Topic: When are you going HD?

[Ice Storm]

2006 brings us the first wave of HD-DVD & BD players. 2006 also brings us the first generation prosumer & consumer HD video cameras so when will you get your HD dispaly?

In my case I'm thinking late 2007-2009 or as soon as there is local HD content.

[juneaki]

Me, as soon as i hit the "Lotto" jackpot But now, i have to be contented with my Sony 32DX750 (surplus) ito lang kasi ang kaya na malapit-lapit sa HD eh. Di kaya ng budget ang LCD o plasma :'(

[Dracula]

I purchased an hd ready lcd.....but fo the hd-dvd and blu-ray maybe in the next 3-4 years when the format is readily available here....

[Philander]

I have my CRT HDTV ready since 2004.

I'm maximixing "HD" using HTPC.

[av_phile1]

When they've settled on the winning format.  Right now it seems HD-DVD has the edge with twice the number of titles available and better performance from the Toshiba launch product than from the Blu-Ray camp.   But that could change.   That's probably a good 2-3 years down the road.  I started my DVD hobby 4 years after its world debut in 97.  So going HD might take about the same time.   

[indie boi]

Question -- is buying a CRT HD-ready TV like the samsung slimfit tv a good enough investment into the HD generation? Or is going plasma or LCD still the way to go? I'm not talking about aesthetics, I'm basing this strictly on function.

[av_phile1]

Regardless, whether it's plasma, LCD or CRT, slim or otherwise, as long as it's HD-ready at least and with HDMI v1.1 terminal (minimum physical spec), any should be able to display the 720p and/or 1080i resolution offered by HD-DVD and BR discs (provided it's native res is indicated as such).  What is lacking in "HD-ready" sets is the digital HD tuner that can accept digital HD broadcasts either off the air or via satellite cable.  Or that it lacks an HDMI terminal (though some have )which to me makes it worthless as a future investment. 

[rascal101]

When I have the money. Wala pang pambili eh.

[av_phile1]

With some more thinking, I am not entirely that confident I can have the means to sustain an HD hobby as I can now with regular DVDs.   For two main reasons:

(1)  The HD titles are quite expensive (though there's already one HD title on sale at Amazon.)  Expect the first titles to arrive here next year at around 3T per.   And with no alternative markets as these titles are said to be hack-proof (no such thing really), content makers will not have the same pressure from these alternative markets to bring down their prices.  At least not in the foreeable future.

(2)  And with CHINA excluded from getting the HD technology to manufacture HD sets in huge numbers as they now do with DVD players, I don't see the prices of HD players falling below $300 over the next two years, the way they did with DVD players. 

This,  in addition to HD monitors still mostly above the 100T mark.  The prices can fall over the next 3-5 years.  But they won't be anywhere near the low prices we are experiencing now with DVD titles and their gears.  Then again, I wouldn't mind being wrong here.  For me to indulge in HD with the same intensity I do now with DVD (or used to), I would have to double my salary within 2 years.   

[alvinthx2]

Has HD via HTPC way back 2002 using a Sony vhp 1252 CRT projector. Then changed HTPC to a dedicated scaler in 2004 (720p). Changed display late 2005 to PT Ae900 because my CRT is already 5 years old and is already blooming when I increase contrast. The real question for me is... When can I afford 1080p?

[av_phile1]

Most, if not almost ALL HD displays commercially available can't recognize 1080p input signals as yet.  Only up to 1080i.  There are new models coming out that do, but quite pricey.  According to most AV forums on the net i've visited lately, you really don't need 1080p travelling between the player and the monitor.  That's because most HD displays can upsample 1080i signal they receive to 1080p without any motion artifacting. Since the HD-DVD disc is already encoded at 1080p, the player simply streams them as 1080i (cheaper) and because all the information are in the stream to be recomposed into 1080p by an upsampling display, then the display looks just as great as if it received 1080p signals.  It would be entirely different if the source discs were encoded in 1080i, upsampling to 1080p will produce motion artifacts visible on a big screen.

[Funky_Monkey]

i have the same question. 

I currently have a sony 32HD900 surplus TV connected via Component cable to my computer.  720p60 resolution.   Capable of going 1080i30 but I find the fonts too small already.

Question is:

If I upgrade to a same size LCD TV like this: 
http://www.streetprices.com/Electronics/Consumer/TV/LCD/32_inch/SP7975926.html

will it have the same resolution (720p/1080i) and clarity with this and the HDMI input?  Or should I expect better? 

[NeilNo]

HDTV ready since 2001 including receiving HD programs thru cable and OTA.

Pre-ordered Sony Blu-ray player which is arriving in November. 

[Philander]

i have the same question. 

I currently have a sony 32HD900 surplus TV connected via Component cable to my computer.  720p60 resolution.   Capable of going 1080i30 but I find the fonts too small already.

Question is:

If I upgrade to a same size LCD TV like this: 
http://www.streetprices.com/Electronics/Consumer/TV/LCD/32_inch/SP7975926.html

will it have the same resolution (720p/1080i) and clarity with this and the HDMI input?  Or should I expect better? 

Check my reply in your other thread.

