Blimey, another new formats!!
I know Porty has a Sony Bravia - who else has got one of these HD-ready sets?
Has anyone got Sky HD or V+ and an HD-ready tv, and watched any HD programmes?
I just got a flat telly on special offer from Argos, and now I'm having format worries.
I know someone said that dual format players will become common due to the fight between blu-ray and HD dvd, but my knowledge of all this could be written on a postage stamp.
Anyone shelled out for a player, or plugged in a PS3 to their HD tv?
At least the next few months will be very cheap for me, as I've never seen any of my dvds in proper wide-screen and am looking forward to seeing all the bits I've missed in the strips down the sides of my favourite films.
Hopefully by then I'll have a better idea of what bit of hardware to get next - blu ray player, hd dvd player, combined player, Sky box or V+ box.
Does this mean we have to buy our favourite movies *again* on a new format?
Can a V+ box record movies? (Funnily I can guess the answer to this one)
HD tv, blu-ray and HD dvd
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Pal of Porty
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Tons of Blue-Ray v HDD on the net. Here is a wee extract from one:
The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: New players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes)—a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales.
But while consumers won't have to worry about obsolescence when it comes to their old DVD collections, the format war brewing between new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs does present an age-old problem that evokes the VHS vs. Beta fiasco of the 1980s. The HD-DVD format—like the VHS format that won out over Beta—could become far more widely available to consumers sooner and at a lower price (at least initially) than Blu-Ray discs. That's because the HD-DVD format utilizes manufacturing techniques very similar to those used for the current generation of DVDs. Translation: Third-party duplication houses won't have to retool their factories significantly to make HD-DVDs a reality. That means that HD-DVD discs likely will be the first to market.
The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: New players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes)—a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales.
But while consumers won't have to worry about obsolescence when it comes to their old DVD collections, the format war brewing between new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs does present an age-old problem that evokes the VHS vs. Beta fiasco of the 1980s. The HD-DVD format—like the VHS format that won out over Beta—could become far more widely available to consumers sooner and at a lower price (at least initially) than Blu-Ray discs. That's because the HD-DVD format utilizes manufacturing techniques very similar to those used for the current generation of DVDs. Translation: Third-party duplication houses won't have to retool their factories significantly to make HD-DVDs a reality. That means that HD-DVD discs likely will be the first to market.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Flearoy (who works weekends in PC World, Comet etc as a sales adviser for Canon cameras) tells me that in the UK we will not benefit to the same extent as Americans from HDTV. This is because our TV is already a much higher quality than theres. Think we use 760 lines compared to their 485. So it is being overhyped here in the UK.
If you're considering the switch from traditional analogue TV then the US's NTSC is 485ish lines vs Europe's PAL at 576.Porty wrote:Flearoy (who works weekends in PC World, Comet etc as a sales adviser for Canon cameras) tells me that in the UK we will not benefit to the same extent as Americans from HDTV. This is because our TV is already a much higher quality than theres. Think we use 760 lines compared to their 485. So it is being overhyped here in the UK.
Digital being broadcast currently is still "standard definition", i.e 720×576 pixels (or 640×480 in the States).
We've been holding off getting a new HD TV until prices reach rock bottom (I want one of those humungous jobs). I also suspect that as soon as we get one for one room we'll want to replace all our teles with one!
Having seen some in action in John Lewis and Costco they look very tempting, but I wonder about plasma v's LCD.
The LCD screens are cheaper, but seem a bit 'smeary' when watching sport: plasma screens look fantastic, but have the reputation of not lasting very long (5 year life span).
Having seen some in action in John Lewis and Costco they look very tempting, but I wonder about plasma v's LCD.
The LCD screens are cheaper, but seem a bit 'smeary' when watching sport: plasma screens look fantastic, but have the reputation of not lasting very long (5 year life span).
Last edited by Maria on 10 Jul 2007, 11:04, edited 1 time in total.
I really want to see an HD picture on my new set.
Wangi - is standard dvd any better than broadcast digital?
I've only played one dvd so far and it looked lush, whereas BBC News 24 is a bit sketchy sometimes.
