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an HD spike?


Tom Hepburn

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Hello All,

 

I have a theory that I wanted to share and ask a question. With February 17th fast approaching I can envision your average Non HDTV viewing person going to a Best Buy, for example, to purchase a converter box for their 26 inch tube television. I would think that many will then be faced with a decision to just buy the box or to go ahead and bite the bullet and go HD. As they take a walk over to the displays and get a look at the HDTV, with HD signal or BlueRay, they can't help but think that maybe they'll be a step behind of everyone else if they just buy a converter box.

 

So if this scenario happens enough, will we see a surge or spike in consumers upgrading to HDTV in Feb? And if they do, how long will it be before those that are shooting SD for TV, have to think about shooting and delivering at that higher rez. I'm just thinking....

 

Tom

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Hello All,

 

I have a theory that I wanted to share and ask a question. With February 17th fast approaching I can envision your average Non HDTV viewing person going to a Best Buy, for example, to purchase a converter box for their 26 inch tube television. I would think that many will then be faced with a decision to just buy the box or to go ahead and bite the bullet and go HD. As they take a walk over to the displays and get a look at the HDTV, with HD signal or BlueRay, they can't help but think that maybe they'll be a step behind of everyone else if they just buy a converter box.

 

So if this scenario happens enough, will we see a surge or spike in consumers upgrading to HDTV in Feb? And if they do, how long will it be before those that are shooting SD for TV, have to think about shooting and delivering at that higher rez. I'm just thinking....

 

Tom

 

First off February 17th is NOT an upgrade to HD. It is simply a conversion to digital. No one has to broadcast HD after the switch. If they do great, if not then they don't. As for TV sales, they are now falling flat as was reported in an industry paper I got the other day. The hype came and went. There are still unscrupulous sellers telling folks they need to buy a new TV, but they do not. Nor do they need to spend $80 on a HDMI cable. Any HDMI cable works as good as any other wheter yo pay $4 for it or $40. Currently there is still relatively few HD programs on most local stations in most markets. And if a person got a converter box for their 26 inch tube TV they would not see any less a picture than a 40 inch HD set being fed HD. Currently the only people affected by the switch are those using rabbit ears and outdoor antennas. Those that have cable and Satellite TV ARE NOT affected by the switch to digital.

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How many people still just get their TV over the air? They are the only ones affected by the switch to digital broadcasting. I don't see a lot of people needing to get a new TV or even a converter box in February.

 

I've been watching the free over-the-air DTV and the local HD channels are pretty nice, quality-wise.

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how long will it be before those that are shooting SD for TV, have to think about shooting and delivering at that higher rez. I'm just thinking....

 

Tom

 

Does anybody shoot SD anymore? Even the corporate stuff I've done for the last two or three years for postage-stamp-sized web delivery has been shot HD...

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How many people still just get their TV over the air? They are the only ones affected by the switch to digital broadcasting. I don't see a lot of people needing to get a new TV or even a converter box in February.

 

I've been watching the free over-the-air DTV and the local HD channels are pretty nice, quality-wise.

 

And I always thought that "wireless" was the future!

 

Actually, I've been using "wireless" or "over the air" now for about 20 years now. Not so many channels, but I've saved enough to pay for one year of my daughter's college education...

 

My converter box works great on my old 40" widescreen standard def crt display. Just not so sharp, but the blacks are superb.

 

So, I'm probably the only one on this list who is affected by the switch to digital broadcasting, and I didn't buy a new tv.

 

I hear some of these new fangled tv's display 1080i. I don't know what it is, but I want it!

 

Happy new year everyone.

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How many people still just get their TV over the air? They are the only ones affected by the switch to digital broadcasting. I don't see a lot of people needing to get a new TV or even a converter box in February.

 

I've been watching the free over-the-air DTV and the local HD channels are pretty nice, quality-wise.

 

It's mostly lower income people who will need it. Estimates are from 14 to 24 million so it is a very small percentage of viewers. I think a lot of hype has been made a bout it and a lot of TVs folks never needed were sold as a result. I just talked to a guy the other day who bought a TV for no reason. Worse off, he payed $40 for a Monster HDMI cable.

