Is high definition TV too complicated for the masses?

[aldamon]

The public does not understand HDTV, but I don't think that means it's too complicated. We've had an HDTV for 5+ years so it's important to me to know everything about it, but for 99% of the people out there, TV is just TV and the transition to HDTV just doesn't matter to them. They probably bought an HDTV because that's what's being discounted at the stores now.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
I'm fairly tech savvy and I don't get all the lingo how should I expect my grandparents or even my parents?

Pick a resolution, pick a form factor, pick a connector. Fucking standardize that shit.

I guess it is really still in its infancy so I really shouldn't complain. I have the TV but until TiVo HD boxes come down and my cable provider has more selection, I won't be switching any time soon.

This is my complaint. Its a fucking mess. There's no standards, shit is all over the place. Different TVs handle different signals differently, different formats all over and then they charge you more for the TV, charge you more for the signal, then only half the channels will come in high def anyway. Its a huge clusterfuck, and its unreasonable to even pretend the unwashed masses should be able make head nor tails of it.

I have a cheap LCD TV, that I got as a gift. I don't even like watching TV. If my wife didn't like watching it, I'd probably just have a DVD player and cancel the dish. I'm not paying extra for high def signals of the same crap TV shows. I know it could look better...frankly, who cares? Call me when its standardized and free, which, given the way things have gone so far will mean my current television will probably be rotting in a landfill before then anyway.

Television is already a huge ripoff for the amount of entertainment it provides, IMO.

i agree, the only things worth watching in HD are sports and Movies which you can rent

a shitty sitcom in HD is still a shitty sitcom there really is no benefit to watching it in HD

But Sci-fi/fantasy in HD is the shit. Watching BSG/Atlantis space battles (escaping from New Caprica for example anyone?) are so enjoyable in HD. I have no use for watching Big Bang Theory in HD though and watch it at less then SD quality actually (along with the office).

HD has benefits. Sports (which I don't watch), Movies (which I have netflix and rent), and Sci-fi/Fantasy/nature tv shows (I can't even say porn is better in HD, some of that shit I would rather NOT be able to see clearly lol). Other then that I have no use for HD content because I really have no need to see every out of place hair on some actor/anchor/host/etc.

theres tons of sh*t worth watching in hd, most obvious are movies yes. but documentaries...esp about nature are massively improved in high res. i'm sure many of you watched planet earth recently. all the primetime shows like lost/prison break and such are better in hd. and yea scifi.
perhaps the cheap lcd just sucked by itself

i dont consider select programming on Discovery, TLC A&E and the History Channel "tons of shit"

there is nothing on network TV worth watching in SD let alone HD

I love HD broadcasts, and I agree with Anubis. The main problem is that even though HD stations may have programs that benefit highly from HD, that's only a limited selection of that station's content. Most stations still get away with horribly upscaled content and stamp it HD.

Why shouldn't the ave person be confused? Even when they have everything set up properly: HD service, HDMI cables, tuned to an actual HD channel....the station is broadcasting a show in 480 that is "upscaled to HD quality." Hell, last night, History channel HD was showing Tombstone "in HD" It looked worse than DVD quality. absolutely wretched.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: fatpat268

Originally posted by: KnickNut3

Originally posted by: YetioDoom
My mom uses her HDTV to watch VHS tapes of shows she records from SD cable

EXACTLY. My parents LOVE to use VHS and watch it on our HDTV with HD cable!

Not only that, half the time I come home for the weekend, and they're watching live TV through the VCR on an HD channel (so it's in SD).

Ugh! And then when I tell them they say they can't notice the difference! On their 54" TV!

This Blu-ray/VHS combo player would be perfect for your parents

Link

ROFL

SWEET! now you can transfer all of your Analog VHS content to FULL HD 1080p quality!!!

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I wouldn't say it's too complicated. People just need to be explained to what the difference is, etc. If they took the time read an article on it for 5 minutes, they'd understand. It's no different than learning anything else.

I don't know. People are still massively confused about "the black bars" and many folks homes I visit they're stretching or zooming HD content. That's IF they are even aware if they are watching a HD channel or not.

Because they don't want to read to learn about it. Calculus is too complicated for the masses to understand unless they take a class and learn about it.

