[lavalguy]

Hey guys,

I currently have a 1080i 60" DLP screen that I bought 6 years ago.
I'm looking to upgrade to a 1080p Sharp Quattron 60" LED 120hz HDTV.

Currently I have a regular cable subscriptions, and I am not interested at this time to subscribe to a HDTV service (Videotron illico, Bell Digital, etc).

My question is the following:

Will regular cable look good on the HDTV?
I'm worried that it will look even worse than how it looks on my older TV, because it will be showing more of the imperfections of the regular cable signal.

Or am I better of not buying a HDTV until I am ready to upgrade to a HDTV service?

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[ScaryBob]

My experience is that newer HDTVs handle SDTV slightly better but that will vary with the TV and source (analog cable, type of decoder box, etc.) May I suggest that you obtain an HDTV receiver, either on loan or rental, to try it out. Most providers have some free HDTV channels so it is not necessary to pay extra for programming. Another option is to use an antenna to pick up OTA channels for free. If you live near a major Canadian city or the US border, there may be several HDTV channels available.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

There is something called Bluray ... that we can use our HDTVs for.

In 1939 when the specs for SD were developed, the creators figured that the system would one day be capable of large screen images ... maybe as big as 19 inches.

The SD system was designed for up to 19" ... you have 60" ... what could possibly make it look good at 60" ... unless you shrink the image down to 19" or so. That's why the PIP on cable boxes and satellite boxes always looks good on every channel. Because it is way smaller than 60"

As long as 60 continues to be bigger than 19 ... SD really is what it is.

There are no 1080i DLP chips. There were the 720p ... and the wobbulated 1080p. The images are never displayed interlaced on digital displays be it LCD, Plasma or DLP.

Regards

 

[gabagoo]

I am curious as to why you would spend the money on a tv like that if you have no intentions of getting hd? I might assume you at least use it for blueray and gaming possibly, but if not then why bother?

 

[57]

This question comes up often on this forum, hence the following FAQ on SD PQ - your questions are answered there. If you plan on spending a lot of time viewing TV programming (not BD, DVD, etc) on the TV, then, as mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to get HD programming, assuming the channels you watch most are available in HD:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=18580


Here's a post useful for those new to the forum - FAQs, Search Tips, Optimization, etc:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

 

[lavalguy]

That's exactly it.

I mostly want the TV for BluRay + Gaming. I watch very little Television as it is.

However I am a sports fan and watch some Hockey.

I want to make sure that if I buy a HDTV without a HD subscription, that watching Hockey on it won't be a painful experience.

Let me know your thoughts!

Also what does it mean if I get an HD box without the subscription? Does this mean that I can pick up on the "free HD" channels that are included in my subscription?

Also would this make the image of SD look better?

Thanks again for the help guys!

 

[57]

Also what does it mean if I get an HD box without the subscription? Does this mean that I can pick up on the "free HD" channels that are included in my subscription?

Any HD STB would need to be activated by the service provider and you'd need to pay for digital service. What "free" HD channels there are would depend on the service provider, but don't expect TSN for free - perhaps CBC. You should check out the pricing/programming discussions for the various service providers in those forums here, since that's off topic for this thread.

If you watch very little TV and just occasional sports, with the TV properly set up, you should be able to watch SD hockey without it being painful, however, as soon as you get used to watching HD (BDs and Games), all SD will be painful.

 

[lavalguy]

57. That makes sense.

I went through the list of the classic cable channels and some are available in HD as long as I buy the HD terminal and pay the HD access fee.

Also found out that an additional fee applies if I want to get sports channels or discovery channel in HD.


So to recap, watching hockey on the 60" HD TV should not look worse than watching hockey on the 60" SD TV, correct?
And I can definitely enjoy the TV when watching bluray on the Playstation 3 or gaming.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

If you enjoy the BD and games on your DLP now ... no reason why it won't happen on another set ... short of it being broken.

But of course, we cannot see the world through your eyes ... and one person's wonderful is another's crappy. Which person is right?

regards

 

[peano]

If you are in Laval, why not put up an OTA antenna and watch your hockey in HD as ScaryBob suggests?

 

[Maxwedge]

I was thinking the same thing - you should be able to get CBC in English and French. Have you checked the excellent OTA section on this forum?

 

[TerryFox]

@ lavalguy I don't know where you are located but have you ever try to get a good deal on basic cable ? I myself am getting basic cable for half price for 2 years with Rogers . That got me to buy a HDTV and a Rogers HD PVR Digital Box . I look into it and their a very small fee for HD fee service ( $3.00 ) a month . So I am paying around $18.00 a month and I'm getting many HD channels , its well worth it ... You might want to look into Rogers deals...