The LCD display is ace for all the graphics, logos and banners, but peoples faces look a bit - I lack the vocabulary - like when you've upped the compression on a jpg a bit too much.
Know what I mean?
Wangi - is standard dvd any better than broadcast digital?
I've only played one dvd so far and it looked lush, whereas BBC News 24 is a bit sketchy sometimes.
The LCD display is ace for all the graphics, logos and banners, but peoples faces look a bit - I lack the vocabulary - like when you've upped the compression on a jpg a bit too much.
Know what I mean?
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SoupDragon
- Posts: 2201
- Joined: 03 Oct 2006, 11:02
Just tried recording a Sky Movie on our V+ box. It wont do it.
On the other hand the V+ box is like a dvd recorder and will record a whole series, including episodes that are delayed by footie, cricket etc.
You can transfer progs from the V+box to a dvd recorder to keep a series intact. We lost a lot of Dr Who and Boston Legal when our V+ box malfunctioned
On the other hand the V+ box is like a dvd recorder and will record a whole series, including episodes that are delayed by footie, cricket etc.
You can transfer progs from the V+box to a dvd recorder to keep a series intact. We lost a lot of Dr Who and Boston Legal when our V+ box malfunctioned
how many HD channels do Virgin have?
even the current range of HD channels from Sky look half-decent - discovery, history, BBC, Nat Geo and movies
I've already got this chuffing great dish on the back of my house, so it would be no skin off to get a Sky box.
Very dubious about ditching Virgin broadband though. It's been the mutts.
even the current range of HD channels from Sky look half-decent - discovery, history, BBC, Nat Geo and movies
I've already got this chuffing great dish on the back of my house, so it would be no skin off to get a Sky box.
Very dubious about ditching Virgin broadband though. It's been the mutts.
I have an HD ready set and have it connected to the V+ service and have a good upscalling DVD player. I also have my xbox 360 connected to it.
Word of warning about upscalling players, your new TV will automatically upscale to it's native resolution (likely 720P). If you buy an upscaling player then this does then passes it to the tv. If you have a cheap upscalling player then it's likely that the tv will actually do a better job of it than the player. One thing that is worth investing in is a surround sound system as makes the movies come even more to life - think the beach landing on saving private ryan when you feel like you need to duck the bullets.
HD programmes do look significantly better, I got mine at the time of the World Cup last year and got to watch the games in HD and you could easily see the difference when you flicked between the channels (BBC1 and BBC HD). Planet Earth looks good on Standard Defenition but looks amazing on HD.
Nobody really knows how the format war between BluRay and HD-DVD will turn out and there are no dual format players available to buy just yet but may be due out this year. HD DVD players are cheaper, but most of the film studios are backing BluRay so are only bringing their films out on that format.
I had considered getting an HD DVD drive for my 360, but there really wasn't very much in the way of title available that I would buy. Films like Apocalypto and POTC are only on BluRay. In the top 30 charts, there is something like 12 HD DVD films and 18 BluRay but there was very few HD DVD ones that I would actually purchase.
Have you got a 360 or a PS3? Who are you currently with - Sky, Virgin or neither? Sky have the sports channels in HD and also the movie channels where as Virgin don't have these but have some On Demand content (including films) some of which you would need to pay for.
You don't *have* to buy your favorite movies again, as you will still be able to play older ones, but if it is something you really love then it would look even better in HD.
I don't think you can record filmflex movies with V+, you can record them if they are on the BBC HD channel though (Kill Bill was on recently).
The site below shows the difference between the 2 version of the fellowship of the ring. While the DVD doesn't look bad, when you see them this way you notice a lot more detail in the HD version and it looks much sharper and crisp.
http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html
The link below here shows the difference between the NTSC and PAL versions of LOTR, while our PAL version does look a bit better than NTSC, you can still see HD is much better.
http://www.videophile.info/Review/FOTR/FOTR_01.htm
Very long post, but hope it helps.
