HDTV - Is It Worth It At This Point

The Gun Of Bavaria · 05-03-2004, 01:37 AM

Hey all,

I've been starting to get the itch when it comes to High Definition programming, especially when it comes to sports. The prices are starting to come down and it's getting to the point where I want to pull the trigger.

Who out there is currently reciving and viewing full blown HD programming? We all know how nice the picture is. What I want to know is that amongst you people with it, by what means do you receive it?

Voom, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cable, Over the Air?

I currently have DirecTV with the combination DirecTV Receiver/TiVo recorder, a beautiful Toshiba 48" Widescreen HDTV (Capable) and have no intention of giving up DirecTV. I'm satisfied with their programming, their service and most importantly, I couldn't survive without the Sunday Ticket.

I guess I have a few options:

1) Go with the DirecTV option, which is $399 for the oval dish, HD receiver, over the air antenna and installation.

2) Wait for the TiVO HD receiver/DVR to come out sometime this century

3) But a receiver/dish/antenna myself and live that nightmare.

4) Nothing

Just curious to hear about how those of you with HD get it and what seems to work best?

05-03-2004, 07:32 AM

Guns I have HD with digital cable so I can't help you with your options. But the option to record HD on TIVO is going to be real expensive so initially I don't see that as an option.

But it is worth it. THere isn't enough content at this point but ESPN HD is full time. Many of the primtime shows are in HD. HBO has a full time HD channel so things like the Sopranas are in it.

It is well worth it though. I will watch a show that I like less because it is in HD. That is how good it is. Think of it like this, the quality of HD is better then watching a DVD. It is scary.

JetFanTransplant · 05-03-2004, 07:40 AM

I have had HD for about 4 months.

I bought a 51" Hitachi HD Ready almost a year ago. After Adelphia (cable / internet provider) saying for months that they were going to have HD in my area soon, I finally fired them and went with Brighthouse/Time Warner who had it available already.

Brighthouse gives me all the major networks, HBO & Showtime, a number of sports dedicated channels, Disc and some "on demand" channels all in HD using their box. No addtl charge for the HD box over the standard digital box. I reveice a total of 15 channels on HD.

Even my wife says "wow" look at that picture. And she really couldn't care less about it before.

Bob the Jets Fan™ · 05-03-2004, 07:47 AM

Save your money, father-to-be. You're gonna NEED it! :D

05-03-2004, 08:06 AM

[quote][i]Originally posted by Bob the Jets Fan™[/i]@May 3 2004, 07:47 AM
[b] Save your money, father-to-be. You're gonna NEED it! :D [/b][/quote]
Actually being a father to be makes this an even better time. My youngest son is 1 year old. Rock him to sleep and enjoy the comforts of HD. Makes perfect sense to me.

Devils5733 · 05-03-2004, 08:10 AM

I actually just did the research this weekend.......
Direct TV does not have the Tivo option just yet for the HD TV. They are saying that it is going to come out in July. But Disc Network has it and the box is about $1,000. It is very expensive. A semi less expensive way is to get the TIVO box and a seperate HD box. that will run about half the price but you will not be able to record in HD.

daJETfan · 05-03-2004, 08:22 AM

all you have to do is decide if $399 is worth 10 to 15 channels , I have direct tv with Tv on one TV and HD on my 65 inch toshiba I would say start saving your money after hdtivo comes out wait a couple of months for the price to drop and for them to add more channels then pull the trigger.

be patient with this buy or youll buy the HD reciever then in 5 months youll buy the HDtivo reciever. you cant live without the Tivo. you will regret it if you jump the gun on this one..

unless u got lots of cash and really want to see those 10 channels i only get about 5 with Direct TV but i dont have My own antenna

Rambler1 · 05-03-2004, 08:26 AM

Gun of Bavaria, I have had Time Warner HDTV for over a year now and it is the best thing since Paul Hackett's play calling on 3rd down. Seriously, I have a 42 inch Fujistsu plasma and a pretty hign end surround system. We enjoy a number all the current porgramming including most network primetime coverage after 8 pm, sports Iincluding all CBS golf) Final Four, Super Bowl, ESPN Sunday night football, movies on HBO and Showtime (higher quality then DVD) and also HBO programming a (including that Jet Insider favorite, the Sopranos).