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Does anybody shoot SD anymore? Even the corporate stuff I've done for the last two or three years for postage-stamp-sized web delivery has been shot HD...

 

Sure, plenty of stuff is still shot SD. I still have a number of clients that shoot HD. And other than a few markets, all TV markets only accept SD commercials.

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I hear some of these new fangled tv's display 1080i. I don't know what it is, but I want it!

 

Happy new year everyone.

 

Don't waste your money. You can't see the difference with a 1080 set unless its in the 50 inch range or above. Manufacturers are guilty of the same hype others are.

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I recently changed my outdoor aerial with a new digital one. It was windy and I have vertigo....so not great fun.

But that, alongside a digital cable, is required if you get your tv from the "air".

 

Sounds like you wasted your time. You do not need a special antenna, nor a special "digital" cable connected to it to receive digital television.

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Don't waste your money. You can't see the difference with a 1080 set unless its in the 50 inch range or above. Manufacturers are guilty of the same hype others are.

 

Walter, it was a joke on the direct tv commercial quoting Jessica Simpson. Of course, I'll want 1080p! And I know what it is:)

 

But for now, I have better uses for my money than an HD tv at any resolution.

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Walter, it was a joke on the direct tv commercial quoting Jessica Simpson. Of course, I'll want 1080p! And I know what it is:)

 

But for now, I have better uses for my money than an HD tv at any resolution.

 

 

Oh sorry, I didn't get it. I just have to speak up when I see folks wasting money on 1080p sets that are not more than 50 inches big. Between the rip off $40 HDMI cables that don't work better to anything marked HD that means nothing, there is a lot of hype out there with not much reality.

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Will Monet, Cezanne or Renoir survive the transition to HD? I guess museums will have to stop hanging the Impressionists altogether. Dang it!

Having had the incredibly lucky chance to view those very artists up close and personal over the years...like as close as six inches, I'd give them about 10K resolution and who knows how large a color space.

 

The most recent treat was Van Gogh's "Portrait of Alexander Reid" from close distance (It helps to be a certain museum director's favorite engineer). Van Gogh was playing around with Pointillism at that point and if you get nose length away from the painting, it dissolves into irregularly shaped pixels! The museum that owns that painting has given me permission to shoot any tape or stills of it I want...the catch being only when it's back home in Glasgow. Those Scots will promise anything to earn a few more tourist dollars.

 

 

http://www.artfund.org/images/artworklarge...32_004153_0.jpg

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"Currently the only people affected by the switch are those using rabbit ears and outdoor antennas. Those that have cable and Satellite TV ARE NOT affected by the switch to digital."

 

I also thought that, but that is not the case. RCN here in Chicago requires a (free) converter box for their cable as it has/had analog channels.

 

 

 

"Van Gogh was playing around with Pointillism at that point and if you get nose length away from the painting, it dissolves into irregularly shaped pixels!"

 

The Art Institute here in town has the Seurat painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" Really impressive if anyone is in town and interested in those types of pixels.

 

Tom

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"Currently the only people affected by the switch are those using rabbit ears and outdoor antennas. Those that have cable and Satellite TV ARE NOT affected by the switch to digital."

 

I also thought that, but that is not the case. RCN here in Chicago requires a (free) converter box for their cable as it has/had analog channels.

 

 

Tom YOU ARE BEING RIPPED OFF!!!! There is no requirement for cable or satellite to do anything related to the switch to digital. What they are doing is telling customers that they need to switch to digital service or they will loose out. This is not true and violates the law. They only want more money from you so are using peoples ignorance about the switch to make it seem like you will need to switch to digital cable boxes or loose your service. In fact the FCC is stepping in to stop cable companies from this practice:

 

 

http://consumerist.com/299517/fcc-takes-ac...om-analog-cable

 

 

Here are teh three myths of the DTV switchover:

1. The Death Of Analog Cable Has Something To Do With The DTV Switch. Cable companies who are getting rid of analog cable (the kind that plugs into your TV directly) are blaming the DTV switch. It actually is just a business decision and it has nothing to do with digital broadcast television. If they told you otherwise, they are lying to you so that you don't get mad at them for making you get digital cable. Feel free to be mad at them.

