OT: HDTV ?

Sorry for the off topic, but my mother called me looking for advice on a present for my father - subject of a replacement TV... The guys in my office are of the option that she should just get a basic tv (i.e. - a 32" Sony Wega) instead of something that can handle HDTV. My questions: - in the real world setting, what do you get out of HDTV? - Are regular DVD's encoded to take advantage of the HDTV resolution? Is a regualr TV signal from a non-HDTV "dish" going to look any better in a HCTV signal? Thanks and again, sorry for the off-topic but I know there are a whole lot of A/V nuts in this group! ~ Scott ps : btw, sony says of the HDTV model: (can also accept 720p signals and convert them for display in 1080i format) DRC (Digital Reality Creation) circuit upgrades standard 480i signals to 480p or 960i, providing a near-high-definition-quality picture from standard video sources;

Scott5, A regular non-HDTV will last you a few more years at least (much debate about when non-HDTV signals must be turned off eventually), so from the start a "regular" TV won't hurt you in the near term. However, if you can swing something that does support HDTV you'll be better off for the future as more stations come online (depends on where you live). Satellite HDTV at the present time is limited to a few channels, mostly HBO, Showtime, HDNet, etc. although more like ESPN HD and Discovery HD are coming online. If you have a good "regular" TV you won't notice any difference from DVD source material as compared to HDTV, although the HDTV might be a 16x9 screen as opposed to 4x3 and thus have less letterboxing or perhaps none at all depending upon the source material and your DVD player. At some point there will be HD DVD's available, even now HD Digital tapes are just getting off the ground, but you've got a few years for either of those. My advice is if you can swing an HD set on whatever the budget is, then do so, but if you can't, don't worry about getting a "regular" TV at this point, it is still fine for playing 95%+ of all broadcast/cable/satellite stations, dvds and video tapes. Of course if your dad is wanting to become an A/V nut then the answer is completely different.

Correct me if I'm wrong but HDTV has better resolution then any DVD based material and having an HDTV set won't make any difference for DVD material since lines of resolution for dvd is 480-525? versus HDTV is 720/1080?. But darn HDTV is way nice -like looking thru a window. Regards. Mike

I have a Sony HDTV and IMHO the DRC (which effectively is a line doubler) does make regular CATV and DTV pictures look better. So there can be advantages to having an HDTV w/ built-in line doubler even when watching non-HD sources. The cable and sat companies also seem be getting more aggressive in offering HD channels. My local CATV company is now offering most of the local channels in HD plus the HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and Disovery HD channels. I was also recently contacted by DirecTV to ensure I had upgraded my dish for the 3rd LNB, because they said they are planning to offer additional HD channels soon. The real question is, has your father ever seen an HD demo and can he appreciate the higher quality picture. I know my parents aren't videophiles and I don't think they even notice the difference in picture in my HD and their non-HD at home. It's like anything else, some people can tell the difference between good and mediocre and other can't or don't care. The HD services on CATV and SAT all cost extra, so if you father doesn't appreciate the improvement, he isn't likely to pay the extra money to get them and the HD capabilities will be mostly wasted. Karl

I have had an HDTV-ready system for 18 months and HDTV service (satelite) since January, and I have yet to see an HDTV program. I am sure there are a few being shown, but never the ones I want to watch. You options in New York may be better, but here in the Bay Area HDTV content is still a ways off. And like most consumer appliances, buying something early in it's life which you can't use is hugely expensive in comparison to what you will pay when it is mainstream. It is worthwhile to get a set which can do the 720 resolution from progressive scan DVD players, but that doesn't require HDTV.

Any progressive-scan TV with high bandwidth component inputs can at least present HDTV signals, although not necessarily at full resolution. It is common for HDTV decoders to output 1080i, 480P, and 480i. Most have a 720P option today too, which is optimal for flat panel TV's and DLP's. Sony CRT TV's do not accept native 720P signals, but this is not a real world issue. The Sony 32", 36", and 40" with DRC-II line quadrupler are 4:3 TV's with a raster that adjusts to 16:9 for such material. In other words, they do not crop to 16:9 but show the material in full resolution. Bottom line they are very, very good sets for the present and immediate future. The scaler can operate at 480P, 960i, or 1080i at user discretion, but you cannot watch 480i at 480i. The 2:3 frame pulldown for original movie sources, however, is only available at 960i which Sony calls "Cinemotion" if you happen to go play with one. The resolution and color space of true HDTV are higher and wider, respectively, than traditional NTSC. However, film conversions such as on Showtime and HBO over digital cable and satellite generally only use bit rates about 60% (10-12MBPS) of full HDTV bandwidth, and this is the bulk of what is on. A step up from DVD definitely, not exactly a leap. The "window" effect is from HD shot with HD cameras, mostly on Discovery HD Theater and sports. These Sony direct-view TV's are too small to be bright AND show every pixel of an HDTV signal anyway, perhaps 1.4-1.5 megapixels max. The presentation of DVD material is quite excellent, and the fact that most of us watch VASTLY more 4:3 than 16:9 makes them present proof as much as future proof--no need to worry about burn-in or having to use stretch distortion. Drawbacks are generally ergonomic: Massively heavy and physically large (deep); You cannot directly access either inputs or picture settings, you must scroll through each sequetially (this is a bigger issue than it sounds like); A couple of the four picture settings are completely unwatchable and must be professionally reset; the 16:9 window of the 40" is 36" diagonal, not exactly "you are there" in a large room.

Thanks everyone!