I think you can still get 4:3 on a hdtv set you would just have the bars...I think. I would suggest you wait because prices are dropping like a rock. 4:3 is terrible. in movies you loose about 25% of the picture. thats why i always buy letterbox dvd's even though i get the bars on my standard tv. my 200 dollar 27 inch is fine for me until they lower those rediculous prices. all broadcasts are suspose to be hd by 2006 i think.
anyone have an HDTV TV?
- Thread starter Spork
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Darell
Flashaholic
Yup, I've got thoughts - DON'T stick with 4:3. I watch movies more than TV, and 4:3 just sucks. Prices of HD's are just now getting to the steep drop, so hold off a bit if you can. And really, really reconsider the 4:3 deal. Yes, 4:3 programming can be veiwed on (just about) anything.
Yet another (off topic) subject I could consider one of my hobbies...this board has yet to fail to amaze me...
I think it's silly when some TV show uses Hi-Def sets on air but their footage is in 4:3 so they just stretch it...ABCs the Mole is (or was, only watched it a few times) very guilty of this.
I think it's silly when some TV show uses Hi-Def sets on air but their footage is in 4:3 so they just stretch it...ABCs the Mole is (or was, only watched it a few times) very guilty of this.
Size15's
Flashaholic
So is HDTV better quality then DVD?
Is it the set and the signal that make it better?
Is DVD played on a HDTV better quality then stanadard TV?
BTW, widescreen is the way to go. I've been a few shops that don't sell old TVs - just widescreens.
Al
Is it the set and the signal that make it better?
Is DVD played on a HDTV better quality then stanadard TV?
BTW, widescreen is the way to go. I've been a few shops that don't sell old TVs - just widescreens.
Al
Internet DVD FAQ for the rec.video.dvd Usenet newsgroups.
[2.9] Does DVD support HDTV (DTV)? Will HDTV make DVD obsolete?
Short answers: Partially. No.
First, some quick definitions: HDTV (high-definition TV) encompasses both analog and digital televisions that have a 16:9 aspect ratio and approximately 5 times the resolution of standard TV (double vertical, double horizontal, wider aspect). DTV (digital TV) applies to digital broadcasts in general and to the U.S. ATSC standard in specific. The ATSC standard includes both standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) digital formats. The notation H/DTV is often used to specifically refer to high-definition digital TV.
In December of 1996 the FCC approved the U.S. DTV standard. HDTVs became available in late 1998, but they are very expensive and won't become widespread for many years. DVD will look better on HDTVs but it won't provide the highest resolutions.
DVD-Video does not directly support HDTV. No digital HDTV standards were finalized when DVD was developed. In order to be compatible with existing televisions, DVD's MPEG-2 video resolutions and frame rates are closely tied to NTSC and PAL/SECAM video formats (see 1.19). DVD does use the same 16:9 aspect ratio of HDTV and the Dolby Digital audio format of U.S. DTV.
HDTV in the US is part of the ATSC DTV format. The resolution and frame rates of DTV in the US generally correspond to the ATSC recommendations for SD (640x480 and 704x480 at 24p, 30p, 60p, 60i) and HD (1280x720 at 24p, 20p, and 60p; 1920x1080 at 24p, 30p and 60i). (24p means 24 progressive frames/sec, 60i means 60 interlaced fields/sec [30 frames/sec].) The current DVD-Video spec covers all of SD except 60p. It's expected that future DVD players will output digital video signals from existing discs in SDTV formats. The HD formats are 2.7 and 6 times the resolution of DVD, and the 60p version is twice the frame rate. The ITU-R is working on BT.709 HDTV standards of 1125/60 (1920x1035/30) (same as SMPTE 240M, similar to Japan's analog MUSE HDTV) and 1250/50 (1920x1152/25) which may be used in Europe. The latter is 5.3 times the resolution of DVD's 720x576/25 format. HD maximum data rate is usually 19.4 Mbps, almost twice the maximum DVD-Video data rate. In other words, DVD-Video does not currently support HDTV video content.
HDTV will not make DVD obsolete. Those who postpone purchasing a DVD player because of HDTV are in for a long wait. HDTV became available in late 1998 at very high prices (about $5000 and up). It will take many years before even a small percentage of homes have HDTV sets. CEA expects 10 percent of U.S. households to have HDTV in 2003, 20 percent by 2005, and 30 percent by 2006.
