HDTV purchases up, HD viewing down

Randomus 2010-11-08 23:00:27 UTC #1

[newsimage]http://static.rankone.nl/images_posts/2010/11/zQs66B.jpg[/newsimage]Manufacturers have helped convince consumers to purchase high-definition TVs, but actual viewership of HD content has left content makers and content producers confused about the changing market.


Read the full article here: [http://www.myce.com/news/hdtv-purchases-up-hd-viewing-down-36350/](http://www.myce.com/news/hdtv-purchases-up-hd-viewing-down-36350/)


Please note that the reactions from the complete site will be synched below.

chef 2010-11-09 01:20:32 UTC #2

As with “3D” this time, HDTV is all about hype, marketing and selling…

The native HD content…
WHAT content? WE provide upscalers!

Zod 2010-11-09 08:36:23 UTC #3

HDTV sales are up, because you can’t really buy SD tv’s anymore.

For myself I like has much content in HD as possible, and can’t stand stretching SD content to the 16:display.

On the other hand my parents generation (in their 50’s) don’t seem to give a crap about HD, even though they have an HDTV. They bought the HDTV because it was large and well SDtv’s are rather scarce. They seem content to watch SD on it.

Personally I think its the cost of an HD cable box thats keeping them from watching HD. I think the cable company here charges $400 bux for a 500gig HD pvr box. If you just plug the cable into a tuner built into the tv, I bet they’d be all over it.

debro 2010-11-09 17:45:55 UTC #4

The rest of the world uses predominantly Free-to-air TV (alot of it is paid vvia commercials, or via taxes though).

Recently, I’ve noticed that (here in Oz) many TV stations are actually removing full-time HD channels and having what appears to be occasionally HD channels.

WTF? Seriously … wtf? There’s no guarantee that any particular advertised feature will be in SD or HD. At any rate, the picture is cropped & stretched, and looks terrible no matter what they do.

My parents can tell the difference between SD & HD when I point it out to them …
Somehow, I suspect they’re just agreeing (to see the difference) to remain positive about it all …

DukeNukem 2010-11-10 09:33:57 UTC #5

My faithful Hitachi 50" projection tv died 2 weeks ago. I paid $2800 for it in 1998 and it served me well. However, when it died I didn’t shed a tear. I swiftly bought a 47" LG 47LD450 HDTV from Costco for $680 and it has a beautiful screen. Building a small HTPC today to fill it with XBMC, movies, and MP3s. I’ve already downloaded Iron Man 2 in 1080p x264. Can’t wait. Sometimes you just have to move on. Also looking at an HD antenna for $45. Gets about 20 free channels and they are super clear. You don’t have to spend thousands on Blu-ray discs or overpriced (and compressed) cable channels to watch HD content. There are always cheaper alternatives. Thank God I live in Canada where the MPAA/RIAA can’t touch me.

jshippy 2010-11-10 11:13:43 UTC #6

@DukeNukem
If your HTPC is running Windows, you may want to try Media Portal (http://www.team-mediaportal.com/). I use it with 2 plugins, moving pictures & MP TV Series. A fresh windows install, Media Portal with those 2 plugins, and the stand alone filters installed (http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/codecs-external-players-55/saf-v4-00-stable-standalone-filters-dxva-ready-h-264-vc-1-a-44614/) makes for a beautiful viewing experience.

debro 2010-11-10 13:40:55 UTC #7

[QUOTE=DukeNukem;2555979]Also looking at an HD antenna for $45. Gets about 20 free channels and they are super clear. You don’t have to spend thousands on Blu-ray discs or overpriced (and compressed) cable channels to watch HD content. There are always cheaper alternatives. Thank God I live in Canada where the MPAA/RIAA can’t touch me.[/QUOTE]
Determine this after you plug your new TV into the existing antenna.

In Oz, the new Digital/HD channels are all just using a few spare UHF channels, between the old analogue channels. All our antennas are UHF/VHF combo’s (a few really old ones are VHF only) because that’s where analogue TV started … VHF

I understand that the government is claiming back the VHF bands when they can, to sell them to someone else

DukeNukem 2010-11-10 18:07:59 UTC #8

@ jshippy

Thanks for the info.

