High Definition Television - Worth Its Cost?
The High Definition revolution is in full swing. High definition televisions, High definition video players, etc.
Guest 007 recently wrote:
I recently got rid of my cable service and started using rabbit ears. I rarely watched the numererous stations from cable other than a few shows on the local networks and I felt it was a big waste of money. (I watch more movies via DVD than anything) I get perfect reception with my digital rabbit ears and receive all the local channels (7 channels altogether) 3 of which come in HiDef. (Ch. 6.1 NBC, 8.1 ABC and 10.5 PBS) It may seem hard to believe for some, but personally I think my reception is much cleaner on my High Def channels “over the air”, than it was through Cable One. I also find that I don’t miss all those other channels, as I usually spent more time “surfing” through them to find something decent to watch, than actually watching them.
So for now it’s over the air reception for me. The money I’m saving on a cable bill is being put aside for a new BluRay Dvd player.
To accompany the new poll, what is your television viewing pleasure consist of today? Do you use high definition in your home? Does high definition really make a difference, or is it the same quality with a higher price tag?
AND, while we’re on the topic of television, what is your boob-tube show of choice today? And how much time does southeast Idaho spend watching television?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
The problem is that HDTV can cause an ever-escalating chain reaction. First you buy an HD television. Then you realize how crappy the standard cable signal is so you have to upgrade to digital (better yet, satellite). Then you to upgrade to a 7.1 digital surround sound system so you can appreciate the full HD experience with movies. Then you get tired of all the commercials on network tv so so need a DVR unit also. Then you see an even better, higher resolution HDTV on display somewhere and decide to upgrade again. I’ve seen this scenario happen too many times.
I still have my trusty Sony 32 inch crt tv that still has a great picture. I MIGHT upgrade to an HD flat screen after the nationwide system upgrade next February. I’ll wait and see how good the cable signals really are before I spend the money. For now I use standard digital cable with a DVR since I REFUSE to sit through twenty minutes of mind-numbing commercials for every hour of tv. It’s a great time saver and I can watch on my own schedule. If I had to live with only an antenna and the Big Three networks plus PBS I would probably never even watch tv at all since there is rarely anything worth watching on any of them.
I finally bit the bullet this past SuperBowl wknd and purchased a Plasma HDTV. I have to admit it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made in a very long time. I probably spent the past year and a half researching all features, comparing LCD and Plasma, while waiting for prices to drop. Although LCD is gaining in popularity I went with a plasma, because in the store looking at them side by side, I thought the plasma had a much better picture overall. Of course their are pros and cons to both but I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Their really is a difference watching an HD program as opposed to standard definition. I recently switched to satellite to be able to receive more HD channels and with a free DVR thrown in, the monthly cost is still less than what I was paying for cable. When I purchased my tv there was a Samsung upconvert 1080p DVD player on sale for under a 100 dollars, so I ended up purchasing that as well since I have a fairly large dvd library. With my Sony 5.1 surround sound my movie watching experience is excellent. But like Cafe noted above, once you make the jump to HiDef, you kinda want to get all the “extras” to complete the package. And that can get rather pricey. As for me, I’ll continue saving my money and buying a little at a time. Once I get a blu-ray player, then maybe I’ll upgrade my receiver to 7.1 surround, but for now I’m happy with what I have.
“It may seem hard to believe for some, but personally I think my reception is much cleaner on my High Def channels “over the air”, than it was through Cable One.”
Not hard to believe, most cable and satellite providers compress HD channel signals so they can cram more in the same pipeline. Free over-the-air signal IS better than what you pay for from providers.
Excellent point Herb. I also prefer the plasma tv’s over the LCD. The blacks are blacker and the color is cleaner. I also find that there’s more of a 3D look and feel to the picture when watching a HiDef channel on plasma as opposed to LCD. It’s really quite amazing. There are a couple “cons” related to plasma and those are their much heavier than a same size LCD (usually 10-20 lbs), they run hotter and they use more energy. As for “burn in” that used to be a major concern in plasma screens, the newer models don’t have that issue as much and there are certain ways to go about preventing it from happening. Today’s LCD & Plasma HDTV’s will last just as long as your old CRT tv, with minimal upkeep.
Prices have been steadily dropping this year and I think by Christmas you outta be able to get a decent sized HDTV for under a thousand dollars.
Anyone seen the new generation Sony displays? I think it’s called the Bravia line. Check out the one at Sam’s Club. It’s set up away from all the other TVs for a good reason - it blows away ANY plasma or LCD I’ve seen anywhere at any price. I did some research and it has double the screen refresh rate and more color bits for massively higher color definition. And the viewing angle is a full 180 degrees. Now I’m REALLY happy I didn’t buy a new tv last Christmas!
I have the 55″ Plasma hd and the upconvert dvd player. The tv heats our home in the winter time, so my doggone heat bills went down. My air conditioning bills went up.
I was considering switching to LCD to avoid this heat, so I’m really concerned…CR67, you think there’s a major difference? It’s so hard to tell, when you’re sitting in the store with the enhanced pictures, which will look good in your home and with your lighting situation.
I can’t wait for everything to be HD. I LOVE pro football, and pro golf, on HD. Amazing difference.
I haven’t gone blu-ray yet, thinking when the holiday season hits, the prices will be lower now that it’s the winner of the format wars.