Hell, these noobs can go to Best Buy and let some $8 an hour teenage punk explain what HD is and how to get it for 5-10 minutes and be educated enough to understand it. If they'd simply take the time to learn it they'd be fine...it's hardly complicated. Hell my dad and my mom both learned it after I helped them setup their plasma, and they're both the most untechnologically saavy people ever. (My dad was still using an A/V switch for the DVD player and VCR, despite having 4 inputs on the back of the TV) Complicated? No. Just takes a few minutes to learn.

One of the major points of this thread, is that those $8/hour teenage clerks at BB understand less about HD than the ave person would be capable of understanding. So, a lot of confusion is spread, or information is simply left out--and this comes from the services that people trust to keep them informed.

THIS is the main problem that we're talking about.

You can't really blame people for thinking that they're getting properly served by BB/CC sales people, or by their cable company. We should be able to trust them, and there are so many nuances to actual HD content that simply did not exist before. SD is plug and play, simple as that. The ave consumer shouldn't be expected to know everything about high-end electronics or entertainment, they have their own lives, and may be experts at something else in life that you would never have a clue about. They know enough to trust those that are supposed to know these things. Unfortunately, that industry is currently quite manipulative, and uninformed.

 

[Jeff7]

If it's more complicated than On/Off, yes.
A lot of people can't remember that O = Off and | = On.

My grandfather recently got a high-def TV, but doesn't have digital cable. Discovery Channel tries to do their widescreen thing with the fake black bars at the top and bottom. So now he gets a picture that has a thick black border all around it. But it's only on that one channel.

10 years ago, he would have been willing and able to learn. But he's getting up there in years, and he says his mind just ain't what it used to be. He forgets things much easier now, and will lose focus.

He was able to figure out the aspect ratio though, because he didn't like how everyone looked all squished when it filled out the 16:9 screen with a 4:3 picture.

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Stupid people won't realize and go on and on how their HDTV looks so good when they're not even watching HD.

New Placebo-brand TV's!
They're expensive because they have the best picture!

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I wouldn't say it's too complicated. People just need to be explained to what the difference is, etc. If they took the time read an article on it for 5 minutes, they'd understand. It's no different than learning anything else.

You are assuming that people are willing to and capable of learning. Let's face it, few people will spend a few hours learning about something but instead prefer to live their lives in ignorance and bitch when it does not work correctly.

Like I said, many years ago, average Joe didn't need to spend a few hours to research, so they don't expect to now.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: udneekgnim
yes, Dad thinks just because he has a HDTV, he's getting HD reception...

Why wouldn't he? Thats probably what the salesman told him. The salesmen sells TVs remember, not HD service from comcrap or whatever.

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I wouldn't say it's too complicated. People just need to be explained to what the difference is, etc. If they took the time read an article on it for 5 minutes, they'd understand. It's no different than learning anything else.

You are assuming that people are willing to and capable of learning. Let's face it, few people will spend a few hours learning about something but instead prefer to live their lives in ignorance and bitch when it does not work correctly.

Ignorance is bliss! Look at all of us that know what we're missing...we're getting pissed that other people aren't getting pissed! Talk about a waste of time!

I think most people just don't care. I can't remember the last time I sat down to watch TV and thought "Wow, I'd really love to go read several articles and TV manuals so that I can see a higher resolution picture of Simon Cowel on American Idol. Also, I should really job a ballpoint pen into my ear." When some one sits down to watch TV, they don't want to think! They want the on button to turn the TV on, and if they can watch the Murder She Wrote...mission accomplished!

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
theres tons of sh*t worth watching in hd, most obvious are movies yes. but documentaries...esp about nature are massively improved in high res. i'm sure many of you watched planet earth recently. all the primetime shows like lost/prison break and such are better in hd. and yea scifi.
perhaps the cheap lcd just sucked by itself

Maybe it does suck, I'm not concerned. I was content to continue using my 20 year old sony TV. Again, I'm not that big on TV. It was a little small for widescreen movies though. Although, it *did* give me sound while the screen was warming up, whereas I get nothing until the LCD finishes "booting".

 

[Eeezee]

There are very easy HDTV solutions though; Cable->box->TV still gives you High def options

And if you use a Blu-Ray player, HDMI->TV. Easy peezy

That doesn't mean that these people have the optimum operating conditions, and they may have to put up with some shit like black bars every now and then, but most people don't care.

