Posted: 1/16/2006 2:54:11 PM EDT
| Is it worth it? |
| Im very experinced with HD, and yes its cool, but it all comes down to the quality of the TV. Buy a good name brand, and do your homework on what is out there feature wise--lotta new stuff coming out in the very near future that will change HD, at least in my area. |
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They are great, Nothing will replace going to the theater, but if you don't get out a lot, a home theater is great entertainment. Plasmas are nice for space savings, but imo, if you have room, get the biggest screen you can afford. The difference between a 42" and a 70+" screen is amazing. Add a good surround sound system and grab some popcorn. |
| Yes if you have the right set and the right source material. Most local stations only pass true HD in the evenings from network feeds. Most day time BS as well as local news is upconverted from NTSC. I would check with your local cable company to see how many channels they offer as well as the dish guys. As far as which type of set to get that depends on viewing distance to size ratio. CRT's have the best contrast ratio, but are being phased out b/c of the lead in the picture tube and the fact that they are not as sexy as say plasmas or LCD's and are expensive to produce in that size. Plasmas have a better contrast ratio than most LCD's ,but LCD's in general have higher resloution. If it is a large room a good front mounted DILA, DLP or a LCD projector will also look good. Rear projected TV's are cheap for a reason, most have a small viewing range, and if you are not looking dead on are dim. |
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Just be aware that we're still in the transition period, going from standard to hi-def, and because of that, there is currently a limited amount of hi-def programming available and that a lot of the current equipment (mostly the tuner/set-top box, not the display) will be obsolete and will need to be replaced before the conversion is really complete. There are two competing standards for Hi-Def DVDs coming out, so be ready for the format wars again (think: VHS vs Beta). Many Hi-Def TVs still have 0 or 1 HDMI input, when you're eventually going to want 3-6 of them. Analog outputs on video devices are going to start going away. As long as you realize that Hi-Def is still evolving and that it isn't the mature technology that Standard-Def has been for the last 25 years or so, then you're fine. If you're looking to just buy a TV and have everything work perfectly and all in Hi-Def, you're heading for some frustration. -Troy |
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In the case of a system like mine, which is in the "extreme" category, YES, it's well worth it even if you're having trouble finding shows worth watching. Watching a projected image eight feet wide at 1080p, the picture is literally better than the picture in average movie theaters. CJ |