The picture and sound are simply extraordinary. It is light years ahead of regular TV. More and more HDTV programming is being added all the time. I cannot recommend HDTV enough to you.

PatsFanTX · 05-03-2004, 08:57 AM

[quote][i]Originally posted by daJETfan[/i]@May 3 2004, 08:22 AM
[b] all you have to do is decide if $399 is worth 10 to 15 channels , I have direct tv with Tv on one TV and HD on my 65 inch toshiba I would say start saving your money after hdtivo comes out wait a couple of months for the price to drop and for them to add more channels then pull the trigger.

[/b][/quote]

Gun, go for it!

I receive HDTV feeds from both Direct TV and Time Warner cable.

The number of channels that Direct TV offers is a little disappointing (I think it is a total of 9 for $10.99 per month) but it does include HBO and ESPN.

Direct TV does not offer local channels in HD and that is why I have a cable feed as well.

My wife got me Tivo for Christmas last year and we ended up taking it back because we wanted to wait for the HD version which was supposedly to come out in April or May. Still waiting on that however.

Not sure about anyone else, but I now have a very hard time watching anything on TV that is not in HD, especially sports. It really does spoil you.

NYJ37/12 · 05-03-2004, 09:08 AM

direct tv does give you an off air antenna for your local stations.

JetChefJR · 05-03-2004, 09:14 AM

I have a HD 57inch Sony that I purchased last year... in coordination with the purchase, I upgraded my cable service to IO digital cable. With this i get hundreds of channels, and HD channels for a pile of channels... best part about IO is the fact that it doesnt crap out in every freakin rainstorm like satellite... Id def give it a consideration to get one....

HD isnt just for tv channels... hook that bad boy up to a progressive scan dvd player and try to keep your jaw from dropping.

05-03-2004, 09:34 AM

[quote][i]Originally posted by JetChefJR[/i]@May 3 2004, 09:14 AM
[b] I have a HD 57inch Sony that I purchased last year... in coordination with the purchase, I upgraded my cable service to IO digital cable. With this i get hundreds of channels, and HD channels for a pile of channels... best part about IO is the fact that it doesnt crap out in every freakin rainstorm like satellite... Id def give it a consideration to get one....

HD isnt just for tv channels... hook that bad boy up to a progressive scan dvd player and try to keep your jaw from dropping. [/b][/quote]
Not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that you have watched HD DVDs? Because they are coming but they are mainstream yet.

chiefst2000 · 05-03-2004, 10:04 AM

Ok, heres how I work it. I have Cablevision with the HD reciever. I also have a Tivo. First of all, HD kicks arse. Cablevision offers a descent selection of channels. CBS NBC Fox FOX Sports MSG and HBO are the main channels. I've got a sweet RCA 53" widescreen HDTV ready tv. I use the Tivo to record the same shows I allways have. I have a seperate non HDTv cable reviever which I use with the Tivo. I watch HDTV sports and stuff live. At the same time my Tivo records in regular mode. The key was getting two seperate recievers.

daJETfan · 05-03-2004, 10:13 AM

hey ,, best move is save the money for HDTIVO. its the only way to go..
unless you want to wast some cash. Ill sell you my Tivo for 399. and ill go buy the HDtivo when it comes out. :D

chiefst2000 · 05-03-2004, 10:18 AM

[quote][i]Originally posted by daJETfan[/i]@May 3 2004, 10:13 AM
[b] hey ,, best move is save the money for HDTIVO. its the only way to go..
unless you want to wast some cash. Ill sell you my Tivo for 399. and ill go buy the HDtivo when it comes out. :D [/b][/quote]
Couple things about HD Tivo. 1) when is it coming out. 2) how many hour of HD Recording time will it have? If I used my current tivo in Best recording mode I only get 8 hours.

