[LUconn]

yeah, I'm not gonna buy a TV again until I can get a 1080p. I'm sure it'll be the broadcast standard soon enough.

[El Scorcho]

Ick, yeah. No 720p here. If I'm going HD, I'm going whole hog. I want my high-def discs in their full glory.

[Fumblerooskies]

yeah, I'm not gonna buy a TV again until I can get a 1080p. I'm sure it'll be the broadcast standard soon enough.

1080p will NOT be a broadcast standard anytime soon....due to the large bandwidth required. Its pretty much for only the HD/BlueRay discs and video games. There is no logical reason to NOT get one now that can do 1080i and 720p.

[El Scorcho]

There is no logical reason to NOT get one now that can do 1080i and 720p.

Unless you want to, you know, watch high-def movies or play 1080p video games.

[LUconn]

there's other benefits even if you think it'll be a while that high standard. Mainly, I assume it can do 720p and 1080i signals with no conversions. So who cares if the game is on Fox, ABC, CBS and what standard they use. You can do it all.

[belcherboy]

By the way, the HD DVD player that is being offered for $99 tomorrow only shows the movies in 1080i. It is still a KILLER price, but the newer DVD players coming out are in 1080P (and are about $300).

I think my brother and brother-n-law are both going to get one tomorrow. I have debated myself, but I really don't need it as I never rent movies. If I want to watch HD movies, I can download them on my Xbox 360 and save the $100. If I had a GREAT HD tv and sound system (or was planning on building one soon), I would probably be all over this. Especially when you get 5 HD DVD movies free!

[Rocketfan]

There is no logical reason to NOT get one now that can do 1080i and 720p.

Unless you want to, you know, watch high-def movies or play 1080p video games.

Yes but that requires and HD player or blue ray and we have already been thru that war, plus you said EW to the PS3 and the xbox360 doesn't do 1080p games to my knowledge.....so i don't get that point at all.

[blwall1416]

My TV is only 1080i, but it is the 3-LCD screen. The Blu-Ray movies look great....HDTV channels look great....there's no crying over here.

[El Scorcho]

There is no logical reason to NOT get one now that can do 1080i and 720p.

Unless you want to, you know, watch high-def movies or play 1080p video games.

Yes but that requires and HD player or blue ray and we have already been thru that war, plus you said EW to the PS3 and the xbox360 doesn't do 1080p games to my knowledge.....so i don't get that point at all.

Well yes, we went through the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray bit, but I don't think anyone actually listened to where I started this thread. HD-DVD player prices are dropping fast, which means it's not like it's a significant investment to own one. Blu-Ray will have to follow suit to keep up. So, within a year, you're probably looking at $200-300 to own players for both formats. I don't buy discs. I rent them. So, it's not like I'd be making a significant investment in content for the player. If I'm buying a new HDTV and I plan on owning one or both players so I can rent media for them, why would I not get a 1080p television? It's not really a significant price difference anymore. I'm not saying everyone who already owns an HDTV needs to rush out and upgrade. I'm just saying that if I'm buying a new one and I want to watch HD movies, it seems like a logical purchase.

And yes, as of the September 2006 software update, the Xbox 360 can do 1080p. (http://tinyurl.com/ld3xz) The original models can only do it over a VGA or component cables, but the newer models that started with the Xbox 360 Elite all have an HDMI output.

[RubberMallet]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

you can get 32-37" flat screens for 500-600 bucks

[El Scorcho]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

The reason I've been holding out is a lack of available HD content. Dish Network just solved that problem so all that's left is to convince the wife.

[belcherboy]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

you can get 32-37" flat screens for 500-600 bucks

I have found 37-42" 1080P tv's for around $900 for the 42 and under $700 for the 37". If anyone is looking for a tv, wait till Black Friday. I'll bet you can get 32-42" 720p tv's for less than $500. (I'll bet they have a few 32" tv's for less than $300)

Is anyone getting the HD DVD today? My brother and brother-n-law are already at Walmart.

[Rocketfan]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

The reason I've been holding out is a lack of available HD content. Dish Network just solved that problem so all that's left is to convince the wife.

