 480i

ED = Enhanced Definition = 480p

HD = High Definition = 720p / 1080i / 1080p

[xraffle]

SD= Standard Definition = 480i

ED = Enhanced Definition = 480p

HD = High Definition = 720p / 1080i / 1080p

Correctamundo! 

[Dog Hambone]

At my crib, it's a DVD player with HDMI that is hooked up to a Samsung 42" plasma. My cable provider (Comcast) only has about 50 HD channels, most of which are duplicates of SD channels. So most of what I end up watching is broadcast in SD anyway.

HD is nice, but to me, it's not that much better than SD & therefore not that big of a deal. Some HD movies I watch on my DVD player are kinda cool 'cos there appears to be some depth in the picture (kinda like 3D).

I have a brother-in-law that seems to feel there is a profound difference between SD & HD, but I don't agree.

As for the new Stooge sets that Sony is releasing, I'm pretty happy with the quality.