Remember, people who aren't tech-savvy just don't care enough to become tech-savvy

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: Fritzo


Note sure what the confusion is. We have Dish Network, and you don't have to do anything different.

Let's take that for instance.

I know more than a few people who get an HDTV and don't upgrade to HD Service from their satellite provider, or those who have Time Warner and don't request HD boxes, and TV looks even worse and they get negative impressions.

OOOOooooohhhhh...O get you now. Yeah, I think the cable TV companies need to do a better job of educating people. Sat. providers do this stuff automatically though. HD on cable sucks anyway

well, to be fair:

OTA HD > Sat HD > cable HD

Dish started broadcasting in 1080p, so I don't know if that's true anymore.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
You can't really blame people for thinking that they're getting properly served by BB/CC sales people, or by their cable company. We should be able to trust them, and there are so many nuances to actual HD content that simply did not exist before. SD is plug and play, simple as that. The ave consumer shouldn't be expected to know everything about high-end electronics or entertainment, they have their own lives, and may be experts at something else in life that you would never have a clue about. They know enough to trust those that are supposed to know these things. Unfortunately, that industry is currently quite manipulative, and uninformed.

This is what I'm saying as well. Why are we expecting average joe and jane to know or care about this shit? TV has been brainless for what...50 years? Your average SD TV you bought at walmart 10 years ago had a power cord that was attached to the back of the set and a single coaxial connection. How exactly are you suppose to fuck that up? And if you managed to get that cable plugged in, you were all set! There was nothing else to do to get optimal picture, save putting some aluminum foil on your rabbit ears for some extreme cheapasses. No extra service to buy. No upscaling tricks or mixed halfass HD broadcasts, etc. It just worked. Now it doesn't and we're blaming a population of idiot box users that are conditioned to expect it to be idiot proof because they act like idiots when they buy a new idiot box?

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: Fritzo


Note sure what the confusion is. We have Dish Network, and you don't have to do anything different.

Let's take that for instance.

I know more than a few people who get an HDTV and don't upgrade to HD Service from their satellite provider, or those who have Time Warner and don't request HD boxes, and TV looks even worse and they get negative impressions.

OOOOooooohhhhh...O get you now. Yeah, I think the cable TV companies need to do a better job of educating people. Sat. providers do this stuff automatically though. HD on cable sucks anyway

well, to be fair:

OTA HD > Sat HD > cable HD

Dish started broadcasting in 1080p, so I don't know if that's true anymore.

OTA is still uncompressed though, isn't it?

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Most of my friends have at least some trouble hooking up their HD TVs. Almost all of my friends use shitty scaling w/o understanding what it does to the picture.

None of my friends understand i vs p , 720 v 1080.

 

[1sikbITCH]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
I'm fairly tech savvy and I don't get all the lingo how should I expect my grandparents or even my parents?

Pick a resolution, pick a form factor, pick a connector. Fucking standardize that shit.

I guess it is really still in its infancy so I really shouldn't complain. I have the TV but until TiVo HD boxes come down and my cable provider has more selection, I won't be switching any time soon.

This is my complaint. Its a fucking mess. There's no standards, shit is all over the place. Different TVs handle different signals differently, different formats all over and then they charge you more for the TV, charge you more for the signal, then only half the channels will come in high def anyway. Its a huge clusterfuck, and its unreasonable to even pretend the unwashed masses should be able make head nor tails of it.

I have a cheap LCD TV, that I got as a gift. I don't even like watching TV. If my wife didn't like watching it, I'd probably just have a DVD player and cancel the dish. I'm not paying extra for high def signals of the same crap TV shows. I know it could look better...frankly, who cares? Call me when its standardized and free, which, given the way things have gone so far will mean my current television will probably be rotting in a landfill before then anyway.

Television is already a huge ripoff for the amount of entertainment it provides, IMO.

i agree, the only things worth watching in HD are sports and Movies which you can rent

a shitty sitcom in HD is still a shitty sitcom there really is no benefit to watching it in HD

But Sci-fi/fantasy in HD is the shit. Watching BSG/Atlantis space battles (escaping from New Caprica for example anyone?) are so enjoyable in HD. I have no use for watching Big Bang Theory in HD though and watch it at less then SD quality actually (along with the office).

