What’s all the fuss about High Def TV??

[Mike Circo]

Well now I know. After moaning about the cable company always going out, I got a brainstorm and checked the old TV. Seems that the coax input is sick. After the TV warmed up for about 30 minutes… fitzzz, out went the signal. Old 9” TV was fine as were the other inputs on the old TV.

So before I could talk my self into working around the issue on a 15 year old CRT television I hit the electronics stores and got a high def replacement.

Plugged it in. Nice, but no big deal. Then a trip to the cable company office for a HDTV cable box and BOING, now we’re talking. I expected the detail to be amazing, but I did not expect the increase in color vibrancy, lack of motion blur and great contrast. The real stunner came during the opening scene of the Olympic coverage. An aerial flyover of the Rockies, over Vancouver and forests. No words for the clarity and beauty. Now I can see what the big deal is. I can’t wait to see “Planet Earth” in hi-def. (My kids have a PS3 with built in BlueRay so I’m set!)

BTW. It is a Toshiba 42” (42” was the biggest I could fit in my entertainment center, wasn’t ready to replace that yet.) It is full 1080p, 240hz refresh ( very cool, actually a 120 hz scan with some software to double the effective rate. Smooooth action). And something I liked on a LCD set not in many I saw was a 100,000 / 1 Contrast ratio. Cheap sets are in the 15,000/1, some of the best comparable sets are at 50,000/1 so this was nice to get. Makes images almost 3D in quality.

Anyway. I’m a few hundred bucks poorer, but have fewer reasons to pay $10 at the multiplex and $10 for stale popcorn and a coke. Only 52 movie rentals away from it paying for itself.

[David G Baker]

Mike,
What is the model number?

[Mitchell Andrus]

Welcome to the club. Once you join, you'll never leave.

I remember seeing HD for first time. It was a MLB game at a big box store. I was hooked but couldn't afford the then $8,000.00 price tags. I'm glad prices have tempered a bit.... a lot.
.

[Mike Circo]

What is the model number?


Toshiba 42ZV650U "Regza"

I got it from CompUSA in this area. Go to their site and it comes up on the main page. $800, not bad. The same TV is also available in other screen sizes, but again 42" was the one I needed for proper fit.

M

[Pat Germain]

Glad you're enjoying the HD experience. But I thought CompUSA went belly-up?

[David G Baker]

Thanks Mike. I am in the infant stage of researching a new TV and have always favored Toshiba. Not quite ready to plunk down $800 but at some point in the near future I won't have a choice.

[Darin Kauffman]

Have fun with the new tv. I sold my plasma and bought a movie projector. We only have a little tv for watching basic cable now. HD is really noticeable.

Oh, and Planet Earth in HD is ridiculous. :D

[Mike Circo]

But I thought CompUSA went belly-up?


Gee I hope not.... I just bought a TV from them!
;)


I think they downsized a bunch. Now it is more of a warehouse type store, not the flashy, huge and overstocked place it used to be. Also, they do more web based business so the big stores are overhead.

Just happened to have one near me so it was one of the few places to shop besides Best Buy to look for a TV. With Circuit city gone, the choices have been cut down considerably.

[Rob Robinson VT]

Congrats on entering the fabulous world of high-definition! You purchased a pretty decent current generation display and may want to check out the review below from CNET for some tips on adjusting its many controls for the best picture (pay particular attention to the "Click to see picture settings" link at the top of the 2nd page):

CNET Review of Toshiba Z650U Series (http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/toshiba-regza-42zv650u/4505-6482_7-33490635.html)

I spent my entire working life in high-end consumer electronics, specializing in very high-end home theater the last 10 years or so. Since retirement I've become an ISF-certified HDTV calibrator and, as such, I've calibrated a couple of displays in this same series and they dial in very nicely. You should be set for the next several years (or until you decide to get rid of your current size-limiting entertainment center!).

The original CompUSA (http://www.compusa.com/retailstores/compusaStores/index.asp) DID go out of business (well, sort of) and was acquired by Systemax (http://www.systemax.com/) a couple of years ago. Systemax also owns TigerDirect (http://www.tigerdirect.com/) and bought the online rights to Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/) and operates online retail sites for both of those names as well. So, not to worry, you're probably in relatively safe hands.