[akyatbundok]

for me the real question is: when will HD be ready? 

the only 720p/1080i material i can watch right now are movie trailers and short demo clips.... they're great as appetizers but the main course will still be 480p DVDs and 480i cable (in my case anyway).... a salesguy once told me ABS-CBN is planning to broadcast HDTV some time in the future but i don't know if he's just bluffing.

i started downloading from torrent yesterday and its a pain because the file size of a full video is around 4-12GB..... found only a couple of movies so far (star wars II and 5th element), most of the available videos are TV episodes saved from HDTV broadcast.... anyway i hope my download goes well.

i may not be looking in the right places though.

[av_phile1]

According to some AV forums on the net, there are now about 200 titles in HD-DVD and half of that in Blu-ray.  The discs are encoded at 1080p with the launch Toshiba, RCA and Samsung players outputing at 1080i via HDMI 1.1.   The models will increase over the next 6 months with the launch of the Blu-ray equipped PS3 this Christmas and the HD-DVD upgrade for xbox 360 players.  It's only now released in the US and Japan, not yet in Europe.  HD is not just ready, it's already here now. 

If you're using HTPC, there may be a bit more complication.  There are laptops that have Blu-ray drives and can play blu-ray discs encoded at 1080p.  And unless the video and sound cards have HDMI, you can you only watch with the attached LCDs.  Some have opined you'd need the new Windows Vista to max HD and will need the new Windows Media Player that comes with the Vista OS, but I am sure there are freeware players that can play HD media.  Both video and audio signals can be carried in one HDMI cable so I am not sure if there combined video and audio expansion cards that can do this.   You definitely will need lots of video memory to buffer the immense HD datastreams. 

[Philander]

If you're using HTPC, there may be a bit more complication.  There are laptops that have Blu-ray drives and can play blu-ray discs encoded at 1080p.  And unless the video and sound cards have HDMI, you can you only watch with the attached LCDs.  Some have opined you'd need the new Windows Vista to max HD and will need the new Windows Media Player that comes with the Vista OS, but I am sure there are freeware players that can play HD media.  Both video and audio signals can be carried in one HDMI cable so I am not sure if there combined video and audio expansion cards that can do this.   You definitely will need lots of video memory to buffer the immense HD datastreams. 

From the MSI website:
MSI NX7600GT Diamond Plus is the first VGA card equipped with the HDMI technology today. Along with this simple connectivity, the audio/video signals on PC will be correspondingly transmitted to LCD or Plasma TV for users. In addition, MSI NX7600GT Diamond Plus has the solid and powerful 3D engine technology that is smoothly complaint to the most 3D games available on the market nowadays.

More here: http://www.msi.com.tw/program/newsrelease/news_page.php?UID=487


Then in a few months time XXXXXXXX company will release a software player that can play HDDVD and BlueRay media/discs.

Ulead DVD MF5 Plus is capable of burning to BluRay Disc/Madia and HD DVD Folders (soon to burn to disc).

Intervideo WinDVD BD for VAIO is available only for OEM release. This has not been made to the public. And AFAIK, it cant play commercial BluRay disc/ BDMV (only burned with in the software as BDAV)

I read from other thread that if HTPC handle copy protection of HD DVD (DRM)....  as per JPADUA "Actually in the Case of HDCP enabled cards, this is a requirement of windows vista so that the video card can send to HD signal to your TV.  If your video card does not have HDCP, vista will downsize the video to 480p.  With XP however, you can play HD on a HDTV."


There are reports that the film industry will not impliment HDCP until 2012 or so.

[av_phile1]

There are reports that the film industry will not impliment HDCP until 2012 or so.

It will be good to consumers if they don't implement it at all, ever. 

[MAtZTER]

When prices have gone down and the market is flooded with choices for the player & disks.

[av_phile1]

When prices have gone down and the market is flooded with choices for the player & disks.

Actually, that's the same response I read from conservative posters in some AV forums on a similar question.  And I share the same.  But if I can afford, I won't sit it out. 

Accrdg to HD gurus out there, there's no reason to sit it out and wait for the format war to settle.  If you look at it,  the launch Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player has a street price of around $490 - cheaper than most upsampling DVD players from Denon and other mid-priced DVD players.  Rather than get any of those expensive upsampling DVD players which are said to be garbage compred to HD, get the HD Tosh.

And compared to the Samsung Blu-ray player, the Tosh got better reviews in terms of price/performance.   And you get pictures on an appropriate HD display that are simply awesome to say the least, according to those HD gurus who have seen it.  None of the finest DVD players upsampling a 480i DVD material to 1080i can match it.   To start with,  the discs are already encoded at 1080p.  They cost  around $30 each at amazon, but surprisingly there are already a few on SALE like The Last Samurai, Sleepy Hallow at $19.95, and Bourne Supremacy at $24.  It's not that much more than most SD titles out there.    Still, $490 today gives you the best possible picture that simply makes the finest upsampling SD DVD player display not worth looking.  And the sound, well, compared with compressed lossy DTS, the lossless DolbyTrue HD and DTS HD outputs at an uncompressedd 5.1 LPCM via the same HDMI cable.  It's like having DVD-A for your audio tracks.  So if you already own a High def  LCD display which I believe you already have, what's $490 for a player and a dozen $24 titles to start with?     According to many early takers on the Tosh player and titles, it's the best d**n thing that ever happened to their HT experience since the introduction of DVD in 1997.