Word of warning about upscalling players, your new TV will automatically upscale to it's native resolution (likely 720P). If you buy an upscaling player then this does then passes it to the tv. If you have a cheap upscalling player then it's likely that the tv will actually do a better job of it than the player. One thing that is worth investing in is a surround sound system as makes the movies come even more to life - think the beach landing on saving private ryan when you feel like you need to duck the bullets.
HD programmes do look significantly better, I got mine at the time of the World Cup last year and got to watch the games in HD and you could easily see the difference when you flicked between the channels (BBC1 and BBC HD). Planet Earth looks good on Standard Defenition but looks amazing on HD.
Nobody really knows how the format war between BluRay and HD-DVD will turn out and there are no dual format players available to buy just yet but may be due out this year. HD DVD players are cheaper, but most of the film studios are backing BluRay so are only bringing their films out on that format.
I had considered getting an HD DVD drive for my 360, but there really wasn't very much in the way of title available that I would buy. Films like Apocalypto and POTC are only on BluRay. In the top 30 charts, there is something like 12 HD DVD films and 18 BluRay but there was very few HD DVD ones that I would actually purchase.
Have you got a 360 or a PS3? Who are you currently with - Sky, Virgin or neither? Sky have the sports channels in HD and also the movie channels where as Virgin don't have these but have some On Demand content (including films) some of which you would need to pay for.
You don't *have* to buy your favorite movies again, as you will still be able to play older ones, but if it is something you really love then it would look even better in HD.
I don't think you can record filmflex movies with V+, you can record them if they are on the BBC HD channel though (Kill Bill was on recently).
The site below shows the difference between the 2 version of the fellowship of the ring. While the DVD doesn't look bad, when you see them this way you notice a lot more detail in the HD version and it looks much sharper and crisp.
http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html
The link below here shows the difference between the NTSC and PAL versions of LOTR, while our PAL version does look a bit better than NTSC, you can still see HD is much better.
http://www.videophile.info/Review/FOTR/FOTR_01.htm
Very long post, but hope it helps.
Thanks ifstar. Scoop, it's because you *are* special. You don't need a sticker to tell you that.
What on earth is an upscaling dvd player?
Is mine? (it's a Sony but I've had it 8 years)
I'm with Virgin but don't have a PS3 or 360 and don't want one.
Have already got a decent surround system with boom box. I never have it up loud but I know what you mean about quality.
Those LOTR pics were amazing.
What on earth is an upscaling dvd player?
Is mine? (it's a Sony but I've had it 8 years)
I'm with Virgin but don't have a PS3 or 360 and don't want one.
Have already got a decent surround system with boom box. I never have it up loud but I know what you mean about quality.
Those LOTR pics were amazing.
An upscaling player will play regular dvd's but will change the resolution to an HD size - 720 or 1080 lines. If your player is about 8 years old then it won't be an upscaler, but it is probably a better player than a £40 upscaler anyway. I got mine for about £170 at the start of this year, I decided to buy a really good upscaler than jump into one of the 2 HD formats as I really didn't want to buy one and for it to end up being pretty redundant in a few years time.
When upscalers were initially designed there was a bit of misleading advertising in that people thought these would perform wonders. It also wasn't really made clear that your HD tv would actually do the upscaling anyway (otherwise you would have a much smaller image in the middle of the screen).
Upscaling is very much the same idea as if you have a jpg on your pc and you resized it to a higher resolution. If you use a cheap upscalling dvd player then it probably won't look as good as if you had just let the tv do it.
If you want to increase the picture quality and are still using scart leads, then it's worth investing in some sturdy high quality ones. This can make a bit of difference as there is less chance of interference with the analogue signal.
When upscalers were initially designed there was a bit of misleading advertising in that people thought these would perform wonders. It also wasn't really made clear that your HD tv would actually do the upscaling anyway (otherwise you would have a much smaller image in the middle of the screen).
Upscaling is very much the same idea as if you have a jpg on your pc and you resized it to a higher resolution. If you use a cheap upscalling dvd player then it probably won't look as good as if you had just let the tv do it.
If you want to increase the picture quality and are still using scart leads, then it's worth investing in some sturdy high quality ones. This can make a bit of difference as there is less chance of interference with the analogue signal.