Tennessee_Jet · 05-03-2004, 11:33 AM

Guns,

Where did you find this deal? Can't find it on the directv.com site

dickkotite · 05-03-2004, 11:52 AM

i have it through digital cable on my 65 inch jvc

yes the picture is awsome....

to get it, you would have to bite the 399 bullet, not a fortune. after that, its reasonable.

i dont know about direct tv, but dish network has a good deal. i believe they have their own "tivo" type recorder which records hdtv and the whole hdtv option is only 10 extra a month plus 6 or so for the recorder. check out dish network they have better prices than direct tv. I also think they have a deal where you dont have to buy the dish, just a smaller fee for the upgrade.

the problem is, there are onlky a few hdtv channels. if you are an hbo freak as am i, its all worth it rght there. i also watch a lot of discovery hdtv watching the sklant eye freaks weave baskets and carving wood in some helhole across the globe.

after that, there is no more

also beware! youll need a hdtv cable to plug into your tv. I didnt know this, and i didnt want to order it and wait and i paid 100 bucks in desperation to circuit city those c suckers because they were the only place that had one in stock

05-03-2004, 11:58 AM

[quote][i]Originally posted by chiefst2000[/i]@May 3 2004, 10:18 AM
[b] Couple things about HD Tivo. 1) when is it coming out. 2) how many hour of HD Recording time will it have? If I used my current tivo in Best recording mode I only get 8 hours. [/b][/quote]
1. HD TIVO is out now if you have Direct TV. If you have cable (like me) you are S.O.L. for the forseeable future. There are too many cable standards and it makes it tricky. Also TIVO doesn't feel there is a huge demand for a HD TIVO for cable yet.

2. The Directv HD Tivo has a 250 gig hard drive. I believe that equates (roughly) to 20 hours of hd recording time. If you record regular TV at the lowest quality it is over 200 hours.

Hope that helps.

05-03-2004, 12:00 PM

personally I feel the 13" black and white with rabbit ears is the way to go

The Gun Of Bavaria · 05-03-2004, 12:04 PM

Wow,

Great response everyone, thanks for the info.

Tennessee Jet, I found that deal on DirecTV's website under the HDTV section.

Maxman, where did you hear that the HD Tivo is out already? From what I've heard it hadn't been released yet.

05-03-2004, 01:37 AM	#1
The Gun Of Bavaria Hall Of Fame Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 8,682	Hey all, I've been starting to get the itch when it comes to High Definition programming, especially when it comes to sports. The prices are starting to come down and it's getting to the point where I want to pull the trigger. Who out there is currently reciving and viewing full blown HD programming? We all know how nice the picture is. What I want to know is that amongst you people with it, by what means do you receive it? Voom, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cable, Over the Air? I currently have DirecTV with the combination DirecTV Receiver/TiVo recorder, a beautiful Toshiba 48" Widescreen HDTV (Capable) and have no intention of giving up DirecTV. I'm satisfied with their programming, their service and most importantly, I couldn't survive without the Sunday Ticket. I guess I have a few options: 1) Go with the DirecTV option, which is $399 for the oval dish, HD receiver, over the air antenna and installation. 2) Wait for the TiVO HD receiver/DVR to come out sometime this century 3) But a receiver/dish/antenna myself and live that nightmare. 4) Nothing Just curious to hear about how those of you with HD get it and what seems to work best?

05-03-2004, 07:32 AM	#2
Maxman Edit Status Guest Posts: n/a	Guns I have HD with digital cable so I can't help you with your options. But the option to record HD on TIVO is going to be real expensive so initially I don't see that as an option. But it is worth it. THere isn't enough content at this point but ESPN HD is full time. Many of the primtime shows are in HD. HBO has a full time HD channel so things like the Sopranas are in it. It is well worth it though. I will watch a show that I like less because it is in HD. That is how good it is. Think of it like this, the quality of HD is better then watching a DVD. It is scary.

05-03-2004, 07:40 AM	#3
JetFanTransplant Hall Of Fame Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: On some beach... somewhere... Posts: 3,735	I have had HD for about 4 months. I bought a 51" Hitachi HD Ready almost a year ago. After Adelphia (cable / internet provider) saying for months that they were going to have HD in my area soon, I finally fired them and went with Brighthouse/Time Warner who had it available already. Brighthouse gives me all the major networks, HBO & Showtime, a number of sports dedicated channels, Disc and some "on demand" channels all in HD using their box. No addtl charge for the HD box over the standard digital box. I reveice a total of 15 channels on HD. Even my wife says "wow" look at that picture. And she really couldn't care less about it before.