HDTV sets include analog video connectors (composite, s-video, and component) that will work with all DVD players and other existing video equipment such as VCRs. Existing DVD players and discs will work perfectly with HDTV sets, and will provide a much better picture than any other prerecorded consumer video format, especially once new progressive-scan players become available. Since the cheapest route to HDTV reception will be HDTV converters for existing TV sets, HDTV for many viewers will look no better than DVD.
At some point, HDTV displays will support component digital video connections (YCbCr) and digital data connections (FireWire/IEEE 1394). The digital connections will provide the best possible reproduction of DVD-Video, especially in widescreen mode. Once DVD players have digital outputs, they may be usable as "transports" which output any kind of A/V data (even formats developed after the player was built) to any sort of external display or converter.
The interesting thing many people don't realize is that DTV is happening soonest, fastest, and cheapest on PCs. A year before any consumer DTV sets came out you could buy a DVD PC with a 34" VGA monitor and get gorgeous progressive-scan movies for under $3000. The quality of a good DVD PC connected to a data-grade video projector beats $30,000 line-doubler systems. (See NetTV, BroadbandMagic, and Digital Connection for product examples. Video projectors are available from Barco, Dwin, Electrohome, Faroudja, InFocus, Projectavision, Runco, Sharp, Sony, Vidikron, and others.)
Eventually the DVD-Video format will be upgraded to an "HD-DVD" format. See 2.12
[2.9] Does DVD support HDTV (DTV)? Will HDTV make DVD obsolete?
Short answers: Partially. No.
First, some quick definitions: HDTV (high-definition TV) encompasses both analog and digital televisions that have a 16:9 aspect ratio and approximately 5 times the resolution of standard TV (double vertical, double horizontal, wider aspect). DTV (digital TV) applies to digital broadcasts in general and to the U.S. ATSC standard in specific. The ATSC standard includes both standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) digital formats. The notation H/DTV is often used to specifically refer to high-definition digital TV.
In December of 1996 the FCC approved the U.S. DTV standard. HDTVs became available in late 1998, but they are very expensive and won't become widespread for many years. DVD will look better on HDTVs but it won't provide the highest resolutions.
DVD-Video does not directly support HDTV. No digital HDTV standards were finalized when DVD was developed. In order to be compatible with existing televisions, DVD's MPEG-2 video resolutions and frame rates are closely tied to NTSC and PAL/SECAM video formats (see 1.19). DVD does use the same 16:9 aspect ratio of HDTV and the Dolby Digital audio format of U.S. DTV.
HDTV in the US is part of the ATSC DTV format. The resolution and frame rates of DTV in the US generally correspond to the ATSC recommendations for SD (640x480 and 704x480 at 24p, 30p, 60p, 60i) and HD (1280x720 at 24p, 20p, and 60p; 1920x1080 at 24p, 30p and 60i). (24p means 24 progressive frames/sec, 60i means 60 interlaced fields/sec [30 frames/sec].) The current DVD-Video spec covers all of SD except 60p. It's expected that future DVD players will output digital video signals from existing discs in SDTV formats. The HD formats are 2.7 and 6 times the resolution of DVD, and the 60p version is twice the frame rate. The ITU-R is working on BT.709 HDTV standards of 1125/60 (1920x1035/30) (same as SMPTE 240M, similar to Japan's analog MUSE HDTV) and 1250/50 (1920x1152/25) which may be used in Europe. The latter is 5.3 times the resolution of DVD's 720x576/25 format. HD maximum data rate is usually 19.4 Mbps, almost twice the maximum DVD-Video data rate. In other words, DVD-Video does not currently support HDTV video content.
HDTV will not make DVD obsolete. Those who postpone purchasing a DVD player because of HDTV are in for a long wait. HDTV became available in late 1998 at very high prices (about $5000 and up). It will take many years before even a small percentage of homes have HDTV sets. CEA expects 10 percent of U.S. households to have HDTV in 2003, 20 percent by 2005, and 30 percent by 2006.
HDTV sets include analog video connectors (composite, s-video, and component) that will work with all DVD players and other existing video equipment such as VCRs. Existing DVD players and discs will work perfectly with HDTV sets, and will provide a much better picture than any other prerecorded consumer video format, especially once new progressive-scan players become available. Since the cheapest route to HDTV reception will be HDTV converters for existing TV sets, HDTV for many viewers will look no better than DVD.