Sorry Nemesis….I meant to reply to your question last week but never got around to it. Regarding the difference between LCD & Plasma when it comes to power consumption and the amount of heat they produce: I do think the Plasma’s produce much more heat than the LCD models do. It’s not a big deal to me though as long as you’ve got plenty of ventilation around your set. Plus I really haven’t noticed a considerable difference in regards to my utility bill, so although Plasma’s may use more power & produce more heat, I don’t think it’s a considerable enough difference to use when deciding which model to purchase. Peronally, I prefer plasma over LCD though. I watched a number of models side by side in a few different stores before making my purchase and that’s what I would suggest others do. I think I mentioned this before, but one other thing to note is LCD models are much lighter in weight when comparing the same size Plasma set. Usually only by 20 pounds or less, but it’s certainly something to consider if you plan to hang your set on the wall.
Which brings me to the question of hanging your HDTV on the wall. Does anyone have their’s set up this way and if so, how difficult was it? I mean it doesn’t look all that difficult as long as you have the correct wall mount bracket and have it bolted directly into the studs and whatnot, but what about wiring? Did you have the wiring professionally done “inside” the wall? And if not, how have you concealed all the wires? I would love to hang mine above my fireplace, but I would definetely have to have the wiring done professionally in order to make it look good. Especially since its above the fireplace, I think it would be much more difficult to install the wiring behind the drywall, while the same time trying to avoid interfering with the chimney, the heat from the fireplace in the winter, etc. etc. Any ideas or suggestions from those that have already tackled this issue?
Well I finally broke down and purchased a Playstation 3 this wknd. My stimulus check was burning a hole in my pocket….so much for using it to pay bills! 
One thing I never realized until today, was that the video stores charge you more to rent BluRay DVD’s as opposed to the standard DVD’s. I thought that was odd. but oh well, no complaints here.
Hope everyone is having a great Memorial wknd despite the rainy weather! 
We just couldn’t go to the PS3 (although my husband was salivating over it greatly) because of several reasons.
I was thinking of the picture quality difference for plasma/LCD, I know the heat difference is pretty big. The plasma looked better to us overall, and at the time, I couldn’t find LCDs as large, locally. Now, they’re all over the place!
But we’ll see how things go, by the time I feel like spending that kind of money again it’ll be winter and I’ll like the heat, again!
yeah, I was going to get a “stand alone” bluray player, but the PS3 is less expensive than the majority of stand alone players, plus you get a game system too, so I coudn’t pass it up. Plus the PS3 automatically downloads firmware updates. Where as your stand alone players don’t. When I hooked up my PS3 today, there is already and update since the bluray players have been out and the PS3 automatically downloaded it and installed it. (I was impressed!)
As for the picture quality between the two brands, I think that has a lot to do with personal preference. Personally I think plasma has a better picture, but there are many high end LCD models that have just as good a picture, so it basically boils down to your budget and your personal taste.
In my opinion above the fireplace is a not a great place to hang an LCD because it is too high. The experts usually say to hang it at eye level while sitting on your sofa.
With that said, I helped hang a friends Plasma on the wall (a 60 inch MONSTER plasma) with some mounting brackets sold at Circuit City. It was simple enough to install.
Step 1) find the studs,
2) tape the “template” that shows you where to drill the holes.
3) drill holes.
4) screw in mounting bracket (about 4 screws - BIG ones)
5) attach 2nd half of mounting to the back of the plasma. and
6) use two people to hang the plasma on the wall mounting.
That easy. Could be done in about 15 min if you’ve done it before. Otherwise plan on 30 - 45 min.
Hope that helps.
just make sure to have at least two people around; I made the mistake of trying to install an over-the-range microwave by myself; got the brackets, etc., mounted okay….then, after I hoisted it up but before I was able to secure both sides, I realized how heavy it was!!! had to call for help before I dropped it….
a microwave is one thing, but you do NOT want to drop your t.v…..
just FYI….
I was thinking the same thing regarding the height. It sure would look good above the fireplace, but it may be a little high. My problem would be not so much the hanging part, but how/where to run the wires. Running them on the outside down the wall, or running them behind the drywall. I guess I’ll just stick with the stand I have. (it does the job fine)
Joe, how did you and your friend run the wiring for his tv? Are the wires on the outside of the wall and if so, how did you hide them to keep it from looking tacky?
Thanks!
Leave Your Comment
Our Community's Comment Guidelines:- Please stay polite and on topic.
- Your email will never be published.
- No profanity or euphemisms for profanity.
- No personal attacks, name-calls, put-downs, or baiting other guests, races, genders, or religions.
- Express opinions, facts, logic, and reasoning; just don’t argue for argument’s sake.
- No commercial links (unless absolutely relevant to the discussion) and no religious proselytizing.
- No religious discussions (for or against). Go to http://religiondebates.blogspot.com for religious discussions.
- Use the "I" word as much as possible to demonstrate responsibility.
- If you think a comment is inappropriate, ask Joe to review it.
The poll - and this article - are missing one choice: None of the above. My wife and I have lived without regular TV broadcasts for more than 10 years, and we don’t miss it. We watch movies, sure, but every time we stop at a friend’s house and see what’s on TV, we decide we’re still not missing much. Our kids read, play, color, and their parents are too busy with other stuff to even miss TV in the house.