What others here has said is correct, once you've seen "Planet Earth" in 1080p you'll truly appreciate just how much better today's displays are than what we've all been used to in the past.

Feel free to holler if you've got any questions. I don't hesitate to call upon other members here for advice on all things woodworking so, in fair exchange, I feel compelled to share my knowledge and experience in the area that I know best.

[Glenn Clabo]

Okay Rob...you asked. ;)

I'm about to take on a condo in Boston...and I have a 50" Sony Plasma in the house right now...AND LOVE IT but not sure I want to move it.

If you were to buy my next ~50 inch...what would you buy...and why?

[Van Huskey]

I have been a HDTV devotee since 2001 and have loved every minute of it.

To Glen, if you want the best and your viewing room/habits allow plasma get a Pioneer Kuro (if they still make then then, long story) they are simply the best displays out there.

If you don't want to spend the money on a Pioneer but want a plasma the Panasonics are the way to go, if you want LCD then the Samsungs are hard to beat. But this does vary somewhat based on budget and size.

One really important thing is ISF calibration, whether you have it done or teach yourself. I rarely (basically never) see a HDTV calibrated even close in a persons home. They tend to leave them in "torch mode" even though some manufacturers are getting better about factory presets. Many people look at my sets and think they look "flat" but they are just correct. If your picture looks anything like the display TVs in a Big Box they are WAY off.

[Rob Robinson VT]

Okay Rob...you asked. ;)

I'm about to take on a condo...and I have a 50" Sony Plasma in the house right now...AND LOVE IT!

If you were to buy my next ~50 inch...what would you buy...and why?
Since you're already a plasma fan and if the room doesn't have too much natural light it would probably be either a Panasonic TC-P50V10 or Samsung PN50B650 plasma as they have the best black levels out there at the moment, wonderful natural colors and calibrate beautifully. Nearly as good as the about to disappear forever Pioneer Elite Kuro displays (and I'm not in the habit of recommending a line that the manufacturer is about to completely discontinue).

If the room is very bright then you're probably going to want an LCD (although the antiglare coatings on some of the soon to be released plasmas from Panasonic and Samsung I saw at CES were awfully good) and, particularly, a local-dimming LED backlit LCD such as the awesome new 240-zone local-dimming sets from LG.

If your new condo is not pre-wired for HD and you want to hang your new HDTV in an area not exactly adjacent to where your electronics will be, the new 2010 sets coming from LG all feature an add-on wireless option that works really, really well (up to 100 ft from the media box to the TV and through walls!). Their current 47" 47LH85 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889005083) and 55" 55LH85 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889005090) wireless sets are a particularly awesome buy right now ($1,000 off MSRP) on NewEgg.com and they work really well so long as the media box and TV are in the same room, in a general "line of sight" and within 25-30' of each other. I recommended one of these for our best friends just before the holidays and they are absolutely thrilled with it (and they paid $200 more than the current sale price).

One thing that I love about LG is that all of their sets feature ISFccc calibration controls which allow professional HDTV calibrators such as myself to fine tune them for maximum performance AND give our customers separate, optimized settings for Day and Night viewing.

[Rob Robinson VT]

I have been a HDTV devotee since 2001 and have loved every minute of it.

To Glen, if you want the best and your viewing room/habits allow plasma get a Pioneer Kuro (if they still make then then, long story) they are simply the best displays out there.

If you don't want to spend the money on a Pioneer but want a plasma the Panasonics are the way to go, if you want LCD then the Samsungs are hard to beat. But this does vary somewhat based on budget and size.

One really important thing is ISF calibration, whether you have it done or teach yourself. I rarely (basically never) see a HDTV calibrated even close in a persons home. They tend to leave them in "torch mode" even though some manufacturers are getting better about factory presets. Many people look at my sets and think they look "flat" but they are just correct. If your picture looks anything like the display TVs in a Big Box they are WAY off.
In over 10 years of being involved with some of the highest-end video out there (for years I co-exhibited at trade shows with industry leaders such as Runco, Vidikron, Da-Lite, Lumagen and Stewart Filmscreen) and over 2 years as an ISF-certified professional calibrator, I can honestly say that I have NEVER walked into a client's home and found a display that was closer than 70-80% of being properly adjusted. One thing is certain, when I leave I am absolutely 100% certain that my customers are getting the most out of their investment in HDTV.