DTV has more HD content then Dish.

[Rocketfan]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

you can get 32-37" flat screens for 500-600 bucks

I have found 37-42" 1080P tv's for around $900 for the 42 and under $700 for the 37". If anyone is looking for a tv, wait till Black Friday. I'll bet you can get 32-42" 720p tv's for less than $500. (I'll bet they have a few 32" tv's for less than $300)

Is anyone getting the HD DVD today? My brother and brother-n-law are already at Walmart.

I thought long and hard about getting that HD-DVD player for $99 or getting another store to price match and getting it cheaper but i didnt invest the time.

[El Scorcho]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

The reason I've been holding out is a lack of available HD content. Dish Network just solved that problem so all that's left is to convince the wife.

DTV has more HD content then Dish.

That's what I meant. My bad. Yes, the changes DirecTV made with their encoders and such so that they can get 100 HD channels by the end of this year is what won me over. I don't see anyone competing with them for a little while, and certainly not immediately.

[RubberMallet]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

The reason I've been holding out is a lack of available HD content. Dish Network just solved that problem so all that's left is to convince the wife.

DTV has more HD content then Dish.

dish is cheaper...and it has 75 channels currently....

[Rocketfan]

The reason I've been holding out is a lack of available HD content. Dish Network just solved that problem so all that's left is to convince the wife.

DTV has more HD content then Dish.

dish is cheaper...and it has 75 channels currently....

Yea well the Dish website can't even get the numbers correct all over the site....if you click on HD it just says over 70.

Plus the pricing starts at $29.99 for both based on what is written on each website so its not cheaper. Nor are the channel lineups the same(just take a glance). A guy here at Genworth's has a son who is a head tech guy for dish out in Colorado and they know they are behind and playing catch up to DTV. Dish can't get too 100 by years end because they haven't launched new satellites to increase the bandwidth needed to support that many is my understanding.

[RubberMallet]

my father has 60 something hd channels with dish...

our neighbor has 60 something wiht direct tv...

my dad pays 56 for his package (no premium stuff) and my neighbor pays 66. both only have 2 tv's hooked up.

[belcherboy]

if you dont have hidef now and are holding out for 1080p you are missing out

you can get 32-37" flat screens for 500-600 bucks

I have found 37-42" 1080P tv's for around $900 for the 42 and under $700 for the 37". If anyone is looking for a tv, wait till Black Friday. I'll bet you can get 32-42" 720p tv's for less than $500. (I'll bet they have a few 32" tv's for less than $300)

Is anyone getting the HD DVD today? My brother and brother-n-law are already at Walmart.

I thought long and hard about getting that HD-DVD player for $99 or getting another store to price match and getting it cheaper but i didnt invest the time.

My brothers said there was a line waiting for the DVD players when they got there. They were able to get two DVD players, and they got two Nintendo Wii's. They are going to sell the Wii's on ebay.

[Rocketfan]

my father has 60 something hd channels with dish...

our neighbor has 60 something wiht direct tv...

my dad pays 56 for his package (no premium stuff) and my neighbor pays 66. both only have 2 tv's hooked up.

'

Just because they have 60 something channels doesn't mean they are channels you and i would watch....i mean you can say "ive got 60 some channels" ( Dish ) and have 20 Porn, video-on-demand, premium etc" - If they dont' have premium channels they aren't getting 60 usable channels to watch.

[RubberMallet]

my father has 60 something hd channels with dish...

our neighbor has 60 something wiht direct tv...

my dad pays 56 for his package (no premium stuff) and my neighbor pays 66. both only have 2 tv's hooked up.

'

Just because they have 60 something channels doesn't mean they are channels you and i would watch....i mean you can say "ive got 60 some channels" ( Dish ) and have 20 Porn, video-on-demand, premium etc" - If they dont' have premium channels they aren't getting 60 usable channels to watch.

i'm talking hd channels genius... no porn, no video on demand....i don't think any of them have premium channels..

[El Scorcho]

I've been doing some reading today (look out!) and I have a couple of things to add...