HD has benefits. Sports (which I don't watch), Movies (which I have netflix and rent), and Sci-fi/Fantasy/nature tv shows (I can't even say porn is better in HD, some of that shit I would rather NOT be able to see clearly lol). Other then that I have no use for HD content because I really have no need to see every out of place hair on some actor/anchor/host/etc.

theres tons of sh*t worth watching in hd, most obvious are movies yes. but documentaries...esp about nature are massively improved in high res. i'm sure many of you watched planet earth recently. all the primetime shows like lost/prison break and such are better in hd. and yea scifi.
perhaps the cheap lcd just sucked by itself

i dont consider select programming on Discovery, TLC A&E and the History Channel "tons of shit"

there is nothing on network TV worth watching in SD let alone HD

Actually all of these channels have selected HD if not 100% HD programming:

A&E HD
ABC HD (East)
ABC HD (West)
ABC Family HD
Altitude HD*
Animal Planet HD
Big Ten Network HD
Biography Channel HD
Bravo HD
Cartoon Network
CBS HD (East)
CBS HD (West)
Cinemax HD East
Cinemax HD West
CMT HD
CNBC HD+
CNN HD
CSN HD
CSTV HD
Discovery Channel HD
Disney Channel HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
ESPNews HD
Food Network HD
Fox Business Network HD
Fox HD (East)
Fox HD (West)
FSN HD
Fuel TV HD
FX HD
HBO HD East
HBO HD West
HD Theater
HDNet
HDNet Movies
HGTV-HD
History Channel HD
MASN HD*
MGM HD
MHD
MSG HD
MSG PLUS HD
MTV HD
National Geographic HD
NBA.TV HD
NBC HD (East)
NBC HD (West)
NESN HD
NFL Network HD
NHL Network HD
Nick HD
Planet Green HD
Sci-Fi Channel HD
Science Channel HD
Showtime HD
Showtime Extreme HD
Showtime Showcase HD
Showtime West HD
Showtime 2 HD
Smithsonian Channel HD
SNY HD
Speed Channel HD
Spike HD
SportSouth HD
SportsTime Ohio HD*
Starz Comedy HD
Starz Edge HD
Starz HD East
Starz HD West
Starz Kids & Family HD
Sun Sports HD
TBS in HD
Tennis Channel HD
The 101 HD
The Movie Channel HD
The Weather Channel HD
TLC HD
TNT HD
Toon Disney HD
Universal HD
USA Network HD
VERSUS HD/GOLF CHANNEL HD
VH1 HD
YES HD

Plus most Regional Sports Networks are HD now as well.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: Fritzo


Note sure what the confusion is. We have Dish Network, and you don't have to do anything different.

Let's take that for instance.

I know more than a few people who get an HDTV and don't upgrade to HD Service from their satellite provider, or those who have Time Warner and don't request HD boxes, and TV looks even worse and they get negative impressions.

OOOOooooohhhhh...O get you now. Yeah, I think the cable TV companies need to do a better job of educating people. Sat. providers do this stuff automatically though. HD on cable sucks anyway

well, to be fair:

OTA HD > Sat HD > cable HD

Dish started broadcasting in 1080p, so I don't know if that's true anymore.

HD broadcast over cable lines (yes your satellite still comes in over coax), is usually more compressed than OTA broadcasts. so, despite the interlacing or progressive, you'll get more digital compression artifacts through satellite than you would Over the air.

Maybe Dish has improved, I don't know. Actually, their new "Turbo HD" ad is the most recent source of my ire towards misinformation. It says Blu-Ray quality; and of course we know that's bullshit. I'm guessing only a handful of channels are actually 1080p, not to mention the programs that those channels broadcast will be 90% upscaled. Oh, and then there's the compression that all of those broadcasts will go through.

Nothing like Blu Ray quality, but people will swallow that up.

so yeah, uncompressed 1080i > compressed, upscaled 1080p

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH


A&E HD


SNIP
.
.
.

