HD TV

[Agile]

Sky have signed up 125,000 customers for HD TV surpassing their expectations! Thats just over the last five weeks since they started !

There is now a waiting tine of about eight weeks to get the £299 HD box !

Has anyone here got one yet and what is is your opinion on the programs currently on offer?

Tony

 

[kendor]

I've had an HD digibox for about 3 months now, being on field trials i can't go into details but just say get one you'll be impressed, quality is excellent, given a proper HD screen, programme content is good and will only get better as more and more content goes over to HD.

Most broadcasters are now commited to HD so it will just grow in strength.

 

[Steve]

Is there such a thing as a HD DVD player and asociated DVDs yet?

And how would one go about plugging 2 HD sources into the same screen? My screen only has one HDMI input.

I want the 60 inch plasma they had on display in Dixons XL showing panoramic views of mountains and oceans etc - it was like actually being in the helicopter while they filmed it.

 

[Agile]

I gather that there are going to be two different HD DVD formats on the market soon. Which one survives will be anybodies guess!

The plasma displays have a poor reliability record but it is taking some while for the LCD to be made in the larger sizes and the definition of the LCD is usually better than the plasma.

My plasma is only 52" and it is extremely heavy ! It really needs four people to lift it comfortably.

Tony

 

[Steve]

My plasma is only 52" and it is extremely heavy.

flash git.

ours is 42" and required me and my mum to lift it into position. Its all the heatsinks and glass that does it.

 

[Richardp]

ours is 84'' and I get my 94 year old grandma to lift it into position

 

[JonD]

Is there such a thing as a HD DVD player and asociated DVDs yet?

And how would one go about plugging 2 HD sources into the same screen? My screen only has one HDMI input.

I want the 60 inch plasma they had on display in Dixons XL showing panoramic views of mountains and oceans etc - it was like actually being in the helicopter while they filmed it.

HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are the 2 High Def DVD formats, players for both are scheduled for later in the year but as anything at launch will be very expensive. The Playstation 3 will use Blu-Ray.

As for your HDMI input there are switches that you can get to be able to input more than 1 HD device via HDMI, you may also have VGA\Component inputs on your TV which also allow you to input HD sources.

Jon.

 

[Steve]

you may also have VGA\Component inputs on your TV which also allow you to input HD sources.

Jon.

I didnt know VGA supported HD inputs. Learn something new every day.

 

[anobium]

my son has just had hd installed,and while the picture quality is great there are only 10 chanels that show the programmes in hd ,and these are not on continually.
My advice is that it is not worth the extra £10 sky are charging to receive the signal and I say wait till next year when bbc start showing their channels in hd without any charge
Tell Murdoch to stop conning people, the greedy bar steward.

 

[Steve]

My advice is that it is not worth the extra £10 sky are charging to receive the signal and I say wait till next year when bbc start showing their channels in hd without any charge.

but you'll still need the reciever.

 

[anobium]

Yes, but that again is another money making scam from sky. It is basically an upgraded sky plus box and the one it replaced is only 6 months old.
Surely they could have incorporated the hd element in the previous sky plus boxes. They have known about this for at least 2 years
Whats the betting that they reduce the costs when the bbc introduce their hd programmes
By the way the extra £10 per month is on top of the £60 per month which my son already pays for the various channels
It certainly makes the tv licensing charge seem value for money

 

[Agile]

As far as I am aware the BBC are intending to charge extra for HD reception as part of the licence fee agreement that the costs of converting to HD and producing in HD should only be met by those who are benefiting.

I dont think he means VGA inputs on the TV in the computer sense, he means the descrete component inputs which many later TVs had before the HDMI socket was added.

For those why are not aware, Sky are charging £299 to sell you the HD box before you pay the extra £10 charge for the HD channels.

Its more realistic to say that Sky are charging you for transmitting the HD but remember their own channels are also to provide HD which they will need paying for.

Tony

 

[ninebob]

I dont think he means VGA inputs on the TV in the computer sense, he means the descrete component inputs which many later TVs had before the HDMI socket was added.

So, if my 5yr old 28" widescreen CRT has RGB component input (which it does) does that make it HD compatible, or have I got the wrong end of the entirely wrong stick?

 

[Spark123]

I doubt it, it will tell you on the TV somewhere if it is. Most SCART plugs have RGB component signals in as well. I would imagine the size of the pixels on the screen will have a bearing on it somewhere.

 

[dabaldie]

JonD wrote:
you may also have VGA\Component inputs on your TV which also allow you to input HD sources.

Jon.

I didnt know VGA supported HD inputs. Learn something new every day.

ok.. lets clarify this.

there are three ways of displaying HD.

HDMI.. the normal way of doing it which transmits audio and picture

Component signal which is video only
and..
the one which you seem to be confusing which is DVI
DVI looks like VGA but is not. The socket is the same but its not the same input
also only carrys picture only. VGA will never give the same quality at DVI
VGA is an analogue sourge. DVI is digital.

its a bit like the Digital optigal vs Digital Co-axial arguement...