Only problem is, the Tosh model is in short supply with a huge demand for it at the moment.  HD has only been introduced in the US and HT enthusiasts in Europe and Japan can't get enough of it.     Surprisingly with such a demand, the prices on the Tosh and the titles are actually falling.   

[MAtZTER]

Hmm,  Good analogy. But nothing much I can do with depleted resources 

Actually, that's the same response I read from conservative posters in some AV forums on a similar question.  And I share the same.  But if I can afford, I won't sit it out. 

Sama ako dito...i cant afford  ...yet

[akyatbundok]

i wonder what they intend to do with the millions of HDTV's that have already been sold but aren't HDCP capable..... that's a big enough market that some enterprising company will probably fill their needs.... DivX-HD anyone?

i saw 2 HD-DVD titles at Megamall -- The Last Samurai and another title, was it Batman Returns (can't remember)...... at $490 for the player and 200 titles to choose from its not a bad idea, but are they available at that price locally?

Spiderman 2 at 1080i and 12GB is taking forever to download, i might give up on this soon.

there's always the cheaper high-definition alternative --- going to the movies.  

[av_phile1]

I heard there's a good chance HDCP might not be implemented at all, at least not within 2 years.  More prompted by the myopic and paranoid fear of content makers that their digital materials will be copied outright, the concept seems good on paper, but the implementation is another thing.  At this time, they can't even agree on whether to implement the new region scheme. 

Those $490 Tosh HD players will not be available locally, maybe not before Christmas.  They will yet to debut HD in Europe.  Them first before us.  Right now, the only way to get a Tosh HD player is to order one online or have overseas friends/relatives bring them here.  I read it's still region-free and still can't recognize those flags for HDCP content protection.  The titles may be appearing sooner in local shelves with eager businessmen wanting to be first.  But I wouldn't be surprised if they're priced at twice the current R1 prices. 

Yup, nothing beats the theater movies when it comes to HD.  That's film - the almost unreachable goal of HD efforts.   

[MAtZTER]

Yup, nothing beats the theater movies when it comes to HD.  That's film - the almost unreachable goal of HD efforts.   

I also noticed this when I watched Phantom of the opera in a THX moviehouse. I was seated close to the screen and the resolution was SOOOO clear at that distance considering the screen was hyooooge.

[av_phile1]

HD is really aimed at putting film resolution at home with large screens.  No more jagged edges and visible aperture lines when you are up close with regular TVs, even HDTV using CRTs.   The bigger the screen size, the more resolution you need,  720p and 1080i are awesome with 36" to maybe 60" screens.    But beyond that, you would need superHD resolution at around 1920p or more.

[alvinthx2]

A 1080i resolution with a 1080p PJ will be good enough for screen up to 100 inches, 4k technology is still for cinema digital projectors at maybe 125 thousand dollars

[pooch]

currently using a dlp tv and and hdmi player..
pq is almost identical with non hdtvs since i dont have any hd dvds

[av_phile1]

Reviewing my first post in this thread,  I don't know now if I still want to wait out 3-4 years for the winner to emerge.  One disadvantge of joining and reading those US and British AV forums, you get to be influenced by early adopters with their enthusiasm on the HD phenomenon, expecially when for a measly $400 or so, you get to experience it now.  But that's them.  I am still enjoying my 28" Sony WS surplus so there's really no rush for me.  But for sure I have substantially cut back on my DVD buying.  Good thing the many SALE periods allow me some purchases here and there, but I am no longer avidly visiting Astros nor the marketplace here as I used to.   Definitely no regular priced DVDs for me since summer. 

Perhaps when those 36" LCDs with HDMI start coming out under 50T or thereabouts by late next year, I can join in.  And hopefully the next generation HD-DVD players from China would be here for less than 20T.  Looking forward to autumn or christmas of 2007 for this.  If I could save just 5T per month which was my usual DVD expenses last year, starting this month, I would have enough to cover much of an LCDHDTV by next year's Christmas. Then just use my bonus for a player.  Now if I win the lotto between now and then, betterrer. 

Now where's that thread about kicking this DVD collection habit.  I think if you've seen what HD can do, the DVD habit goes into coma.  

But only to be taken up by something more expensive and infintely more enticing.  

[nels76]

This thread about enthusiasm on the HD era is in direct contrast to those who are trashing out the
HD capabilities of the PS3.

They say why need an HD capability on the PS3 when owners of LCD HDTVs around the world are quite small yet?

Where are you now trashers? 

[mardoc]

Antay antay lang. The prices of HD TV & MONITORS are going down fast and before we know, they will be very affordable. Once it goes into mass production and market we expect them to go down. Kasali na ako sa inyo to see developments going around in this hobby and when it goes within our reach then we go and get it, of course kung kayang kaya na ng powers natin. Cheers!