Plus most Regional Sports Networks are HD now as well.

you missed the point, there isnt anything worth watching on 90% of those channels, not worth watching in SD is not worthinwatching in HD

also you cant get 80% of thoese where i live anyway

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: zinfamous
You can't really blame people for thinking that they're getting properly served by BB/CC sales people, or by their cable company. We should be able to trust them, and there are so many nuances to actual HD content that simply did not exist before. SD is plug and play, simple as that. The ave consumer shouldn't be expected to know everything about high-end electronics or entertainment, they have their own lives, and may be experts at something else in life that you would never have a clue about. They know enough to trust those that are supposed to know these things. Unfortunately, that industry is currently quite manipulative, and uninformed.

This is what I'm saying as well. Why are we expecting average joe and jane to know or care about this shit? TV has been brainless for what...50 years? Your average SD TV you bought at walmart 10 years ago had a power cord that was attached to the back of the set and a single coaxial connection. How exactly are you suppose to fuck that up? And if you managed to get that cable plugged in, you were all set! There was nothing else to do to get optimal picture, save putting some aluminum foil on your rabbit ears for some extreme cheapasses. No extra service to buy. No upscaling tricks or mixed halfass HD broadcasts, etc. It just worked. Now it doesn't and we're blaming a population of idiot box users that are conditioned to expect it to be idiot proof because they act like idiots when they buy a new idiot box?

Exactly, you hit the nail right on the head there.

Say for example... your car has always been pretty much idiot proof. But say next year, all the car manufacturers advertise that their new cars get 60 mpg. By default it gets 30mpg stock, but to get to that 60 mpg, you have to tweak your engine, exhaust, fuel pumps, etc. Sure, you can get by with doing nothing and still get 30mpg, but most people will want 60mpg but some wont be able to get it because they don't know how.

Extreme analogy? Yes, but it's the same idea with the TV industry. Sure you can buy that shiny new hdtv and still plug your coax cable in the back (and it'll work fine if you're satisfied with regular channels + QAM), but there's a much better experience available, and most people don't know this, or don't know where to look for it.

The fact that cable companies require cable boxes for basic cable HD channels is ridiculous. Couldn't they've just put those on the QAM signals?

 

[1sikbITCH]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH


A&E HD


SNIP
.
.
.

Plus most Regional Sports Networks are HD now as well.

you missed the point, there isnt anything worth watching on 90% of those channels, not worth watching in SD is not worthinwatching in HD

also you cant get 80% of thoese where i live anyway

I'm not saying you'll enjoy the programming on those channels or that you should even like to watch tv at all; but for those of us who do, there is plenty of HD. And that's Directv's current lineup available to everyone in America who has a view of their satellites.

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
YES. Absolutely. Heck, even the concept of digital versus analog... meaning either it works or it doesn't, instead of just having a snowy picture, is FAR too much for a lot of people to handle.

It's also annoying.

We used to be able to pull in Canadian stations and stations from Detroit on our antenna (grew up near Toledo, Ohio). The same stations' digital signals drop out all the time, but the analog signals were normally clear enough to watch satisfactorily.

Not only that, but most digital signals are so overly compressed that there is noticeable blockiness during scenes with fast motion. It's ridiculous, but a good analog signal was typically superior to standard definition digital signals, which make up the majority of digital content. Unless all digital channels also switch to high definition, the switch to digital will mark a step backwards in quality for many people.

ZV

I only partially agree with that. I live in NYC and ever since I was a kid, I've watched TV using rabbit ears and other TV-top contraptions. Because of the bounced signal in cities, I always had to deal with ghosting and color bleeding in the analog picture. I always wondered how the fine print on car commercials could even be read. It got worse after 9/11, when the antennas were moved from WTC to the Empire State Building. I stopped watching TV entirely after that.

Then I got an HDTV and another TV-top antenna (Silver Sensor). While not perfect, I could now pull in several channels. The non-HD digital channels looked bad, but the image was as good as they broadcasted it and the fine print was still readable. What's more, I get these sub-channels (granted, they are not in HD) which never existed with analog. And HD picture was spectacular. It's especially pleasing watching the Olympics in 1080i.

I do know where you're coming from though. I had a rooftop antenna pulling all the available HD channels a few months back. They decided to make some changes to the broadcasting antennas right before the Olympics and I lost digital NBC entire. Analog NBC, however, was unaffected. Luckily, the Silver Sensor was able to pick up a bounced digital signal and allowed us to view NBC in HD anyway. Digital signals are a lot more fickle.