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Nelson Hatstand
- Posts: 359
- Joined: 25 Nov 2006, 11:14
- Location: Marlborough Street
I recently bought a Samsung PS42Q97HD plasma TV and a Samsung HD870 upscaling DVD player, along with a Sky + box. I wanted a "splurge" when I moved out of Porty and this was it.
I've always been a fan of plasma over LCD and while its heavier and less energy-efficient the TV rocks. You get a faint buzzing from any plasma and this is the same but not so much that it distracts my viewing.
I find the upscaling DVD player very impressive, especially with live music DVDs. You definitely see the difference over TV. Standard Sky TV quality is pretty good, although Setanta is a bit of a disappointment - although Setanta is well known for poor quality pictures.
I couldn't justify an extra £150 for a Sky HD box with an extra tenner a month subscription fees for the smallish volume of programmes you are getting for your money at the moment. Got a really good deal on Sky from simplydigital.co.uk - half price for the whole package for a year!
Kept Virgin broadband although have had to drop down to ADSL instead of cable, but thankfully the speed difference is minimal.
I've always been a fan of plasma over LCD and while its heavier and less energy-efficient the TV rocks. You get a faint buzzing from any plasma and this is the same but not so much that it distracts my viewing.
I find the upscaling DVD player very impressive, especially with live music DVDs. You definitely see the difference over TV. Standard Sky TV quality is pretty good, although Setanta is a bit of a disappointment - although Setanta is well known for poor quality pictures.
I couldn't justify an extra £150 for a Sky HD box with an extra tenner a month subscription fees for the smallish volume of programmes you are getting for your money at the moment. Got a really good deal on Sky from simplydigital.co.uk - half price for the whole package for a year!
Kept Virgin broadband although have had to drop down to ADSL instead of cable, but thankfully the speed difference is minimal.
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Nelson Hatstand
- Posts: 359
- Joined: 25 Nov 2006, 11:14
- Location: Marlborough Street
Nelson Hatstand wrote:What about that Riverdance DVD I lent you which I still haven't had back? (And now you've gone I doubt I'll ever see it again.)Jamesie wrote: I find the upscaling DVD player very impressive, especially with live music DVDs.
I must have a twin! Prefer my Christy Moore/Shane MacGowan divx disc to Riverdance 
I got a nice new flat screen Samsung for my kitchen wall...I bought it because it's all lovely and black and shinyScoop wrote:I'm with you on this one Foxy, it started off ok and then went all blokeyspeak. My new TV is a lovely shade of silver. There, that should get it back on track.foxy wrote:Is this one of those foreign language threads
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Bob Jefferson
- Posts: 6212
- Joined: 11 Dec 2004, 21:16
- Location: Planet Porty
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Planning to purchase the new Sony Bravia model. Great deal currently at Robert Whyte Ltd in Glasgow:
KDL40D3000 and DAVDZ230 Home Cinema System for a penny less than one grand, with a 5 year warranty, which is a whopping £500 cheaper than John Lewis. Waiting to see if they are willing to price-match.
The LG BH100 incidentally plays both Blu-ray and HD-DVD and is available from Richer Sounds at around £900. I can't afford that but I'm tempted with a DVD upscaler.
Freeview, Setanta and looking fwd to seeing my own HD film footage in its full glory!
KDL40D3000 and DAVDZ230 Home Cinema System for a penny less than one grand, with a 5 year warranty, which is a whopping £500 cheaper than John Lewis. Waiting to see if they are willing to price-match.
The LG BH100 incidentally plays both Blu-ray and HD-DVD and is available from Richer Sounds at around £900. I can't afford that but I'm tempted with a DVD upscaler.
Freeview, Setanta and looking fwd to seeing my own HD film footage in its full glory!
You've gone very quiet recently Bob. Got your new tele by any chance?Bob Jefferson wrote:Planning to purchase the new Sony Bravia model. Great deal currently at Robert Whyte Ltd in Glasgow:
KDL40D3000 and DAVDZ230 Home Cinema System for a penny less than one grand, with a 5 year warranty, which is a whopping £500 cheaper than John Lewis. Waiting to see if they are willing to price-match.