At some point, HDTV displays will support component digital video connections (YCbCr) and digital data connections (FireWire/IEEE 1394). The digital connections will provide the best possible reproduction of DVD-Video, especially in widescreen mode. Once DVD players have digital outputs, they may be usable as "transports" which output any kind of A/V data (even formats developed after the player was built) to any sort of external display or converter.
The interesting thing many people don't realize is that DTV is happening soonest, fastest, and cheapest on PCs. A year before any consumer DTV sets came out you could buy a DVD PC with a 34" VGA monitor and get gorgeous progressive-scan movies for under $3000. The quality of a good DVD PC connected to a data-grade video projector beats $30,000 line-doubler systems. (See NetTV, BroadbandMagic, and Digital Connection for product examples. Video projectors are available from Barco, Dwin, Electrohome, Faroudja, InFocus, Projectavision, Runco, Sharp, Sony, Vidikron, and others.)
Eventually the DVD-Video format will be upgraded to an "HD-DVD" format. See 2.12
I don't really care about tv what I really enjoy is movies and renting dvd's. you could rent pretty much anything you wanted to watch much cheaper than a cable bill minus the commercials. also if its a movie that i might want to keep i just buy the dvd. its much more enoyable than flipping through channels or waiting for a show to come on
The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
I've never seen a HDTV image, but as I understand it blows ordinary TV away. Then again, so does the cost.
These things were $15,000+ when they started coming out in 1999 or so; though I've seen sets offered for under $2,000 as of late. That's still a bit on the spendy side for a TV though; and the cheaper HDTV sets have tiny 15" screens. In my opinion, HDTV really wouldn't be worth all the expense when you have to watch it on such a tiny screen.
For now, I'm perfectly happy with my 32" Philips set and a stack of VHS cassettes. Plain old ordinary old 4:3 NTSC, thankyouverymuch.
For now, I'm perfectly happy with my 32" Philips set and a stack of VHS cassettes. Plain old ordinary old 4:3 NTSC, thankyouverymuch.
Graham
Flashlight Enthusiast
There are lots of HD plasma and regular big screen TVs available here. There are only a few channels which broadcast in HD, but it is absolutely beautiful on a 48" or so widescreen. The level of detail is just incredible.
Plasma TVs have come down in price a lot, but I'm not getting one. Why? I'm after a projector - one of these little babies, which does everything but sing and dance - HDTV support, progressive scan, everything.
Graham
Plasma TVs have come down in price a lot, but I'm not getting one. Why? I'm after a projector - one of these little babies, which does everything but sing and dance - HDTV support, progressive scan, everything.
Graham
Maybe I'm just lucky but here is the list of digital channels in our area...don't know their channel numbers though since I don't use them
CBS Reg CH 2
ABC Reg CH 4
NBC Reg CH 5
PBS 1 (KUED) CH 7
PBS 2 (KBYU) CH 11
FOX Reg CH 13
I know that ABC is digital 44 but other than that I am cluless.
CBS Reg CH 2
ABC Reg CH 4
NBC Reg CH 5
PBS 1 (KUED) CH 7
PBS 2 (KBYU) CH 11
FOX Reg CH 13
I know that ABC is digital 44 but other than that I am cluless.
Artie Choke
Newly Enlightened
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Graham:
...I'm after a projector - one of these little babies, which does everything but sing and dance - HDTV support, progressive scan, everything. Graham<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
yeah! 100 in. diagonal screen - no big box cluttering up the room! now, just gotta get my home theatre room built (someday...
)
one thing to be aware of - i've heard the hdtv standard isn't finalized - so don't invest in the converion piece yet (most are separate from the display). you can still use it for dvds and normal tv. if you get the conversion box, you might have to throw it away down the line - and they're around $500 or so (last time i checked).
...I'm after a projector - one of these little babies, which does everything but sing and dance - HDTV support, progressive scan, everything. Graham<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
yeah! 100 in. diagonal screen - no big box cluttering up the room! now, just gotta get my home theatre room built (someday...
one thing to be aware of - i've heard the hdtv standard isn't finalized - so don't invest in the converion piece yet (most are separate from the display). you can still use it for dvds and normal tv. if you get the conversion box, you might have to throw it away down the line - and they're around $500 or so (last time i checked).
