Poll: HD... do you buy into it?

[PedroSteckecilo]

Personally I HATE the shift to HD, to me it seems like an excuse to make me buy a new TV and all my movies again. I'm even more annoyed that so many game developers are making games with text/game icons that is nearly impossible to read on a Standard Definition television (read MGS4, Dead Rising). What do other people think about the "switch" to HD?

 

[Conqueror Kenny]

I have a HD TV and only like four HD channels. More would be brilliant.

 

[tucci]

personally, HD will happen. i know it sucks to face it, but people will eventually buy it and soon they'll stop making regular tv's. Hopefully the designers will offer backwards compatibility so regular dvd's still play. i don't see the big difference really, but who am i to say, i atcually believe intellectual games are better than monotnous pretenders trying to offer intellect but just end up being very stupid.

 

[Larenxis]

I dunno, seems reasonable. I've had an HDTV and digital receiver for a while now. The picture is fabulous and I like the menu and guide and such. I have really lousy service though. Like, exceptionally lousy service. Maybe with the switch I'll have more options and can go to a different company?

 

[the monopoly guy]

I watched my first movie on Blu Ray the other day, and I have to say it was pretty awesome. There were several moments where I just sat up and said "whao" becuase of the quality. I have an HDTV with a 40 inch screen and standard definition channels have poorer quality then on a normal TV but the HD channels, well they are amazing.

 

[mwhite67]

I like my HDTV better than my old TV. This is like asking if I prefer a 5 dollar apple pie or a 25 cent shit sandwich I believe the answer is obvious

 

[cleverlymadeup]

yeah i like my hdtv, it's very nice, as for switching all my dvd's to blu-ray, that won't happen for a few reasons, the ps3 can upscale and not all movies make the transition to hd very well, that could be the tv tho, and some movies aren't worth getting in hd either. i'm only recollecting movies that are worth it in blu-ray, like fifth element and getting some movies in dvd when they come out or blu-ray depending, typically on the goodies it comes with

 

[zark0g]

If HD was the visual equivalent of dolby5.1 then maybe....maybe maybe.

Dolby5.1 gave my ears a spanking and i felt better for hearing all the musician could throw at me yet HD isnt the equivalent.

I look at my 32" LCD screen, in 1080p mode, saying "seen it, seen it, seen it"#

Do i see more detail... nah, its just a little smidgen clearer. Are there easter eggs accompanying HD? No, no, no... just a big fat price.

Blue ray -- hd dvd -- who cares.. rip the smegger with DIVX6 and give me a 100mb connection.

 

[wgreer25]

It's not a shift to HD, it's a shift to digital. Which means if you have an antenna, or little bunny ears, you'll nolonger receive T.V. of ANY KIND. Not even EBS (Emergency Broadcast System). It's a money grub is all it is.

Yeah, I am confused. Is everybody here talking about HDTV vs. normal TV or the fact that in Feb. 2009 all TV will be digital? FYI, digital TV signal does not equal HDTV. It just means there will no longer be analog signals (antenna). So what is the argument, digital vs. analog or HD vs. SD? They are not the same thing.


If we are talking about HDDVD vs. SDDVD's I've never actually seen an HDDVD format play. I see no need to get a High Definition player, I think the movie are too high priced. I have only seen HD channels on my 50" plasma, and there is a world of difference between SD and HD for TV signals. Hell, I could watch Discovery channel HD all day. So I think the HD channels are good. But I really can't say anything about DVD format as I haven't seen it.

Also, there is a very noticible differnce in games. The image is much more crisp. I have a friend with a 50+ inch LCD that is not HD. While playing some games there were elements of the HUD that were illegible due to small text and poor definition, but in HD the small text is extremely crisp and legible. The best example is Lost Planet online, for death match you have a sliding bar and the score is in white over the bar, but it is illegible if not in HD.

All that being said, Is HD worth it? That is for you to decide. I can afford it, so I have an HD TV and fraking love it.

 

[zark0g]

wgreer has cracked it.
With all the fun of file sharing and the movie industries complete inability to control 5 billion computer users they did, at least, use their brain matter.

Now we have file sizes of 25gb and higher, even with compression the file size is large 4-9 gb for a classified HD file.

In game -- wouldnt doubt it has more visuals and i would venture to suggest that Animation, Pixar and such stuff can cram more into the HD versions but.....

regular films, with normal living real people, will be the same at 2000x1000 as it is at 800x600

 

[eggdog14]

"Pan's Labyrinth" in 1080p looks amazing. Anyone who says otherwise is blind.