05-03-2004, 07:47 AM	#4
Bob the Jets Fan™ Editor of the Internet All League Charter JI Member Join Date: May 1999 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 4,255	Save your money, father-to-be. You're gonna NEED it! :D

05-03-2004, 08:06 AM	#5
Maxman Edit Status Guest Posts: n/a	[quote][i]Originally posted by Bob the Jets Fan™[/i]@May 3 2004, 07:47 AM [b] Save your money, father-to-be. You're gonna NEED it! :D [/b][/quote] Actually being a father to be makes this an even better time. My youngest son is 1 year old. Rock him to sleep and enjoy the comforts of HD. Makes perfect sense to me.

05-03-2004, 08:10 AM	#6
Devils5733 Practice Squad Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 26	I actually just did the research this weekend....... Direct TV does not have the Tivo option just yet for the HD TV. They are saying that it is going to come out in July. But Disc Network has it and the box is about $1,000. It is very expensive. A semi less expensive way is to get the TIVO box and a seperate HD box. that will run about half the price but you will not be able to record in HD.

05-03-2004, 08:22 AM	#7
daJETfan Veteran Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: FL Posts: 296	all you have to do is decide if $399 is worth 10 to 15 channels , I have direct tv with Tv on one TV and HD on my 65 inch toshiba I would say start saving your money after hdtivo comes out wait a couple of months for the price to drop and for them to add more channels then pull the trigger. be patient with this buy or youll buy the HD reciever then in 5 months youll buy the HDtivo reciever. you cant live without the Tivo. you will regret it if you jump the gun on this one.. unless u got lots of cash and really want to see those 10 channels i only get about 5 with Direct TV but i dont have My own antenna

05-03-2004, 08:26 AM	#8
Rambler1 Rookie Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 79	Gun of Bavaria, I have had Time Warner HDTV for over a year now and it is the best thing since Paul Hackett's play calling on 3rd down. Seriously, I have a 42 inch Fujistsu plasma and a pretty hign end surround system. We enjoy a number all the current porgramming including most network primetime coverage after 8 pm, sports Iincluding all CBS golf) Final Four, Super Bowl, ESPN Sunday night football, movies on HBO and Showtime (higher quality then DVD) and also HBO programming a (including that Jet Insider favorite, the Sopranos). The picture and sound are simply extraordinary. It is light years ahead of regular TV. More and more HDTV programming is being added all the time. I cannot recommend HDTV enough to you.

05-03-2004, 08:57 AM	#9
PatsFanTX JI Resident Troll Banned Join Date: May 2003 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 52,068	[quote][i]Originally posted by daJETfan[/i]@May 3 2004, 08:22 AM [b] all you have to do is decide if $399 is worth 10 to 15 channels , I have direct tv with Tv on one TV and HD on my 65 inch toshiba I would say start saving your money after hdtivo comes out wait a couple of months for the price to drop and for them to add more channels then pull the trigger. [/b][/quote] Gun, go for it! I receive HDTV feeds from both Direct TV and Time Warner cable. The number of channels that Direct TV offers is a little disappointing (I think it is a total of 9 for $10.99 per month) but it does include HBO and ESPN. Direct TV does not offer local channels in HD and that is why I have a cable feed as well. My wife got me Tivo for Christmas last year and we ended up taking it back because we wanted to wait for the HD version which was supposedly to come out in April or May. Still waiting on that however. Not sure about anyone else, but I now have a very hard time watching anything on TV that is not in HD, especially sports. It really does spoil you.

05-03-2004, 09:08 AM	#10
NYJ37/12 All League Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,665	direct tv does give you an off air antenna for your local stations.

05-03-2004, 09:14 AM	#11
JetChefJR B4 Crew... Learn to Live It, Learn to Love It! All League Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: North Jersey Posts: 2,504	I have a HD 57inch Sony that I purchased last year... in coordination with the purchase, I upgraded my cable service to IO digital cable. With this i get hundreds of channels, and HD channels for a pile of channels... best part about IO is the fact that it doesnt crap out in every freakin rainstorm like satellite... Id def give it a consideration to get one.... HD isnt just for tv channels... hook that bad boy up to a progressive scan dvd player and try to keep your jaw from dropping.

05-03-2004, 09:34 AM	#12
Maxman Edit Status Guest Posts: n/a	[quote][i]Originally posted by JetChefJR[/i]@May 3 2004, 09:14 AM [b] I have a HD 57inch Sony that I purchased last year... in coordination with the purchase, I upgraded my cable service to IO digital cable. With this i get hundreds of channels, and HD channels for a pile of channels... best part about IO is the fact that it doesnt crap out in every freakin rainstorm like satellite... Id def give it a consideration to get one.... HD isnt just for tv channels... hook that bad boy up to a progressive scan dvd player and try to keep your jaw from dropping. [/b][/quote] Not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that you have watched HD DVDs? Because they are coming but they are mainstream yet.

