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New member Username: DwclarkArlington, Tx Usa Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-05 | i am going to guy a HDTV soon. i'm leaving towards the Hitachi 60v710, the Mitsubishi 62525 or the Sony KDF60XS955. i'll have the Digital/HDTV service thru comcast. I am wanting to get feedback/reviews on which TV provides the best picture when watching a standard definition program...which 95% of the channels are now. Thanks in advance |
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Anonymous | Once you watch HI DEF on a large screen, especially movies -you will do everything you can to avoid regular channels. ITS ALL GOING TO LOOK LIKE JUNK ANYWAYS Since you got Comcast, you are in good shape because they offer at a pretty low monthly price (no upfront) a Motorola combo HI DEF TUNER/DIGITAL VIDEO HI DEF RECORDER which can make pristine hi def copies on its hard drive for later playback. Ask for the 2 tuner box - which is no extra charge. Comcast has 10 to 15 hi def channels all incredibly sharp VOOM satellite will soon be going to 70 hi def channels, and I would expect Comcast would be forced to add more soon for competitive reasons |
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New member Username: AcemanPost Number: 3 Registered: Nov-04 | I was expecting SD to look like crap when I purchased the 60XS. To my surprise, at 12 ft, it really doesn't look all that bad at all. Now hd looks amazing, but i was really impressed with how well the xs handles a analog signal. good luck. |
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New member Username: DwclarkArlington, Tx Usa Post Number: 2 Registered: Jan-05 | I sat at home theatre store last night for about an hour comparing standard signals on the 3 tv's...i have to say that i think the mitsubishi looks better in standard....and as always the mitsubishi is stunning in HD |
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Mike Schmidt Unregistered guest | I want to know this as well... |
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Unbelieveable Unregistered guest | I here everybody whining about grainy standard def reception on their new big screen HD sets, and I think, what the hell is wrong with you people. Cable tv sucks! You bought the set, so, get the digital Sat signal and shut up already. |
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Anonymous | even older movies can look FANTASTIC on hi def. For example some movies from the 1960's had (original) color washout problems that became apparent on studio re-releases 10 to 20 yrs later, however others now look absolutely brilliant in hi def or perhaps have been restored at some point HOWEVER REGULAR TV AND REGULAR MOVIES ETC ALL LOOK TERRIBLE NO MATTER WHAT |
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Bronze Member Username: TrieditNashville, TN USA Post Number: 24 Registered: Dec-03 | "Cable tv sucks! You bought the set, so, get the digital Sat signal and shut up already." --------------- I have DTV and cable. Cable HD is better than DTV's HD in my house. SD is about the same on both. Only a very few SD channels are terrible on my DLP Panny. Some SD channels are 90% as good as SD |
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Mike Schmidt Unregistered guest | I already have DirecTV. I plan to not go hi def just yet with all the pending changes this summer. Should I buy the $300 Samsung HD box anyway? Will it still be compatible when the satellites go up? I am still confused... I just wish I had more time to do research on here. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Get digital Sat if you like compressed SD. I had Dish Network and gave it back because of the compression. Basketball really sucked. I have cable and no compression and SD looks the best on my Sony 655. Over the Air HD is great too. |
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Anonymous | Comcast hi def cable looks fantastic, however I believe it is compressed, as is all cable. I will admit however, it doesn't look compressed at all Generally the only way to completely avoid compression with HIF DEf is to run a clean OTA signal via a HI DEF SETTOP box with antenna, or use a large C-Band actuated (ie movable) (e.g 8 ft) DISH with a digital hi def tuner |
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Mike Schmidt Unregistered guest | that does not sound like fun... this sucks making all these decisions, why can't the damn tv's just do everything great. |
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New member Username: GnnrSaddle Brook, NJ USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Jan-05 | Still, most of the programming is in SD at this time... that being the unnavoidable case, which TV does give the best SD visual IQ? I currently have a Toshiba 36" SD TV (flat screen)... digital cable looks like a55 on it as do DVD for the most part but 1-99 look just fine... which RPTV looks as good or nearly as good on 1-99 SD TV? |
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goats Unregistered guest | What is suppose to happen this summer? |
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Anonymous | SOLUTION - give up non-hi def TV |
