Are you living in Hi-Def or staying with standard def

from JoeUser Forums

Just curious of which readers have made the move to Hi-def TV in their households.

Do you currently have at least one Hi-Def TV in your home?  If so, how long have you had it, and do you have just one or more than that?

Are you staying with standard def, at least for now?  Are you perhaps planning to move to Hi-Def in the near future, or will you be waiting for some time?  What's the deciding factor for you?

My own answers below in the comments area.

5,372 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

I have two Hi-Def TVs in my household.  Or should I say two Hi-Def displays in my house.  One is a TV, the other an MCE PC with an ATI HDTV All-in-Wonder tuner in it.

I bought a fairly inexpensive smaller sized (26") widescreen Hi-Def TV from Best Buy.  One of the off-brands that only they sell (though you can find equivalent stuff at competitors, also typically "locked" for that retailer so you can only get it there, etc.)  I know what I have isn't the best, not by a long shot, but it does look "good enough" for me for playing Xbox 360 games on, and for watching DVDs on in widescreen.  Broadcast network Hi-Def content looks beautiful on it (and is noticably better looking to me than standard definition broadcast of same stuff).  But it's not a high end TV and others that are more expensive do look better.

I'm still very much daunted by the cost of most Hi-Def TVs though, and don't want to spend a ton of money buying a 40" or larger widescreen Hi-Def only to find out that it drops in price by hundreds of dollars soon after I get it, and/or find that I need yet another new feature/port/whatever that my TV doesn't have before I can use it to get the best Hi-Def content.  That has happened already with ports like HDMI which my TV doesn't have (which means I can't use some resolutions, features, etc., in the future).  Again, I know I bought cheap and can't expect it to have everything, but I don't want to get ripped off on future purposes.

Anyway, I'm curious where others stand and what is influencing the decision making on when to move to Hi-Def for your household (if you haven't already done so).

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hi-Def all the way!

We don't have cable or satellite in my house, just what you can get with one of those rocking alien-ship looking antennas up in the attic, but it works just fine. I find the broadcast stuff gorgeous, and avoid the regular transmissions as much as possible.

The clincher, though, is in my local PBS stations. Both of them have at least three different channels broadcasting three different programs at once. KUED, from the University of Utah, has the digital feed of the normal station, an all-digital station, and a third that shows kids shows all day and then other nature or nova programs all night. The other, KBYU, from (you guessed it) BYU has the digital feed, as well as providing BYU-TV, and (my very favorite) the PBS Create station - all day and night, cooking, gardening, and fix-it shows.

It's the best when I can't sleep, just plonk down on the couch and watch Jacque Pepin make "fast food his way" for an hour or two.

Yum. I'm gonna go watch some now.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
I will wait.  The prices are going to fall once the mandate goes into effect.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have been told that there is not much difference between the two visually?
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I try to avoid stores like Best Buy and Circuit City. I just makes me want. I actually am in the market for a new TV since mine died at the end of last year. I probably won't worry about going hi-def at this point. I really don't care if I can see the sweat running off the football players and every wrinkle on the newscasters face. I am someone who would rather wait years to get what I really want than settle for what's in my budget. That's why I don't have a digital camera yet.

I am currently using my son's TV but I feel bad and need to get a new one so he can have his back. I didn't buy my kids TV's, that was grandpa's doing. I feel like a family should be together enough to at least fight over what to watch on TV. They don't have cable in their rooms though.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I have been told that there is not much difference between the two visually?


You have been LIED TO. The difference, especially on the nicer TVs, is extraordinary.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Still SDTV. Though every time I fire up my 360, it cries just a little.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

You have been LIED TO. The difference, especially on the nicer TVs, is extraordinary.

Agreed.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
Still SDTV. Though every time I fire up my 360, it cries just a little.


If and when you ever come out to visit, you should see if you can bring it along . . . we'll hook it up to the big TV, with the surround sound, and really play.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
We have one that we've had for about a year (even have the HDTV subscription from TW Cable).

It wasn't very expensive ($400) because it's not flatscreen and it's kinda small (28"?). Our entertainment center will only accomodate a square TV so it was the biggest we could get since most TVs now are NOT square. Heh, and the fact that the price goes up dramatically when you get into the larger TVs.

It does have a beautiful picture.