hd tv,hd dvd,blu ray wont take off

[blakey1]

Originally Posted by KyoDash

Working in retail I've found most people will unfortunately buy a bad looking Plasma or LCD screen just because of the word 'High Definition'.

Someone came into my game store and said that the 360 demo pod LCD screen had to look good as it was HD. The average joe has no clue and mainly buys this stuff because of it's slylish flat design and HD brand more than anything.

It's a shame but I want HD to succeed but with more awareness and certainly more choice in the UK, like in the US were some good CRT's are available without bad geometry problems. Not those badly configered Slim-Fit ones either.

I think the whole HD-DVD think is arriving way too soon, If non CRT TVs weren't all fixed panel display then 480p DVD playback would more than be suitable for the next 2 to 3 years.

I guess it will take a few years for HD-DVD and BluRay to take off due to high price points and limited availability with regards to films converted, much like current DVD when it started back in 1996 or 1997. The choice of two next gen movie formats isn't very appealing though, the best bet is to stand back and let the companies play it out and then start buying after one format emerges and the new standard.

I agree with your comments. I have a Sharp p50e at the moment best SD LCD around. Its funny how many people assume my tv is worse than all other LCD's because its not HD ready. They just cant get around the SD HD thing. Some even think that DVD's a already output at 720 and therefore LCD's need to do no scaling. They are quite amazed when they realise that standard Sky, PS2 and Dvd's all looks better on my Sharp. Also for some reason most seem to think they will be able to just plug their HD tv into their normal sky box or that because their is HD ready that means the freeview turner is also HD. I think there are going to be some unhappy people when they realise the actual cost of HD.

[blakey1]

Originally Posted by Gregory

My view is that if it were reliant on HD-DVD or television then it will be a fair while coming ... but that it won't be due to game consoles. The new consoles (360 et al.) are much better than the last generation and so will get bought in large quantities irrespective of whether the users have hi-def screens. However, they also look much better in high-def, so giving people a reason to go high-def when they upgrade their screen (as many people are doing just to recover all the wasted space of a large CRT). Then it is only one more step to get to either a high-def DVD player (with most people having one from the off in a PS3, or as a retro-fit/mid-life upgrade in a 360) or HD Sky.

So, I suspect that it is not reliant on multiple parallel upgrades just to get high-def - we will simply find it becomes mainstream almost by stealth

Cheers

Greg

I think you would be right if SD did not look so poor on many LCD's. Whilst games consoles may look good on HD. SD just does not and therefore I think it will need at least 20-30 good HD channels including the main 5 to convince people to go out and buy a HD ready TV. At the moment they are selling well but that is mainly due to the limited knowledge and the thought that full HD is round the corner. Once Sky and telewest is launched and people see how limited it is, poeple may think again regarding having a HD ready set.

[KyoDash]

I think the whole HD-DVD think is arriving way too soon.

I meant that we are replacing DVD discs just around 6 years after they became really popular when VHS lasted as a main format for more like 12.

I do think that we need HD broadcasts now but at the same time feel that HD technology should be fully compatable with old resolutions, well at least 480p without scalling. Arcade CRT have been able to to low to hi res all in progressive without scalling for years. (there are still things coming out like Nintendo Rvolution and regular DVDs which are not higher than 480p).

In terms of a new format,perhaps companies would be better working together rather than splitting alliances down the middle. We would get HD content a lot quicker if comapnies only had to worry about a single next gen disc standard.

[samjet]

it amazes me people are in such a rush to get HD panels/tv's before there are even launch dates for sky - let alone Blu Ray and HD DVD in this country

the plasma lads are the worst - the panny pv500 will be superceded before sky arrives (its already an 'old' model) - and we are already seeing the launch of new models from the main manufacturers before said launch

so to date unless using streamed hd from a media centre all they have been able to compare is sd on an hd panel

btw i own an sd panny plasma for my sins

[KyoDash]

think there are going to be some unhappy people when they realise the actual cost of HD

Definitely. You'll either need a TV which does 480p and 720p without scaling( only Arc and PC CRT at the mo, so not even a TV) or you'll need to buy a sky HD box and pay a high subscription just for a few channels.

And you won't get half as many channels in HD either, the rest will probably be SD progressive which won't look anywhere near as good as 720p on their LCD or Plasma set. I can't see Sky not giving you the non HD channels with their HD service, just at SD.

[pj]

HD & blu-ray are still awhile off over here unless u import the US models, we will probably end up shafted like the r2 dvd launch we get it here a few years later and there will be regionalised etc!
the jump to HD is bigger than dvd but your average joe wont be so quick to adopt it cause it wont cost him £29.97 from "the asda" also the same applies to the thousands of joes who already have a HD ready plasma in their living room but will probably never use it to its full potential

[Londonman]

The conclusion that I have reached is as follows and is mainly driven by the type of programs that we watch. We (just the two of us) have no interest in Sky, no interest in sport and little interest in having a huge number of channels to browse through. The current four terrestrial channels do OK and if there's nowt on then there's always loads of other things to do.

The one sure event on the horizon that I see is the analogue switch-off but that is easily fixed by buying a Freeview PVR..to pick up the channels and to replace TiVo. It all plugs in nicely into the existing plasma and Dolby 5.1 system and so it seems a no-brainer.

I can't see any realistic terrestrial source of HDTV in the next 10 (?) years and so there's no point in selling my plasma and replacing it now with an HD Ready as I reckon that the early sets are going to be 'optimistic'. Better to wait until terrestrial HDTV has a more realistic timescale.

BUT we do like watching films (and not necessarily the fare that Sky offers) and the only choice is DVD ...rural situation means not a snowball's of getting HomeChoice. So we're going to equip one room with a projector and screen specifically for watching films. So I plan to buy a projector that is HDMI ready (since HD in one format or another is going to come sooner on DVD) and then watch this space as far as HD-DVD/BluRay goes.