Manufacturers purposely put their sets into "torch mode" so that they'll stand out on the sales floor (most consumers would never purchase a properly calibrated display as it would look "dull" or "washed out" compared to the overly bright, overly saturated displays beside it). Plus, for proper calibration, the internal components in a display need to first be "burned in" for at least 100 hours as their values can and do change drastically as they begin to work and have various signals applied to them. So, even if manufacturers wanted (and could afford to, it takes most ISF-calibrators at least 3-4 hours to properly calibrate a couple of inputs on a display) to calibrate their sets on the assembly line it wouldn't be accurate after it had been in their customer's home for awhile.

I'm impressed that it you've taught yourself how to perform ISF calibrations. What colorimeter and signal generator are you using? My setup is a Sencore OTC-1000 tri-stimulus colorimeter and Sencore VP-403C HD signal generator with the Sencore AutoCalPro 6000 (6500 for ISFccc displays) calibration software. My total investment in hardware, software and training (at both ISF and Sencore) was nearly $20K and then I did about 3 months of free calibrations for friends and family before I felt comfortable going into clients' homes and charging for my services.

[Bob Borzelleri]

When we built our house in 2004, I included a media room (which doubles as a music room and office for me). 120" screen and projector, 1500 watts of amps, 2 healthy subwoofers and the best Blu-Ray player available for any price.

Sometimes it's hard to leave the room.:)

[Tim Morton]

In over 10 years of being involved with some of the highest-end video out there (for years I co-exhibited at trade shows with industry leaders such as Runco, Vidikron, Da-Lite, Lumagen and Stewart Filmscreen) and over 2 years as an ISF-certified professional calibrator, I can honestly say that I have NEVER walked into a client's home and found a display that was closer than 70-80% of being properly adjusted. One thing is certain, when I leave I am absolutely 100% certain that my customers are getting the most out of their investment in HDTV.

Manufacturers purposely put their sets into "torch mode" so that they'll stand out on the sales floor (most consumers would never purchase a properly calibrated display as it would look "dull" or "washed out" compared to the overly bright, overly saturated displays beside it). Plus, for proper calibration, the internal components in a display need to first be "burned in" for at least 100 hours as their values can and do change drastically as they begin to work and have various signals applied to them. So, even if manufacturers wanted (and could afford to, it takes most ISF-calibrators at least 3-4 hours to properly calibrate a couple of inputs on a display) to calibrate their sets on the assembly line it wouldn't be accurate after it had been in their customer's home for awhile.

I'm impressed that it you've taught yourself how to perform ISF calibrations. What colorimeter and signal generator are you using? My setup is a Sencore OTC-1000 tri-stimulus colorimeter and Sencore VP-403C HD signal generator with the Sencore AutoCalPro 6000 (6500 for ISFccc displays) calibration software. My total investment in hardware, software and training (at both ISF and Sencore) was nearly $20K and then I did about 3 months of free calibrations for friends and family before I felt comfortable going into clients' homes and charging for my services.


Let me know if you ever make it down to southern VT....i could use a touch up on my calibration...HLS5687w..i had it professionally calibrated about 2 years ago. Trouble is they guy(excellent calibrator) is from NJ and i doubt i will ever get him back to vermont again:D

[Paul Ryan]

I bought a plasma in 06 and have been watching high def ever since. It got to the point no one in our house would watch the other tv because it wasn't high def. It was a 6 year old projection, I replaced it with another plasma this christmas. As others have said once you go to HD you will never go back. The HD tv's sold today display non-high def signals terribly. They are much more suited for high definition. We have a old 27" CRT tv in our bedroom that displays very nice non high def digital signals from the antena. It isn't as good as high def but it is still a real nice picture. Much better than the non high def the plasmas show.

[Bill Cunningham]

I've had a Panasonic 50" plasma for about a year on standard Def.. I also bought a Toshiba VCR/DVD recorder with upconverting to 1080p.. Thought what I was seeing was pretty good...then...I Upgraded my sat. system to HD last week, just in time for the Olympics.. and WoW I had no idea what I was missing.. The H.D. receiver also has a usb port, and will accept a 50gig to 1tb portable Hard drive, and it's all controlled by the HD receiver.. I know some of you have probably had this for years, but after dumping my old mod. 2700 sat recievers for the new ones I'm amazed at what I have been missing.. Next a Blueray.. I don't think anyone is broadcasting 1080p, but the standard 720p is incredible compared to standard def..