The LG BH100 incidentally plays both Blu-ray and HD-DVD and is available from Richer Sounds at around £900. I can't afford that but I'm tempted with a DVD upscaler.
Freeview, Setanta and looking fwd to seeing my own HD film footage in its full glory!
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Bob Jefferson
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- Joined: 11 Dec 2004, 21:16
- Location: Planet Porty
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After spending ages prevaricating we've bought our first LCD tele. It started with an email advertising a 20" LCD for under £199 at 'Richer Sounds'. Great price we thought and we only want a wee one for the back room to start with. 2 hours later we've looked at 'Richer Sounds' and find ourselves out at 'Costco' buying a 32" one and telling ourselves it makes much more sense spending more money
Needless to say it is brilliant. (Mind you I'm starting to get a bit fed up with the repetitive commentary on 'Planet Earth'.) We've moved our V+ box from our 'posh' (ha!) living room to use with the new HD tele and that's when we decided that we probably could do with 2 V+ boxes. Virgin told me there was a special offer on at the moment - we could buy one from them at £75. I persuaded Homer it was a good deal and then we hit a problem. We've got the VIP package from them and they won't let us take advantage of any other discounted deal. We can have another box but only by increasing our monthly payment which we don't want to do. Anyone else face the same problem? I know quite a few of us got this package from Virgin when Sky 1 was withdrawn so I'm hoping someone else will have a way round this
Needless to say it is brilliant. (Mind you I'm starting to get a bit fed up with the repetitive commentary on 'Planet Earth'.) We've moved our V+ box from our 'posh' (ha!) living room to use with the new HD tele and that's when we decided that we probably could do with 2 V+ boxes. Virgin told me there was a special offer on at the moment - we could buy one from them at £75. I persuaded Homer it was a good deal and then we hit a problem. We've got the VIP package from them and they won't let us take advantage of any other discounted deal. We can have another box but only by increasing our monthly payment which we don't want to do. Anyone else face the same problem? I know quite a few of us got this package from Virgin when Sky 1 was withdrawn so I'm hoping someone else will have a way round this
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PortyConvert
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 02:44
Any day now the toshiba ep-30 will be popping through my letter box... and now i see that the V+ box is £75.... i'm going to get one asap!
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electro ... oduct.html
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/sp ... vplus.html
Bit dissapointed that i got a telly that doesn't support 1080i / 1080p - but i should see a marked improvement with my lower end HD compatible tv...
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electro ... oduct.html
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/sp ... vplus.html
Bit dissapointed that i got a telly that doesn't support 1080i / 1080p - but i should see a marked improvement with my lower end HD compatible tv...
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PortyConvert
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 02:44
Just thought i'd let you know - i called up Virgin (is their call centre in India now?) and spoke to a nice girl & the earliest they could install was Thursday 17th. I wanted a saturday & she booked me in for the 19th - so just a couple of weeks to wait.
You need to pay the £75 up front so have your credit card ready. Also get the option to keep your existing box for £5 pm - but we have no need for that. The box costs nothing per month if you are on the XL package (just the £75).
HD here i come!
You need to pay the £75 up front so have your credit card ready. Also get the option to keep your existing box for £5 pm - but we have no need for that. The box costs nothing per month if you are on the XL package (just the £75).
HD here i come!
Word of warning - after months of decent service this model packed in on the 30th. Will have to go through the hassle of getting it picked up and awaiting another one - when January is probably my biggest DVD watching month - grrr...Jamesie wrote:I picked up the Samsung HD-870 upscaler for about £50 recently and I am well impressed with that model.Bob Jefferson wrote: I can't afford that but I'm tempted with a DVD upscaler.
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PortyConvert
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 16 Jul 2005, 02:44
My HD DVD player is really good - quality of picture is superb - although rather annoyingly i see play.com have knocked £50 off the price since i bought it 2 weeks ago !
V+ box is really good - i like the features... however i am going to ask them to fit a new one as the one they've given me has a constant high pitched whine
V+ box is really good - i like the features... however i am going to ask them to fit a new one as the one they've given me has a constant high pitched whine