Also, right now, more HDtv's are being sold than SD. They have the majority of the marketplace. I don't know what the denial is about, it's basically already happened.

 

[stompy]

It's like the shift from one console generation to the next; it's gonna happen eventually. Unfortunately, it is a bit expensive. That said, I love how my games look on my HDTV, and wouldn't really like to go back. I could live, but still...

 

[talon92]

the difference between HD and SD for me is quite clear. i definitely prefer HD but that is not to say that i can't live with SD. tbh, i prefer my tv to be in HD, but i game in lower resolutions because it drains the processor less. My computer screen can handle up to 1680x1050 i think but i normally game in much lower than that to save processor.

with my xbox, i set it to HD and turned all the settings up to 1080p to enjoy pure HD on a 1080p screen, and there is a marked difference, but not enough to cinch a deal between cheaper SD and better HD.

 

[flatearth]

Seems like some people are missing the point a bit. It is not that you must change all your DVDs to blurays, but it is the same thing as VHS to DVD. New things will comes only on DVD, and if you want, you can buy the old movies you have on DVD. It did not make VHS's not function, they still work even today. Personally, I just couldn't go back, streched tapes, bad quality picture and sound. The more you watched it, the sooner it died. No thanks.
Even though DVD is good, and I plan to keep my DVDs for years, I'm still going to buy a bluray player when the prices come down a bit.
Funny thing about SD quality, the last ice hockey world championships were about a few months ago. The quality was so bad on SD that when the camera moved even the slightest it looked like the players weren't using sticks at all. I wathced few games on HD, and I must admit it, it rocked.

 

[Aries_Split]

guys, normal rez is like 640x480. HD is 1920x1080p

 

[Eagle Est1986]

Bah, this whole HD thing is overrated anyway. As Charlie Brooker pointed out, computer monitors have already been HD for years. Tellies have only now started playing catch up.

Not full HD though, I don't think they make monitors big enough to show 1080p, do they? I mean, I've know for ages that PC monitors where better than standard TVs but I'm pretty sure that the higher end HDTVs are another jump up from the quality of monitors.

And yeah, I needed a new TV for ages and HD finally made me go out and make the purchase, I've got a very pretty 40inch Bravia and I love it to bits, watching blu-ray through my PS3 is generally always a joy and even upscaled DVDs look great through it.
I'm pretty sure that the switch over will happen, it won't be that long before standard TVs are no longer stocked by shops.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Bah, this whole HD thing is overrated anyway. As Charlie Brooker pointed out, computer monitors have already been HD for years. Tellies have only now started playing catch up.

Not full HD though, I don't think they make monitors big enough to show 1080p, do they?

Umm, yes.

 

[Aries_Split]

Bah, this whole HD thing is overrated anyway. As Charlie Brooker pointed out, computer monitors have already been HD for years. Tellies have only now started playing catch up.

Not full HD though, I don't think they make monitors big enough to show 1080p, do they?

1920x1080p is 1080p. That resolution is capable at a 22" moniter, so...yea. We have been pc gaming at that resolution for a long time.

 

[dudeman0001]

HELL NO the only real difference between HD and Standard is the price point and once you've already bought an HD T.V. really the only thing you can do is sit and watch while in a heavy state of denial like my dad does

 

[Eagle Est1986]

1920x1080p is 1080p. That resolution is capable at a 22" moniter, so...yea. We have been pc gaming at that resolution for a long time.

Fair enough. Is this a fairly standard thing in monitors or do you have to go out of your way to find a 1080p? Sorry for my apparent ignorance on the subject, I left PC gaming a long time ago.
Still, I am 100% sure that 1080p looks better on a 40inch screen than it does on a 32inch, so the same must be true for the difference between a 40inch and a 22inch. Anyways, I'm getting a little off the point now anyways.

HELL NO the only real difference between HD and Standard is the price point and once you've already bought an HD T.V. really the only thing you can do is sit and watch while in a heavy state of denial like my dad does

No. Either you're blind or your Dad isn't actually viewing any HD media on his tv, the difference is huge, even my friend who always refuses that he's ever been wrong (hover crafts don't hover, we don't see the world in 3D, to name but two occasions) has admitted that HD looks a hell of a lot better than SD.