[Rob Robinson VT]

Let me know if you ever make it down to southern VT....i could use a touch up on my calibration...HLS5687w..i had it professionally calibrated about 2 years ago. Trouble is they guy(excellent calibrator) is from NJ and i doubt i will ever get him back to vermont again:D
Where in southern VT? I'm in the Manchester/Winhall area pretty much every other weekend so PM me if you'd like to set something up. I'm a big fan of rear projectors (Sony KDS-60A2020 in my NY media room and Mitsubishi WS-55511 in my VT living room) and the incredible value they represent. I also like the fact that when you replace the bulb you've pretty much got a brand new display. btw, if you've never replaced the bulb in yours since it was calibrated it's probably time to do so. If you do replace it make certain you've burned it in for at least 50-100 hours before your new calibration.

[Rob Robinson VT]

I don't think anyone is broadcasting 1080p, but the standard 720p is incredible compared to standard def..
Try Vudu, they've got about 1,000 movies and many can be downloaded in 1080p. Only bad thing about Vudu is that yesterday it was announced they're being bought by Wal Mart.


Sometimes it's hard to leave the room.:)
Yup, fully understand. It's become so bad for us that we have both of our TiVo Series 3 DVRs programmed to only receive HD channels as we can no longer stand to watch SD.


The HD tv's sold today display non-high def signals terribly. They are much more suited for high definition.
Some do it better than others (particularly 720p sets) but it's a very good thing that most folks these days have access to most of the channels they watch frequently in HD.

[Randal Stevenson]

So before I could talk my self into working around the issue on a 15 year old CRT television I hit the electronics stores and got a high def replacement.

Plugged it in. Nice, but no big deal. Then a trip to the cable company office for a HDTV cable box and BOING, now we’re talking. I expected the detail to be amazing, but I did not expect the increase in color vibrancy, lack of motion blur and great contrast. The real stunner came during the opening scene of the Olympic coverage. An aerial flyover of the Rockies, over Vancouver and forests. No words for the clarity and beauty. Now I can see what the big deal is. I can’t wait to see “Planet Earth” in hi-def. (My kids have a PS3 with built in BlueRay so I’m set!)



Call me confused. You said you bought a High definition tv. then you got the high definition box from the cable company? I don't understand this, if you just upgraded your service, wouldn't your high definition tv, be able to display the high def signal, WITHOUT the box or rental?

[Rob Robinson VT]

Call me confused. You said you bought a High definition tv. then you got the high definition box from the cable company? I don't understand this, if you just upgraded your service, wouldn't your high definition tv, be able to display the high def signal, WITHOUT the box or rental?
I see it all the time. Customer buys an HDTV, gets it home, hooks it up to their old cable box or satellite receiver and thinks they're in business. It probably looks better because it's a digital signal (maybe even hooked up via HDMI) whereas their old CRT was analog and (possibly/probably hooked up through composite video or, at best, S-Video). To watch HDTV you need a high-definition source and that requires either an OTA antenna capable of receiving HD signals, an HD box from your cable company, an HD receiver (and HD service option) from your satellite company or a Blu-ray disc player and Blu-ray HD discs.

[Randal Stevenson]

I see it all the time. Customer buys an HDTV, gets it home, hooks it up to their old cable box or satellite receiver and thinks they're in business. It probably looks better because it's a digital signal (maybe even hooked up via HDMI) whereas their old CRT was analog and (possibly/probably hooked up through composite video or, at best, S-Video). To watch HDTV you need a high-definition source and that requires either an OTA antenna capable of receiving HD signals, an HD box from your cable company, an HD receiver (and HD service option) from your satellite company or a Blu-ray disc player and Blu-ray HD discs.

This still doesn't make sense. The high definition signal, does NOT originate, in the box, it should be a signal on the line.

[Rob Robinson VT]

This still doesn't make sense. The high definition signal, does NOT originate, in the box, it should be a signal on the line.
Well HD is on the line/satellite signal, but it's scrambled (that's how they can turn off your service if you don't pay your bill, they turn off your cable box or satellite receiver remotely). Plus the older cable boxes and satellite receivers didn't have the necessary connections (either HDMI or DVI for digital HD, component video for analog HD) or internal circuitry to output an HD signal. For example, here in NY we have HD from our cable company but only have HD boxes in our media room and upstairs in our bedroom. In our kitchen we don't have a cable box at all and just hook up that LCD set directly to the cable because we're only interested in watching "basic" cable in there. We have a similar situation in VT where we have HD sets in the living room and kitchen but SD sets upstairs in two of the bedrooms. We only pay for HD in those locations where we're able to watch HD.

