Digital / HD Television

[Steve]

I guess I am just a technological dunce, but what is wrong with the current analog over the air TV system we have now?  As of April 2009, all of us that only receive over-the-air TV will have to dump our televisions or obtain digital to analog converter boxes.  I dumped Tulsa Cable 10 years ago and have survived quite nicely with only over-the-air broadcast TV.  Not to mention the hundreds of $ I have saved over that time.

I bet when it comes close to the the analog TV cut off point, there will be a huge public outcry and the conversion will be postponed.  There are supposed to be public funds/coupons provided to analog broadcast TV users to subsidise the purchase of converter boxes.  Where are the boxes, where do you buy them, where do you get the coupons?  Another disaster in the making.

[Steve]

And what idiots at the FCC or NTSC set the new HD TV standards?  16 x 9 aspect ratio still requires most wide screen movies to be letterboxed to some extent, even in HD, to see the entire image!  The aspect ratio for HDTV should have been at least 2.3 to 1, at a minimum, to comply with older CinemaScope or current Panavision widescreen films.

As far as picture clarity is concerned, I don't want to see every clogged pore on an actresses face!  The current broadcast analog standards suit me just fine, for free home television viewing.  Newer is not always better.  It seems to me that this whole digital conversion thing is just a big bonanza for the TV manufacturers.

[Porky]

Your not a dunce at all on this Steve. HD is a joke. It started out as a super signal that shows a better picture. Now it is being abused by every network to provide a poorer signal by terms of their agreements with the NBS.

Now people are forced to receive a weak signal, like we watched the football games this weekend broadcasted in. And the biggest joke is an HDTV Antenna gives a better picture then the cable does. []

[sgrizzle]

The main push for HD is $$$$. The FCC is going to resell the existing tranmission space for 1,000's of times what it gets now from tv stations. Radio and TV take up a great deal of low-MHz range of the airwaves. These ranges will fetch a high price when used for phone and data networks.


Keep in mind, HD radio is on the horizon too.


The aspect ratio for your HDTV is based on computer aspect ratios, and many modern movies are being made in this ratio. Older films used 1.85:1 but very few recent ones.

And yes, if you're not a technophile and have no interest in purchasing a HDTV, you're gonna get the short end of it.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by Porky

Your not a dunce at all on this Steve. HD is a joke. It started out as a super signal that shows a better picture. Now it is being abused by every network to provide a poorer signal by terms of their agreements with the NBS.

Now people are forced to receive a weak signal, like we watched the football games this weekend broadcasted in. And the biggest joke is an HDTV Antenna gives a better picture then the cable does. []

I have read that with digital over-the-air transmission it is "all or nothing."  If you can't pick up a clear signal, you get nothing.  At least with current analog TV, you can get a watchable picture, if sometimes fuzzy or staticy because of the weather.  I have no personal experience with this as I still receive my TV via analog broadcast (rabbit ears antenna on my 32" Panasonic.)  Works just great for me in my mid-town Tulsa neighborhood. I get all channels over the air offered in Cox Cable basic.  Not a great variety, but free, and suits my TV needs.
What is the government going to do with the analog TV channels that are being abandoned?  Resell the frequencies to cell phone, radio stations, or other users?  I guess it all boils down to money, as always.

[Steve]

Thanks sgrizzle for your reply, we must have been posting at the same time as you responded to the $ question before I saw your response.

Aspect ratios, we could discuss this for days on end.  Early 1950s CinemaScope was 2.6:1 and evolved to 2.35:1 because of soundtrack issues.  Original Cinerama films were about 3:1 with separate magentic soundtracks.  Todd/AO, CinemaScope 55, Panavision, Technirama, Techniscope, UltraPanavision, SuperPanavision, all had various film formats and aspect ratios, but the standard anamorphic film aspect ratio today is about 2.3:1, and display varies depending on the capabilities of the theater you visit.  Most films today that are filmed in basic 2.3:1 Panavision are photographed with DVD/TV release in mind.  I think the HDTV standard should have been set at 2.3:1.  At that aspect ratio, letterboxing would be at a minimum or non-existent for films, old or new.

If HDTV sets today had at least a 2.3:1 aspect ratio for the screen, I would have probably bought one by now.  But with the current 16:9 ratio, I will just save my money and watch letterboxed films on a standard 4:3 set.

[BKDotCom]

The 16:9 aspect ratio was a compromise.
digital TV != 16:9
HDTV is only 16:9 though.
The government will be subsidizing converter boxes.
The conversion date has already been pushed back a few times.  the original date has already passed.  It looks like the 2009 date is going to stick though.

[waterboy]

Shades of quadra-phonic. The state of the art replacement for stereo-phonic. Any one old enough to remember that disaster?

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

Shades of quadra-phonic. The state of the art replacement for stereo-phonic. Any one old enough to remember that disaster?

Doesn't kmod still broadcast in it?

[aoxamaxoa]

The only problems I have with HD are the addictive nature of the clearer picture, especially for live sports, and the local WEAK signals (ch.8 esp.) and weather super imposures! It's like the days of trying to tune a radio station or K band somtimes?

When there is more HD programing, it will improve.

Anyone recall when we finally got Bonanza in color?

[rwarn17588]

You're showing your age, Ax.

[]

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Porky

Your not a dunce at all on this Steve. HD is a joke. It started out as a super signal that shows a better picture. Now it is being abused by every network to provide a poorer signal by terms of their agreements with the NBS.

Now people are forced to receive a weak signal, like we watched the football games this weekend broadcasted in. And the biggest joke is an HDTV Antenna gives a better picture then the cable does. []

i disagree.  i have perfect corrected vision and did not see any difference in 720p ota vs cable.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

Shades of quadra-phonic. The state of the art replacement for stereo-phonic. Any one old enough to remember that disaster?

Boy, I sure do.  I never had a quadraphonic receiver, but I still have several vinyl LP's recorded in the old "SQ" quadraphonic mode.

Interesting note, if you still have a turntable as I do, and play these old quadraphonic albums through a surround sound set up, you hear the full quadraphonic 4-5 channel effects.  The vinyl albums were recorded using matrix technology, much the same as early Dolby surround sound.  If the LP is in good shape, they sound quite remarkable for 1970s recordings.

[Steve]

I know time and technology marches on, and you can't stop "progress."  I intend to make do with a digital-to-analog converter box for over-the-air TV when they become available, as there is absolutely nothing wrong with my current TVs; they are only about 2 years old.  When the time comes to replace them, then I will upgrade the hardware.  Standard def digital will suit me just fine.  They say that there are about 20 million US households that still exclusively receive TV via over the air broadcast, myself included, so I know I am not alone in my opinions.  

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by aoxamaxoa

The only problems I have with HD are the addictive nature of the clearer picture, especially for live sports, and the local WEAK signals (ch.8 esp.) and weather super imposures! It's like the days of trying to tune a radio station or K band somtimes?

When there is more HD programing, it will improve.

Anyone recall when we finally got Bonanza in color?

"Bonanza" was an NBC show, I recall, filmed in color and specifically designed to promote the sale of RCA color TV sets.  At the time, NBC had the most color programming and was owned by the RCA corporation.

I remember when we got our first color set, in 1967.  My parents got sick of the neighbors inviting us over to watch a show in color, so they forked out the bucks for a 21" RCA color console to the tune of about $600, which was big, BIG bucks back then.  I remember that first time in 1967 watching "The Wizard of Oz", eating off of TV trays in front of our glorious color TV!  We kids thought we had reached nirvana, and Atari PONG was still 10 years away!