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jamescrew Unregistered guest | daryl clark, I own a Mitts 52725 and am very happy with the SD pictures I am getting. Obviously, they are not as clear and sharp as the HD broadcasts but, in my opinion, they are as good as I was getting on my analog set. If you get cable service you will get the major networks broadcast on HD channels and the picture on these is very good. That is not to say that all programming on these channels is broadcast in HD but the channels are broadcast in digital and the picture is, as I've noted already, very good. I have also watched programming from analog cable stations (HGTV, USA, etc) and I think that the picture I am receiving is also very good. I watched Monk the other night and found the picture to be great. I considered going to satellite and contacted VOOM, Direct TV, and Dish TV in Jan of this year and they all said that in order to view HD programs from the major networks (ABC, NBC, etc) you have to receive those signals via an antenna and not through their satellite service. In my case I get terrible reception from an antenna so I will not go to a satellite. I don't think that you will be disappointed in the SD reception that you receive if you have a cable provider and if you can get great reception via an antenna you will also be happy with the reception from a satellite provider. |
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New member Username: GnnrSaddle Brook, NJ USA Post Number: 6 Registered: Jan-05 | SOLUTION - give up non-hi def TV Oh!! That's so f'ing helpful mr. anon. Thanks! Not... you buttmunch. This is an important question for many of us as we or our significant others watch SD programming that is simply not available in HD. For me it's not so big of an issue as it is for wifey, but she has a big yes or no say in me buying a unit this week. And there are a few shows on the SD side which I will watch (granted, most of what I watch is sci-fi, news, history/discovery/tlc/military channel, mtv, etc - all on the digital side and some available in HD). jamescrew Thanks for your input. I really wish some owners of common units currently in the BnB stores would chime in here on their experiences with SD programming and IQ on their RPTV sets. |
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Mike Schmidt Unregistered guest | goats, A sales guy (so this may be bull) told me that two satellites will go up in Q2 this year so that Direct TV will now be able to offer 150+ HD channels. Who know what it would cost though. Can anyone add to this subject? |
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New member Username: DwclarkArlington, Tx Usa Post Number: 9 Registered: Jan-05 | Salesguy wasnt lying..for the most part. They will launch 2 of 4 new satelies this year that "will be able to support local HD and 150 more HDTV channels" That doesnt mean they will offer them right away...at least not until 2007 You will also need a new dish/receiver to receive all the new channels since they will be MPEG4 Here is a link http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ne wsId=20050106005712&newsLang=en |
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SteveDave Unregistered guest | DirectTV website says the 2005 launch will only improve local channel coverage. The 2007 satellite launch will add 150 HD national channels. See link below. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/headline.dsp?id=09_08_2004A |
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Mike Schmidt Unregistered guest | With that said why would I buy a HD box if it will be obsolete this summer? Maybe I will wait on the TV now as well. Since it does not make sense to get HD right now why get a TV that will not look any/much better than my current 27" CRT. TV's will be cheaper this summer as well. I just need to suck it up a few more months until spring comes than I will not even watch TV. |
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jamescrew Unregistered guest | Mike, I can't argue with your wanting to wait, but I would suggest that HD programming is available now and that most prime time shows are in HD. Second, I still believe that the SD programming looks fine. So, I would argue that the technology has evolved to a state that HD programming looks absolutely fantastic and SD channels look good as well so why not buy now. I do agree that within the next 2 years HD will begin to show up on more and more channels and that each person has to make a determination as to when it will be worth their while to jump to HD. I also agree that new technology will be out by summer and old technology will drop in price but at some point you have to jump in the game if you want to experience HD programming. I jumped in and have no regrets. Just my thoughts. |
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DLP for me! Unregistered guest | According to DTV the 150 channels this summer are for local digital (some HD) network availability in major cities, which is already available with a UHF off-air antenna right now. The additional national HD channels won't come along until the other two satelites are launched in 2007. I'm enjoying the 720P and 1080I resolutions on broadcasts and DVD's with my 50 inch DLP HD set every day! The picture is amazing. |