05-03-2004, 10:04 AM	#13
chiefst2000 Champion of Common Sense All Pro Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5,838	Ok, heres how I work it. I have Cablevision with the HD reciever. I also have a Tivo. First of all, HD kicks arse. Cablevision offers a descent selection of channels. CBS NBC Fox FOX Sports MSG and HBO are the main channels. I've got a sweet RCA 53" widescreen HDTV ready tv. I use the Tivo to record the same shows I allways have. I have a seperate non HDTv cable reviever which I use with the Tivo. I watch HDTV sports and stuff live. At the same time my Tivo records in regular mode. The key was getting two seperate recievers.

05-03-2004, 10:13 AM	#14
daJETfan Veteran Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: FL Posts: 296	hey ,, best move is save the money for HDTIVO. its the only way to go.. unless you want to wast some cash. Ill sell you my Tivo for 399. and ill go buy the HDtivo when it comes out. :D

05-03-2004, 10:18 AM	#15
chiefst2000 Champion of Common Sense All Pro Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5,838	[quote][i]Originally posted by daJETfan[/i]@May 3 2004, 10:13 AM [b] hey ,, best move is save the money for HDTIVO. its the only way to go.. unless you want to wast some cash. Ill sell you my Tivo for 399. and ill go buy the HDtivo when it comes out. :D [/b][/quote] Couple things about HD Tivo. 1) when is it coming out. 2) how many hour of HD Recording time will it have? If I used my current tivo in Best recording mode I only get 8 hours.

05-03-2004, 11:33 AM	#16
Tennessee_Jet Veteran Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Franklin, TN Posts: 1,350	Guns, Where did you find this deal? Can't find it on the directv.com site

05-03-2004, 11:52 AM	#17
dickkotite SAR1 is my son..... All Pro Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 8,331	i have it through digital cable on my 65 inch jvc yes the picture is awsome.... to get it, you would have to bite the 399 bullet, not a fortune. after that, its reasonable. i dont know about direct tv, but dish network has a good deal. i believe they have their own "tivo" type recorder which records hdtv and the whole hdtv option is only 10 extra a month plus 6 or so for the recorder. check out dish network they have better prices than direct tv. I also think they have a deal where you dont have to buy the dish, just a smaller fee for the upgrade. the problem is, there are onlky a few hdtv channels. if you are an hbo freak as am i, its all worth it rght there. i also watch a lot of discovery hdtv watching the sklant eye freaks weave baskets and carving wood in some helhole across the globe. after that, there is no more also beware! youll need a hdtv cable to plug into your tv. I didnt know this, and i didnt want to order it and wait and i paid 100 bucks in desperation to circuit city those c suckers because they were the only place that had one in stock

05-03-2004, 11:58 AM	#18
Maxman Edit Status Guest Posts: n/a	[quote][i]Originally posted by chiefst2000[/i]@May 3 2004, 10:18 AM [b] Couple things about HD Tivo. 1) when is it coming out. 2) how many hour of HD Recording time will it have? If I used my current tivo in Best recording mode I only get 8 hours. [/b][/quote] 1. HD TIVO is out now if you have Direct TV. If you have cable (like me) you are S.O.L. for the forseeable future. There are too many cable standards and it makes it tricky. Also TIVO doesn't feel there is a huge demand for a HD TIVO for cable yet. 2. The Directv HD Tivo has a 250 gig hard drive. I believe that equates (roughly) to 20 hours of hd recording time. If you record regular TV at the lowest quality it is over 200 hours. Hope that helps.

05-03-2004, 12:00 PM	#19
DOLPHINWORSHIPPER2 Edit Status Guest Posts: n/a	personally I feel the 13" black and white with rabbit ears is the way to go

05-03-2004, 12:04 PM	#20
The Gun Of Bavaria Hall Of Fame Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 8,682	Wow, Great response everyone, thanks for the info. Tennessee Jet, I found that deal on DirecTV's website under the HDTV section. Maxman, where did you hear that the HD Tivo is out already? From what I've heard it hadn't been released yet.