 

[thomsbrain]

Absolutely too complicated for the masses. Why do you think Best Buy and Circuit City make such a killing on their installation services? It used to be "delivery" service. Now you have to pay hundreds of dollars so the pimple farmer can also "calibrate" the TV and make sure the arcane new-fangled cables are transmitting properly and the new-fangled receiver is actually outputting the proper audio streams, etc. That kind of stuff is FUN for your average AT member, but nothing but a headache for most people (just like the mechanical bits in their cars). It's also why these "all-in-one" systems sell so well. People just want to go buy something and have it work right out of the box without lots of fiddling.

Honestly, most people can't even visually distinguish between most of the settings, including aspect ratios, so it's very difficult to explain something to someone who can't even perceive the difference in the first place. Lots of people with new 16:9 sets are watching everything all stretched out (computer monitors, too), and not even noticing that all the people look like manatees and circles look like ovals. They'll even argue that it looks "great."

If someone really wants the full HD experience, they need a special TV, a special movie player, a special receiver that can process PCM 7.1 signals because there aren't any players that output the new codec streams properly (despite what all the player and receiver ads would have you believe), and they need to understand how all that stuff works, what it does, and how to connect it properly. It's a massive task. Hell, just finding a receiver that can actually process 7.1 PCM streams is like pulling teeth because the capability is rarely advertised, precisely because it is too complicated.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Absolutely too complicated for the masses. Why do you think Best Buy and Circuit City make such a killing on their installation services? It used to be "delivery" service. Now you have to pay hundreds of dollars so the pimple farmer can also "calibrate" the TV and make sure the arcane new-fangled cables are transmitting properly and the new-fangled receiver is actually outputting the proper audio streams, etc. That kind of stuff is FUN for your average AT member, but nothing but a headache for most people (just like the mechanical bits in their cars). It's also why these "all-in-one" systems sell so well. People just want to go buy something and have it work right out of the box without lots of fiddling.

Honestly, most people can't even visually distinguish between most of the settings, including aspect ratios, so it's very difficult to explain something to someone who can't even perceive the difference in the first place. Lots of people with new 16:9 sets are watching everything all stretched out (computer monitors, too), and not even noticing that all the people look like manatees and circles look like ovals. They'll even argue that it looks "great."

If someone really wants the full HD experience, they need a special TV, a special movie player, a special receiver that can process PCM 7.1 signals because there aren't any players that output the new codec streams properly (despite what all the player and receiver ads would have you believe), and they need to understand how all that stuff works, what it does, and how to connect it properly. It's a massive task. Hell, just finding a receiver that can actually process 7.1 PCM streams is like pulling teeth because the capability is rarely advertised, precisely because it is too complicated.

Now try to find an audio card for a HTPC that can do that, and send that stream over DVI to a receiver. The Asus Xonar HDMI I believe is the only one that MIGHT have that ability.

Try to explain the differences in the different audio streams, why unless you have bigger then 50 inches at under 10 ft a 1080p screen won't give ANY benefit to a 50 inch 720p. Hell, the back of my Kuro 5080 has 8 different inputs, plus a pc, plus 2 coax, plus audio in/out, etc. This whole HD stuff is a complete mess. HD DVD+Blu Ray didn't help either. Now you have different cables for audio/video, cable, etc and people don't want to spend time learning. I (and I would guess a lot of AT'ers), love to learn so if I don't know something I will read up on it and figure it out on my own. Your typical person doesn't want to.

 

[ultimatebob]

Considering that 90% of the big screen TV's that I've seen in bars and hotels are still showing SD content in stretch-o-vision most of the time leads me to believe that it's a bit too complicated for the average user right now.

 

[MotionMan]

I use to complain that people wanted their computers to work as simply as their TVs. Now people understand their computers better than their TVs (and most people do not know squat about their computers!!!).

MotionMan

 

[WraithETC]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
I'd say yes. I was recently in Costco, and every LCD/PDP had big fat signs on them: "You must order HD service to receive an HD image"

It stands to reason that these signs are up there as the result of massive complaints, and attempted returns accusing Costco of selling them defective TVs.

Yep I saw those too... I wouldn't want to process the returns.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: 1sikbITCH

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
I'm fairly tech savvy and I don't get all the lingo how should I expect my grandparents or even my parents?

Pick a resolution, pick a form factor, pick a connector. Fucking standardize that shit.