The only niggle that I have is to do with HDCP and my understanding is that although you might have an HDMI connection on both pieces of equipment (eg projector and DVD)...if the DVD has HDCP and your other bit of kit hasn't then you are stuffed....no pictures and, as other threads have mentioned, no-one seems to have picked this up (at least not in any of the magazines that I've seen)

[Evil Engineer]

Originally Posted by Londonman

The only niggle that I have is to do with HDCP and my understanding is that although you might have an HDMI connection on both pieces of equipment (eg projector and DVD)...if the DVD has HDCP and your other bit of kit hasn't then you are stuffed....no pictures and, as other threads have mentioned, no-one seems to have picked this up (at least not in any of the magazines that I've seen)

HDMI has HDCP built in as a fundamental part of the specificication which will be why no magazines have picked up on it.

The only issues in this area relate to DVI connections which may or may not include HDCP. This was one of the main reasons, together with 50Hz support, that lead to the introduction of the HD Ready logo.

I'd say that HD is innevitable. You can already get a 32" HD ready LCD for less than a grand. That's the same sort of price that CRT widescreen tellies started to go mainstream at.

Everyone wants a flat panel display and SD panels are fast dropping out the bottom of the market. Once the panels are there the sources will follow.

It'll take years and the price needs to be right but build it and they will come in the end.

[blakey1]

Originally Posted by KyoDash

Definitely. You'll either need a TV which does 480p and 720p without scaling( only Arc and PC CRT at the mo, so not even a TV) or you'll need to buy a sky HD box and pay a high subscription just for a few channels.

And you won't get half as many channels in HD either, the rest will probably be SD progressive which won't look anywhere near as good as 720p on their LCD or Plasma set. I can't see Sky not giving you the non HD channels with their HD service, just at SD.

There will only be 6-8 HD channels at launch and not everything on them will be in HD. Some of this will be scaled from SD.

All other channels will remain SD until other broadcasters come aboard or Sky operate more channels.

[RobbieTT]

It's already been touched on but the current poor quality of SD will do a lot to fuel the 'need'.

I find it hard to grasp what sky is doing at the moment. With one hand it is promoting the idea that people want more channels with low quality bitrates - with the other hand it is just about to try and sell the exact opposite.

A few years ago we hoped that digital TV would bring in DVD quality broadcasts. We seem to have the very same hope again.

I hope it is true this time....

[Gregory]

Originally Posted by blakey1

I think you would be right if SD did not look so poor on many LCD's. Whilst games consoles may look good on HD. SD just does not and therefore I think it will need at least 20-30 good HD channels including the main 5 to convince people to go out and buy a HD ready TV. At the moment they are selling well but that is mainly due to the limited knowledge and the thought that full HD is round the corner. Once Sky and telewest is launched and people see how limited it is, poeple may think again regarding having a HD ready set.

Whilst I agree that the rational logic goes very much as you say, I don't see that as likely to drive HD screen adoption. My point was that many people will start with a new gen. console, and then make the leap to assume that they should get an HD screen when they next think about replacing - irrespective of whether they might actually be better off with an SD - so, getting to fairly widespread HD DVD capability almost by accident.

Cheers

Greg

[Rasczak]

HD & blu-ray are still awhile off over here unless u import the US models

Several sources are implying a 'Region 2' launch for HD DVD by Christmas this year. If this is true - and I see no reason why a 'soft' launch couldn't happen - then it will be great. As HD DVD doesn't use Region coding we can buy a UK player that will (hopefully) support US and UK discs.

[emi2006]

Originally Posted by blakey1

I think Sky HD could take off. Not because of how good HD will be but because how poor SD is. Most broadcaster output at pretty low bitrates and therefore put SD nex HD and the HD picture will look amazing. Increase the SD bitrate to DVD quality which I understand can be done and then the difference is not so great. It will interesting to see what the likes of ITV etc do. I cant see the financial intrest for them in HD as I understand you need the bandwith of 6 SD channels to run a HD one. Therefore I wonder if they and others will double their output to get as close to HD as they can. With more and more people buy LCD's I feel that broadcasters will have little choice but to increase bandwith. If this is done then I'm not sure whether HDTV will be a succes. In Oz where its been for the past 4 years or so the take up has been so low that their equv of BBC is now outputing at 576p to free up more bandwith.

Again not sure about HD DVD. The format war wont help and neither will the expected £800 price tag. I'm not sure how much better HD dvd's will be than standard DVD'd and I'm not sure how bothered the average Joe will be. I'm sure most out there are unaware of RGB and component input and most people I know who own a PS2 dont even have it connected by RGB. Therefore why is anybody going to be that bother between the quality of SD DVD's over HD DVD's?

Thing is they (some broadcasters and I guess the government) consider 576P HD.

The difference between decent DVD and decent HD is huge.

[blakey1]

Originally Posted by emi2006

Thing is they (some broadcasters and I guess the government) consider 576P HD.

The difference between decent DVD and decent HD is huge.

Well I dont know what you mean by decent HD. Ive seen down loaded HD via my computer, HD in Comet, Currys, JL, Tottenham Court. Ive also seen the live Premier HD demos and for me as an average Joe its only a bit better than a high quality DVD. Of course if Sky HD is much better than what ive seen then my opinions may be different but I can only go by what Ive seen.

[Goooner]

Originally Posted by Parmenion62

I for one will be going down the HD route having bought the Hitachi LD7200 it would be rude not to!
Amazon.com are advertising a HD-DVD palyer for $499 - out March 2006 - so I dont think the price is prohibitive .

Don't forget that $499 is bound to translate to £499 as it usually does