Who's got HD TV?

[John Crichton]

I'm thinking about taking the leap. I've had DirecTV for a couple years and with the exception of a few bad weather days where the reception dies I like it. I've had TiVo since the early days. Love it. Can't live without it now.

I've been to a bunch of HD/DirecTV/TiVo boards and gotten a ton of info such as the upgrade later in the year to MPEG4 and such.

So, my questions is: Who has HD and what do you think? Are there enough channels for you? Is it worth the monthly price? Any hiccups? Horrow stories? Good stuff?

Lemme know.

Oh yeah - I'm thinking about getting the big boy: The Hughes HR10-250. DirecTV TiVo with HD built right in. I know that it's going to be replaced when the new satellite launches but DTV will replace it with something new.[font=verdana,helvetica,sans-serif]
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[Truth Seeker]

*Looking at my pockets*

*The rustling sounds of emptiness, echoes...with great malice*

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Do it NOW. Turn off the computer, walk directly to a phone, call up DirecTV and demand to be hooked up.

(Actually, if at all possible, go back in time a few weeks and order it in time for the Super Bowl.)

I can't watch network shows in standard cable anymore; HD is so much better it makes standard cable impossible to watch. On Comcast HD (what I have) you get HBO and other pay cable networks in HD plus special HD-only programming like IMAX films and concerts. I don't know how much more it costs for satellite customers. For Comcast it's $5 more a month.

 

[John Crichton]

Yeah, I figured someone would mention the Super Bowl.

It's ok, tho. I'll be too busy hanging out with people and drinking to pay too much attention to the game.

One of the biggest reasons that I want it is that I'm completely sick of watching shows that I could watch in WS HD in 'normalvision.' Like Lost. Alias. Smallville. Grr!!

After watching them in HD on my computer and on DVD it's very hard to lose not only the quality but the sides of the screen as well. Drives me nutty. Doesn't help that my TV is a 16:9. It's like it's taunting me....

And no, I'm not complaining. Just trying to get some feedback as this is going to cost me quite hefty chunk of money. The setup is going to cost me nearly $1000. Yikes.

 

[WizarDru]

So, my questions is: Who has HD and what do you think? Are there enough channels for you? Is it worth the monthly price? Any hiccups? Horrow stories? Good stuff?

Lemme know.

I have cable, but get some HDTV channels over my analog cable via my QAM tuner. watching documentaries on INHD 1/2 is worth the price of admission alone. I only wish I had a HD-Tivo like Direct-TV users get. Once you see HD designed broadcasts, you wonder how you tolerated SD. I still have my Tivo for normal TV, but I think going with 250 is the way to go...HD broadcasts take much more space than SD for TiVo...and you'll want that quality. Lost, for example, looks spectacular.

 

[Datt]

I don't know about DirecTV but Dish just dropped the price on their HD DVR to $500 from $1000. So that makes it a bit more attractive. I think both satelittle providers charge $5 a month for the HD package. It includes what locals you can get as well as things like ESPN HD, Discovery HD, TNT HD, etc. Unfortunately I don't have a HD DVR, yet, so I watch HD OTA, ie NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS. I now refuse to watch a show that comes on in HD in SD. I just can't do it. The picture quality is so much better.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

I'll tell you when I knew I was sold (which of course, was after I bought it ). This last November or December they started showing Return of the King on Starz. So one weekend, they show FotR Extended, TTT Extended and RotK (normal version) back to back to back. Well, since I'm an HD subscriber as well as a Starz subscriber, I get the HD version too. HOLY TAP-DANCING MOSES. I mean, I thought it looked good on my DVD player, but I had no idea. I'm talking about seeing indvidual hairs on the horses in long shots. I'm talking about seeing guys in the massive battle sequences that just looked like blobs before. And Gollum looked REAL. I don't mean "lifelike", or "Ooooh, he looks so real", I mean he looks like a short bald human with bad posture. Someone who knew nothing about Lord of the Rings might not assume he was a special effect.

 

[Lazybones]

I was planning on upgrading in late '06-'07, but I'm seriously temped this year, if only because all media devices have to have the ability to process the Broadcast Flag if sold after June 30. Does anyone know more about how this will impact HDTV sets? I'm worried that we're on a slippery slope downward where we won't even be able to record and time-shift content in a few years, if the media companies have their way.

 

[drothgery]

I've been saying for a while that I'll probably get an HDTV as soon as a good 30"+ widescreen TV is less than $1000; my current TV was bought as a stopgap because my previous one was the cheapest 19" stereo TV available when I moved out of my parents' place, and I was fairly sure HDTVs would be getting a lot better and cheaper over the next 3-5 years (this was about 3 years ago). So I'm thinking that the next year or two is pretty likely.

 

[John Crichton]

They are already available. I have the 30" Sony. Got it at Circuit City for $850 last summer. They retail for $1000 flat but if you keep your eyes open, places like CC and Best Buy run no financing/money off deals on and off all the time.

When I move into a bigger place, this one will stay in the bedroom and I'll get something 40" or bigger for the main viewing area. By that time the prices will drop again.

I'm still mulling the Hughes 250. It's a great machine but I want to see if I can get a cheaper deal. I've heard many folks say that DirecTV gave them a $250 credit on their bill after purchasing it. Also, they'll upgrade your dish to a tri-LNB (costs ~100) for free when they come to do the installation. I've also talked to folks who get the HD service for 6 months free (normall 10.99/month).

If I can get that kind of hookup I'll probably jump on board very soon. $1000 is too much. Especially considering I only spent $850 on the TV and $500 on the Onkyo Sound System (which is awesome for folks on a budget who aren't audiophiles). I've been missing HD for a while and i think I can hold off for a good price. The other thing to consider is that I'll be moving within the next 18 months. I don't even know if I'll be able to get DirecTV in my new place considering I have no idea where that will be.

Hmm.

Anywho, please continue to share any and all HD-related stuff. I want to hear more!