I guess it is really still in its infancy so I really shouldn't complain. I have the TV but until TiVo HD boxes come down and my cable provider has more selection, I won't be switching any time soon.

This is my complaint. Its a fucking mess. There's no standards, shit is all over the place. Different TVs handle different signals differently, different formats all over and then they charge you more for the TV, charge you more for the signal, then only half the channels will come in high def anyway. Its a huge clusterfuck, and its unreasonable to even pretend the unwashed masses should be able make head nor tails of it.

I have a cheap LCD TV, that I got as a gift. I don't even like watching TV. If my wife didn't like watching it, I'd probably just have a DVD player and cancel the dish. I'm not paying extra for high def signals of the same crap TV shows. I know it could look better...frankly, who cares? Call me when its standardized and free, which, given the way things have gone so far will mean my current television will probably be rotting in a landfill before then anyway.

Television is already a huge ripoff for the amount of entertainment it provides, IMO.

i agree, the only things worth watching in HD are sports and Movies which you can rent

a shitty sitcom in HD is still a shitty sitcom there really is no benefit to watching it in HD

But Sci-fi/fantasy in HD is the shit. Watching BSG/Atlantis space battles (escaping from New Caprica for example anyone?) are so enjoyable in HD. I have no use for watching Big Bang Theory in HD though and watch it at less then SD quality actually (along with the office).

HD has benefits. Sports (which I don't watch), Movies (which I have netflix and rent), and Sci-fi/Fantasy/nature tv shows (I can't even say porn is better in HD, some of that shit I would rather NOT be able to see clearly lol). Other then that I have no use for HD content because I really have no need to see every out of place hair on some actor/anchor/host/etc.

theres tons of sh*t worth watching in hd, most obvious are movies yes. but documentaries...esp about nature are massively improved in high res. i'm sure many of you watched planet earth recently. all the primetime shows like lost/prison break and such are better in hd. and yea scifi.
perhaps the cheap lcd just sucked by itself

i dont consider select programming on Discovery, TLC A&E and the History Channel "tons of shit"

there is nothing on network TV worth watching in SD let alone HD

Actually all of these channels have selected HD if not 100% HD programming:

A&E HD
ABC HD (East)
ABC HD (West)
ABC Family HD
Altitude HD*
Animal Planet HD
Big Ten Network HD
Biography Channel HD
Bravo HD
Cartoon Network
CBS HD (East)
CBS HD (West)
Cinemax HD East
Cinemax HD West
CMT HD
CNBC HD+
CNN HD
CSN HD
CSTV HD
Discovery Channel HD
Disney Channel HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
ESPNews HD
Food Network HD
Fox Business Network HD
Fox HD (East)
Fox HD (West)
FSN HD
Fuel TV HD
FX HD
HBO HD East
HBO HD West
HD Theater
HDNet
HDNet Movies
HGTV-HD
History Channel HD
MASN HD*
MGM HD
MHD
MSG HD
MSG PLUS HD
MTV HD
National Geographic HD
NBA.TV HD
NBC HD (East)
NBC HD (West)
NESN HD
NFL Network HD
NHL Network HD
Nick HD
Planet Green HD
Sci-Fi Channel HD
Science Channel HD
Showtime HD
Showtime Extreme HD
Showtime Showcase HD
Showtime West HD
Showtime 2 HD
Smithsonian Channel HD
SNY HD
Speed Channel HD
Spike HD
SportSouth HD
SportsTime Ohio HD*
Starz Comedy HD
Starz Edge HD
Starz HD East
Starz HD West
Starz Kids & Family HD
Sun Sports HD
TBS in HD
Tennis Channel HD
The 101 HD
The Movie Channel HD
The Weather Channel HD
TLC HD
TNT HD
Toon Disney HD
Universal HD
USA Network HD
VERSUS HD/GOLF CHANNEL HD
VH1 HD
YES HD

Plus most Regional Sports Networks are HD now as well.

lol
yup and every decent prime time show is in hd.
i don't care if some cr@p cable daytime show is not in hd yet.

 

[Foxery]

Most of the anecdotes about "this guy I know" still boil down to the service being simple, but people being even simpler. The lady cancelling a meeting because of a broken remote is hopeless, no matter how much you idiot-proof anything.