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xvxvxvx Unregistered guest | Here is the appropriate excerpt from the press release: These satellites will have the capacity for more than 1,000 additional local HD channels, more than 150 national HD channels, and other new programming offerings. These satellites will provide DIRECTV the capability to bring local and national HD programming and other advanced services to every U.S. household. You should take careful note of the words capacity and capability. Keep in mind your car has the capability of going over 120MPH, it may also have the capacity to carry 1200 to 1500 pounds of fresh manure in the back seat. Do you do either of these things? Neither will DTV provide 150 nationwide HD channels, they will simply have the capability and the capacity to do so. xvxvxvx |
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New member Username: BluewaterboundPost Number: 4 Registered: Jan-05 | I just bought a plasma Sony kde-50xs955 because it has a great SD picture. Many suck at SD but have great HD and great 720P DVD pictures. I looked at many and this set does it all very well. better than any of the current dpl's. however, can't beat the sony 34" XRB crt based HDTV it is the best at everything but kinda of a small and screen and big heavy box. |
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P Unregistered guest | I've found CRTs are usually pretty decent with SD. I can't say the same about DLP and LCD. |
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Bronze Member Username: TrieditNashville, TN USA Post Number: 29 Registered: Dec-03 | P, Apparently you have not made a side by side comparison with all sets receiving a signal of the same quality. Have you had any of these in your home for comparison? |
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P Unregistered guest | Al, If you have specifics to correct me, please mention them rather than using general accusations. If you have done your own side-by-side comparisons I'm sure everybody here would like to hear them. My side-by-side comparison was made at Sears with a Dish signal through the component inputs. In HD, the LCDs and DLPs were better, but in SD I felt the CRTs had the edge, with a smoother and less pixelated (blocky) picture. I should mention the sets I have looked at are in the sub $2500 price range. Just an observation. Could have been the signal quality, but I have observed the same thing at other local stores. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong TVs, but it seemed pretty consistant. |
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DLP for Me! Unregistered guest | Let's see...which set makes the most of a crappy analog signal split many times? Yea...that's my criteria for spending thousands on an HD set....NOT! Come on people, if you are going to pull the trigger on an HD big screen, get a SAT signal and leave degraded analog behind. Your criteria should be HD picture quality and overall reliability ONLY. Don't trust Sears, BB, CC, or anybody else that splits their signals 20 or 30 times ("consistantly") for all those sets. Your own SAT signal will be much different. There will be no grain or snow or other artifact in SD on your own Direct TV signal, for instance. It just won't be double the resolution, like digital, or further refined, like digital HD. It will look just fine, though. |
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Bronze Member Username: TrieditNashville, TN USA Post Number: 31 Registered: Dec-03 | P, please excuse my first post. If CRT looks better to you then that is what you should buy. Please be sure that you have given each technology a fair evaluation before making your choice. I own a 48" Toshiba (analog CRT). I also owned a 53" Pioneer Elite (HD CRT) until October. Due to defects with the Elite I was able to exchange it for a Panny DLP. I do not notice any significant PQ variences with any of the 3 on SD programming. The DLP is superior to the Elite with HD programming. I also no longer have to adjust convergence as with CRT's. When I was trying to decide on what I was going to trade the Elite for I went to every store available. This includes BB, CC, Electronic Express, Tweeter, Sears, and mid to high end independent stores. Sears has 4 stores within 25 miles of my home. They all have very poor PQ on their sets. CC and BB vary by store. Usually the high priced sets are closer to the incoming source at CC and BB, therefore, they show a better picture. One CC is a new store and each set seems to receive a signal of equal quality. I have friends at Tweeter and a local Hi Fi store so I have had the liberty to play with the sets pretty much as I choose. I chose DLP and have no regrets. Others will choose differently, as they should, if they prefer another technology. One more example: A relative recently purchased a 51" Toshiba CRT HD set. He has Dish (no HD). Every channel looks crappy. DVDs are about the same quality as SD on my DLP. My point is that unless you are receiving the same quality signal you can not judge what is best. I hope that you find this to be a better response. |