[Randal Stevenson]

Well HD is on the line/satellite signal, but it's scrambled (that's how they can turn off your service if you don't pay your bill, they turn off your cable box or satellite receiver remotely). Plus the older cable boxes and satellite receivers didn't have the necessary connections (either HDMI or DVI for digital HD, component video for analog HD) or internal circuitry to output an HD signal. For example, here in NY we have HD from our cable company but only have HD boxes in our media room and upstairs in our bedroom. In our kitchen we don't have a cable box at all and just hook up that LCD set directly to the cable because we're only interested in watching "basic" cable in there. We have a similar situation in VT where we have HD sets in the living room and kitchen but SD sets upstairs in two of the bedrooms. We only pay for HD in those locations where we're able to watch HD.

Sounds like it varies then. Dropping the N/A Blue Ray/Satellite bs from the equation, a friend has HD and a HDTV, but the cable goes DIRECTLY into the tv, not into a box. And here, if you don't pay your bill, they just disconnect you, no signal cut out, they take the line down/out.

[Rob Robinson VT]

Sounds like it varies then. Dropping the N/A Blue Ray/Satellite bs from the equation, a friend has HD and a HDTV, but the cable goes DIRECTLY into the tv, not into a box. And here, if you don't pay your bill, they just disconnect you, no signal cut out, they take the line down/out.
Every cable setup that I've seen in recent years requires either a cable box or cable card(s) to receive anything but "basic" cable - usually the first 18-30 channels. My guess is if your friend has HD without a cable box he's probably got cable cards installed in either his TV or DVR (unless it's a cable company DVR, which is really just a cable box that records). We have TiVo HD DVRs (with cable cards) instead of cable boxes here in NY.

[Randal Stevenson]

Every cable setup that I've seen in recent years requires either a cable box or cable card(s) to receive anything but "basic" cable - usually the first 18-30 channels. My guess is if your friend has HD without a cable box he's probably got cable cards installed in either his TV or DVR (unless it's a cable company DVR, which is really just a cable box that records). We have TiVo HD DVRs (with cable cards) instead of cable boxes here in NY.

I believe they are rolling out the boxes here in March (15th, by the display on the tv's). I will double check about the box, but I know he doesn't have a DVR anymore (ticked it wouldn't work with his old one), and the tv doesn't have a card. But then again, I heard part of their meeting and I dislike the fact they are trying to go back to the boxes, aka a per tv charge. Then again, I think cable/PAY tv, should be commercial free (free tv is paid for by commercials) and we should be able to order a la carte. The ONLY reason I have cable tv, is it is $1 cheaper then without if, for the cable modem. (large files/Linux iso's)

If one really needs a box, then they should make the terminology a LOT more understandable, instead of calling everything HDTV. (never seen the word capable below the HDTV mark, advertised on the tv)

[Rob Robinson VT]

I believe they are rolling out the boxes here in March (15th, by the display on the tv's). I will double check about the box, but I know he doesn't have a DVR anymore (ticked it wouldn't work with his old one), and the tv doesn't have a card. But then again, I heard part of their meeting and I dislike the fact they are trying to go back to the boxes, aka a per tv charge. Then again, I think cable/PAY tv, should be commercial free (free tv is paid for by commercials) and we should be able to order a la carte. The ONLY reason I have cable tv, is it is $1 cheaper then without if, for the cable modem. (large files/Linux iso's)

If one really needs a box, then they should make the terminology a LOT more understandable, instead of calling everything HDTV. (never seen the word capable below the HDTV mark, advertised on the tv)
There is still totally FREE TV, even HD. It's called OTA (Off The Air) and you get it with an antenna. However, the signal is sometimes weak or nonexistant and it's totally susceptible to interference from weather. What you're paying for with cable is a clean digital signal that's essentially free of weather interference with the capability to receive "premium" (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc.) and Pay-Per-View channels and a channel guide. However, the models are changing and one of these days it's very likely that most/many of us will be receiving our television the same way we communicate here, over the Internet. However, I doubt that it will be either free or commercial free.