First, K-Mart is dropping Blu-Ray (except for PS3's): http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl ... 01/2247259

I know it's just K-Mart, but with them dropping and Wal-Mart aggressively pushing HD-DVD, I think it's significant. It'll be interesting to see where things sit come January.

Secondly, I've been reading about the bandwidth necessary to broadcast 1080p. While no one is currently doing it, broadcasts over current digital signals in 1080p24, 1080p25 and 1080p30 (24, 25 and 30 fps, respectively) are indeed possible. No one is doing it because everyone is so busy working on 1080p50 and 1080p60 (50 and 60 fps, respectively), which would be a boon for sports broadcasting. While the primary limitation is the amount of bandwidth available, it's a problem that has more to do with the codecs being used to compress the HD signals for broadcasting. Currently broadcasters are using MPEG2 based codecs which are not nearly as efficient as newer MPEG4 codecs (such as H.264). The H.264 codec is how DirecTV has recently been able to move from 20 HD channels up to 100. (That's why everyone with older DTV HD receivers had to have the little boxes added in-line recently. They're MPEG4 decoders.)

According to Wikipedia (which is the best thing ever), the ATSC is currently considering adding MPEG4 codecs to the HD broadcast standard, but since they already standardized digital tuners on MPEG2 standards, broadcasters may never actually go for 1080p. Of all people, it seems the NFL is pushing very hard for 1080p60 broadcasts to become a reality since, apparently, football looks mighty fine at 60 fps.

Yep. Just thought I'd share.

[Rocketfan]

my father has 60 something hd channels with dish...

our neighbor has 60 something wiht direct tv...

my dad pays 56 for his package (no premium stuff) and my neighbor pays 66. both only have 2 tv's hooked up.

'

Just because they have 60 something channels doesn't mean they are channels you and i would watch....i mean you can say "ive got 60 some channels" ( Dish ) and have 20 Porn, video-on-demand, premium etc" - If they dont' have premium channels they aren't getting 60 usable channels to watch.

i'm talking hd channels genius... no porn, no video on demand....i don't think any of them have premium channels..

Yeah well check both services....porn is now in HD and is added in the total count of 100 channels or whatever...its PPV. I just saying DIsh doesn't have 60 HD channels because we don't even get locals in HD which is counted as well in most markets. They have only 40 listed on there site and that includes PPV.

[Rocketfan]

I've been doing some reading today (look out!) and I have a couple of things to add...

First, K-Mart is dropping Blu-Ray (except for PS3's): http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl ... 01/2247259

I know it's just K-Mart, but with them dropping and Wal-Mart aggressively pushing HD-DVD, I think it's significant. It'll be interesting to see where things sit come January.

Secondly, I've been reading about the bandwidth necessary to broadcast 1080p. While no one is currently doing it, broadcasts over current digital signals in 1080p24, 1080p25 and 1080p30 (24, 25 and 30 fps, respectively) are indeed possible. No one is doing it because everyone is so busy working on 1080p50 and 1080p60 (50 and 60 fps, respectively), which would be a boon for sports broadcasting. While the primary limitation is the amount of bandwidth available, it's a problem that has more to do with the codecs being used to compress the HD signals for broadcasting. Currently broadcasters are using MPEG2 based codecs which are not nearly as efficient as newer MPEG4 codecs (such as H.264). The H.264 codec is how DirecTV has recently been able to move from 20 HD channels up to 100. (That's why everyone with older DTV HD receivers had to have the little boxes added in-line recently. They're MPEG4 decoders.)

According to Wikipedia (which is the best thing ever), the ATSC is currently considering adding MPEG4 codecs to the HD broadcast standard, but since they already standardized digital tuners on MPEG2 standards, broadcasters may never actually go for 1080p. Of all people, it seems the NFL is pushing very hard for 1080p60 broadcasts to become a reality since, apparently, football looks mighty fine at 60 fps.

Yep. Just thought I'd share.

Carefull i just checked walmart and Sams online....there are NO HD-DVD players for sale that i can find.....just blue-ray.

[RubberMallet]

best buy business has the hddvd player for 100 bucks as well....