Here is the PC/HTPC I bought…

Paired it with 2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM and 500GB WD Black 7200 RPM HDD. Should sound sweet with that optical out to my receiver. Death to DRM !!!

debro 2010-11-10 18:45:22 UTC #9

[QUOTE=DukeNukem;2556122]@ jshippy

Thanks for the info.

Here is the PC/HTPC I bought…

ROTFLMAO …
http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Zotac+Zbox+HD-ID11&spos=3

olyteddy 2010-11-10 19:04:57 UTC #10

[QUOTE=DukeNukem;2556122]@ jshippy

Thanks for the info.

Here is the PC/HTPC I bought…

Paired it with 2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM and 500GB WD Black 7200 RPM HDD. Should sound sweet with that optical out to my receiver. Death to DRM !!![/QUOTE]

I’ve got a similar box http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103266&cm_re=revo--83-103-266--Product coupled to a 47" Vizio. I really like watching streaming TV, even in 480 on it. I’m probably gonna try XBMC on it someday, but browser based NetFlix and Hulu look fine. You might also take a look at Zinc.TV (if available in Canada) because it is a ‘ten foot GUI’ browser optimized for finding and displaying streaming TV.

chef 2010-11-11 00:12:35 UTC #11

[QUOTE=debro;2556022]Determine this after you plug your new TV into the existing antenna.

I understand that the government is claiming back the VHF bands when they can, to sell them to someone else :p[/QUOTE]

Right on, debro!

H3rB3i 2010-11-11 03:53:27 UTC #12

I have a Panasonic 1080p plasma; my TV is about 4 meters away from the couch and to be honest, I can’t see real a difference between 720p and 1080p over this distance, so why should I invest extra money to get a HD pvr.

DukeNukem 2010-11-11 06:23:32 UTC #13

@ Debro

Not sure if I got the joke. Is it because the AUS and CDN dollar are at par but the price is so much more in Koala-land?

@ olyteddy

Nice rig. FSB is a bit slower but I’m sure the performance is still very satisfactory. Which OS did you install on it? 32 or 64 bit? Yeah, 47" HDTV is really a nice size.

@ H3rB3i

Well, 4 metres is over 13 feet away so I wouldn’t expect you to see much of a difference unless you have a 60" tv. I have 720p and 1080p rips of Iron Man 2, but once I compare them I suspect I’ll be going 720p exclusively. This will also allow me to put more movies on the HTPC. Many people believe the law of diminishing returns is a factor at above 720p resolution. I just want to see for myself.

olyteddy 2010-11-11 09:01:00 UTC #14

Which OS did you install on it? 32 or 64 bit?

Came loaded with home premium 64. It plays nicely with Media Player Classic HC 64 bit. I couldn’t resist, HDMI, CUDA accelerated graphics and $180 worth of OS for $330…

debro 2010-11-11 16:54:01 UTC #15

[QUOTE=olyteddy;2556141]I’m probably gonna try XBMC on it someday, but browser based NetFlix and Hulu look fine. You might also take a look at Zinc.TV (if available in Canada) because it is a ‘ten foot GUI’ browser optimized for finding and displaying streaming TV.[/QUOTE]

Why wait?
Link to LIVECD(no install required, but can be performed from this CD though) … 500MBish.

[QUOTE=DukeNukem;2556255]@ Debro

Not sure if I got the joke. Is it because the AUS and CDN dollar are at par but the price is so much more in Koala-land?
[/quote] Yes … I should be crying instead of ROTFLMAO.

[QUOTE=DukeNukem;2556255]Well, 4 metres is over 13 feet away so I wouldn’t expect you to see much of a difference unless you have a 60" tv. I have 720p and 1080p rips of Iron Man 2, but once I compare them I suspect I’ll be going 720p exclusively. This will also allow me to put more movies on the HTPC. Many people believe the law of diminishing returns is a factor at above 720p resolution. I just want to see for myself.[/QUOTE]
I can tell the difference between 720p & 1080p … my 46" TV is about 3m from the couch.
On the other hand, my missus is blind as a bat, as is my neighbour, my mother.
My father & siblings can tell the difference between 720p & 1080p content … guess good eye-sight must run in 1/2 of the family

As to who cares? 1080p is flawless … but 720p is much better than 576p, and certainly 576i … and quite frankly, if you’re noticing the difference between 720p & 1080p, it’s time to find a better movie/program