[Rob Robinson VT]

we should be able to order a la carte.
If your cable company converts to SDV (Switched Digital Video) you'll get your wish . . . but, as with all things, be careful what you wish for (read some of the comments and you'll see what I mean):

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/02/tivo-cable-is-strangling-our-business.ars

[Zach England]

Sounds like it varies then. Dropping the N/A Blue Ray/Satellite bs from the equation, a friend has HD and a HDTV, but the cable goes DIRECTLY into the tv, not into a box. And here, if you don't pay your bill, they just disconnect you, no signal cut out, they take the line down/out.

My parents have this setup. There is a card you get from the cable company and you insert the card into the tv and decode the cable company's HD signal with the tv alone.. This was several years ago--not sure if it is still done this was for new setups.

[Rob Robinson VT]

My parents have this setup. There is a card you get from the cable company and you insert the card into the tv and decode the cable company's HD signal with the tv alone.. This was several years ago--not sure if it is still done this was for new setups.
It's called CableCARD but there are almost no TVs sold today with the requisite slots. TiVo still uses it and, by law, cable companies are required to provide CableCARDs to customers who request them. I pay $4 per month for each of our 4 CableCARDs (we have two dual tuner TiVo Series 3 HD DVRs). It's also the only way to use TiVo with phone company HD (Verizon FIOS/AT&T U-verse) but, from what I've heard and read, the CableCARDS the phone companies use don't work all that well with TiVo. That's a real bummer as I'd love to switch to FIOS (which is now only one town away) but would hate to give up our wonderful TiVo units, not to mention the fact we've got a lot of money invested in them, complete with lifetime service agreements.

[John Shuk]

It's called CableCARD but there are almost no TVs sold today with the requisite slots. TiVo still uses it and, by law, cable companies are required to provide CableCARDs to customers who request them. I pay $4 per month for each of our 4 CableCARDs (we have two dual tuner TiVo Series 3 HD DVRs). It's also the only way to use TiVo with phone company HD (Verizon FIOS/AT&T U-verse) but, from what I've heard and read, the CableCARDS the phone companies use don't work all that well with TiVo. That's a real bummer as I'd love to switch to FIOS (which is now only one town away) but would hate to give up our wonderful TiVo units, not to mention the fact we've got a lot of money invested in them, complete with lifetime service agreements.

I have been installing Cable cards in TIVO units using FIOS and it works well but the steps need to be followed. I hope you guys get it soon. I'd love to come install it for you. Gotta get the politicians in Croton to agree to our franchise though.

[Rob Robinson VT]

I have been installing Cable cards in TIVO units using FIOS and it works well but the steps need to be followed. I hope you guys get it soon. I'd love to come install it for you. Gotta get the politicians in Croton to agree to our franchise though.
Thanks John, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Looks as if the local elections here are going to get much more heated than usual this year (we're already getting campaign phone calls and mail) so if the current crown doesn't sign up then perhaps their replacements will. I'll have to go to the next "town hall" that comes up and see if I can ask a question or two about this topic.

[Jim Becker]

One of the first things I watched in High Def a number of years ago was the SuperBowl...and I don't normally even watch that. It was stunning and validated my investment. Every blade of grass was clearly delineated and the helmet sparkle was amazing. (Yea, it was the one with the wardrobe malfunction, too. LOL) And now that I got away from Comcast's over compressed HD, I know how stunning it really can be. Between the outstanding HD quality we get from DirectTV (and soon from FiOS) and the nearly theater crisp picture from BluRay discs, we really enjoy watching, even though we don't do that as much as many families do. (Hmmm...almost time for American Idol :) )

[Myk Rian]

It's called CableCARD but there are almost no TVs sold today with the requisite slots.
Our Sony WEGA XBR has the cable card. It's interesting that we don't pay for HD or music channels, but with the card we get them anyway. Not all, but many of them. What you don't get is the channel guide and On Demand stuff.
It's great watching NASCAR in HD.