 

2. You Need An HDTV For The DTV Switch. No. If a salesperson told you this, they were trying to screw you. All TVs will work after the DTV switch. You might need a converter box ? but regular old non-HD TVs will work. To see if you need a converter box, follow this handy flowchart.

 

3. You Need To Upgrade To Digital Cable Because of the DTV Switch. Some cable companies are trying to upsell you on the digital cable package. If your cable company continues to offer analog cable, they will be required to provide you with your local channels in analog until 2012. No box needed. If they are discontinuing analog cable and trying to blame the DTV switch, see Myth #1.

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For all practical purposes the switch to digital will be the switch to high definition broadcasting. Of course there is no legal requirement to broadcast in high definition but then again there is no legal requirement to broadcast in color. And again there is no legal requirment to broadcast sound as networks can certainly choose to broadcast old silent movies if they wish. However during the transition to digital I think most networks will not wait for an act of congress in order to mandate high definition color and sound.

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Does anybody shoot SD anymore? Even the corporate stuff I've done for the last two or three years for postage-stamp-sized web delivery has been shot HD...

Our company makes major network prime time episodic shows. Our first HD was an MOW in 1999, our last SD was one series in 2001, and that only because they were working overseas. We made the switch quite quickly, as did the rest of the industry. Back in those days there was quite a bit of concern over upconverting old episodes for repeats, or going to the great expense of re-posting them from the negative. Some of that will be done for the major hits, but we now have enough HD on the shelf that it won't be a panic and scramble.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

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And yes if you want to receive standard definition or high defintion digital broadcasting you will need a new television. However if you are satisfied with your low definition interlaced analog television which has a low definition resolution of 360 x 240i at 60 hertz then maybe you can get one of those digital to analog down convertor boxes which can only output a low definition 240i signal.

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For all practical purposes the switch to digital will be the switch to high definition broadcasting. Of course there is no legal requirement to broadcast in high definition but then again there is no legal requirement to broadcast in color. And again there is no legal requirment to broadcast sound as networks can certainly choose to broadcast old silent movies if they wish. However during the transition to digital I think most networks will not wait for an act of congress in order to mandate high definition color and sound.

 

This is not true. Networks may have HD feeds but many local stations in many local markets do not have the ability at HD broadcast. An example is my FOX affiliate in Western Mass that only broadcasts in SD. Currently most all network news is a mix of various digital and older analog formats. Over time that will change, but even ABC news studio is not broadcast in HD. Most sports programs are aquired in HD but just because they are does not mean your local staiton has the ability to broadcast them. Cable and Satellite have HD services but you must pay extra, otherwhise you get 4x3. Most all local stations in teh US do not have the ability at broadcasting HD commericals. It has been a big problem for me as I ask a hundred stations I send spots to when I can send widescreen versions to which the answer often is maybe next year or we don't know.

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And yes if you want to receive standard definition or high defintion digital broadcasting you will need a new television. However if you are satisfied with your low definition interlaced analog television which has a low definition resolution of 360 x 240i at 60 hertz then maybe you can get one of those digital to analog down convertor boxes which can only output a low definition 240i signal.

 

Not really. The eye has a limitation on resolution and so a new set does not automatically mean a better looking picture just as most folks waste their money on a 1080 set thinking its better than 720 just cause the number is bigger.

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The 720p HDV format with its 19.7 megabit transport stream is probably the easiest to broadcast because it exactly fits into the existing digital broadcasting bandwidth but it does not allow for multiplexing unless it is reencoded. However television stations thinking that HDV is not a professional format insist that the 100 megabit per second DVC Pro HD format is used which requires reencoding in real time to 19.7 megabits per second using expensive encoders that the television stations refuse to purchase.

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I was referring to watching TV at home and how 1080 is useless unless your Tv is a certain distance from you and at least 50 inches or above in size.

 

A 50-inch HDTV could be fine if the viewing distance is appropriately accommodated (~6.5 feet in 50 in. case). For HD TV optimal viewing distance is about 3 times picture height; using the standard 10 feet distance from TV according to some studies, that would mean about 75 inches (diagonal) HD TV.

Edited by DJ Joofa
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