[Rob Robinson VT]

Just calibrated a 58" Panasonic V10 plasma for a customer last night and this has got to be one of the best HDTV displays available today. And, at a street price of under $2,200, one of the best values around. Plenty bright for an average room in daylight, awesome color (white balance dialed in beautifully with a delta of <0.5 compared to the D65 standard) and because it's a plasma, displayed none of those motion artifacts that the LCD guys have to compensate for. All in all, an exemplary HDTV display and one that I can categorically recommend without reservation.

[Rick Prosser]

I have not jumped into the HD market yet, but it probably won't be too much longer.

The calibration thing has me intrigued. I never had any of my TVs calibrated before - is this something new for HD? Must be more to it than adjusting the contrast/brightness. How much does calibration usually cost? Is it necessary to get the set looking good. If most homes don't have it done, the default settings must be pretty good? Takes special equipment, so I would not be able to do it myself?

Sorry for all the questions, but I was expecting to just plug it in and go.

[Neal Clayton]

It's called CableCARD but there are almost no TVs sold today with the requisite slots. TiVo still uses it and, by law, cable companies are required to provide CableCARDs to customers who request them. I pay $4 per month for each of our 4 CableCARDs (we have two dual tuner TiVo Series 3 HD DVRs). It's also the only way to use TiVo with phone company HD (Verizon FIOS/AT&T U-verse) but, from what I've heard and read, the CableCARDS the phone companies use don't work all that well with TiVo. That's a real bummer as I'd love to switch to FIOS (which is now only one town away) but would hate to give up our wonderful TiVo units, not to mention the fact we've got a lot of money invested in them, complete with lifetime service agreements.


i can verify that, my upstairs plasma has a cable card slot, tried to get comcast to install a cable card in it instead of the box, it never worked.

since switched to ATT's uverse service and didn't bother trying with them.


I have not jumped into the HD market yet, but it probably won't be too much longer.

The calibration thing has me intrigued. I never had any of my TVs calibrated before - is this something new for HD? Must be more to it than adjusting the contrast/brightness. How much does calibration usually cost? Is it necessary to get the set looking good. If most homes don't have it done, the default settings must be pretty good? Takes special equipment, so I would not be able to do it myself?

Sorry for all the questions, but I was expecting to just plug it in and go.

kinda the same principle as a high end ~60s sports car. there's alot of performance to be had from HD tvs, after all you're displaying 1920x1080 versus about 1/4 of that resolution on an old tube TV, and HDTVs are inifnitely adjustable with alot more options than just brightness and contrast...can you tune those carburetors yourself? sure, it'll take some research and trial and error. or the guy from the TV performance shop will do it for a fee ;).

[Rob Robinson VT]

I have not jumped into the HD market yet, but it probably won't be too much longer.

The calibration thing has me intrigued. I never had any of my TVs calibrated before - is this something new for HD? Must be more to it than adjusting the contrast/brightness. How much does calibration usually cost? Is it necessary to get the set looking good. If most homes don't have it done, the default settings must be pretty good? Takes special equipment, so I would not be able to do it myself?

Sorry for all the questions, but I was expecting to just plug it in and go.
Yes, it definitely takes special equipment and training and a sizable investment of time and money. Most professional calibrators are trained and certified by either the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) or THX. Simply put calibration is necessary to make certain that your new HDTV is adjusted to the same standards that were used by the producers and broadcasters and has become increasingly important as video performance of consumer displays has become better and better. Most professional calibrators charge $300-$450 depending on the type of display, number of inputs being calibrated, etc. There's more information about why calibration is necessary on my website which you can reach by clicking on my screen name and visiting my home page.

[Pat Germain]

Most professional calibrators are trained and certified by either the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) or THX.

Note that it's important to get a qualified person. I've read a few stories online where people opted for calibration when buying a TV from BestBuy. Then some clueless kid arrived, cranked up the color, sharpness and brightness and could not understand why the customers weren't thrilled. :rolleyes:

[Bill Cunningham]

You can try this for do-it-yourself calibration advice...
cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108543-1 dot html

[Karl Card]

I just keep waiting for that hi def or 3d table saw...lol

[Rob Robinson VT]

You can try this for do-it-yourself calibration advice...
cnet.com/1990-7874_1-5108543-1 dot html
Another great source for "self-calibration" is TweakTV (www.tweaktv dot com). And, a really nice, easy-to-use tool for properly setting some of your user controls is the HDTV Calibration Wizard DVD from the Imaging Science Foundation (www.imagingscience dot com), the folks who train professional calibrators.