Pointless having Sky HD if...

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I don't understand the reasoning behind why so many people are getting Sky HD. A 26"" LCD HD TV surely isn't going to show much improvement over the standard TV? I've been told by almost everyone that HD is designed for huge screens of 32"" and above.

Is this true?
 
Tommy B said:
I don't understand the reasoning behind why so many people are getting Sky HD. A 26"" LCD HD TV surely isn't going to show much improvement over the standard TV? I've been told by almost everyone that HD is designed for huge screens of 32"" and above.

Is this true?

I've got a 37" Toshiba (not boasting, honest) and the picture quality is amazing. HD only shows it's true colours when the picture is big enough for you to see the added detail. So if you're sitting far away from a big set or have a small set you won't get the best out of the format. Recommended viewing distances for HD are smaller than those for SD as because of the added clarity there are less problems with eye strain due to the more 'natural' picture.

I have been sitting 2-3m away for SD material since getting my LCD and I'm thinking about moving it a bit closer to get the best out of HD.
 
IceBus said:
I've got a 37" Toshiba (not boasting, honest) and the picture quality is amazing. HD only shows it's true colours when the picture is big enough for you to see the added detail. So if you're sitting far away from a big set or have a small set you won't get the best out of the format. Recommended viewing distances for HD are smaller than those for SD as because of the added clarity there are less problems with eye strain due to the more 'natural' picture.

I have been sitting 2-3m away for SD material since getting my LCD and I'm thinking about moving it a bit closer to get the best out of HD.

Well this is the thing. I've got a 42"" plasma HD downstairs but If I'm only buying a 28"" LCD for my room then I don't see the point in a second HD box.
 
Tommy B said:
Well this is the thing. I've got a 42"" plasma HD downstairs but If I'm only buying a 28"" LCD for my room then I don't see the point in a second HD box.

I'm not sure how to advise you mate. It's whether you think the clarity of an LCD over a CRT is worth it and how far away you'll be. After having my LCD for a while now I find it hard to get involved in watching stuff on a CRT anymore, the lines/resolution really jump out at me.

Another point to consider is whether you'll ever want an HTPC system or need to output something to the TV using HDMI/component/DVI or VGA. I didn't realise how useful a plethora of connections would be until I had them. I'm not actually using any scarts on my TV for picture any more (just to my amp for Dolby Prologic from freeview on the TV). I've got SkyHD through the HDMI, Xbox through the VGA and DVD through the component. I'd also consider getting an HDMI DVD recorder/upscaler to share stuff with the Sky box.

The best advice I can give you is go to a decent store that is demoing 28" screens in your price range (make sure they are receiving HD signal and not a bad RF split signal) and stand as far away as you usually would be viewing. See how you think it compares with a CRT of a similar size and take it from there. If I were you and money wasn't an issue, I would buy it as much for the space saving/heat reducing qualities as any other feature :)
 
the thing is that with a big screen ( actually I have seen it being of much bigger affect at 42" and above) the standard set of lines start to get gaps inbetween them and the detail gets lost etc, this is where hidef really benefits

Saying that I had a 42" SD rear pro in my old house and bought a 26" Sammy just before I moved - using the same roof aerial it was immediately noticable but that could be because the old tv was around 4 years old and bulbs were slowly going , but I swear by HDTV even on smaler screens

DVD's can look better also due to HDTV screens upscalling - but this depends on the model as to how good or bad it is
 
Even playing HD content on my 23" LCD at 720p is noticably better than normal content on our 32" SD TV, so the argument that smaller screens dont do HD any justice doesnt carry any weight IMO.
 
I'll let you know how it looks on my Dell 2405 later tonight when I get home.

The plasma is all packed up ready for moving house tomorrow!

I'll get some piccies of the Dell vs the plasma when I've got the plasma in the new house. Both will be in 720p.

Hav
 
I think the viewpoint of "you need 27" or bigger to enjoy HDTV is ludicrous, it's like saying you can't tell the difference between 640x480 compared to 1280x1024 in a game on a 17" LCD.
 
pinkaardvark said:
I think the viewpoint of "you need 27" or bigger to enjoy HDTV is ludicrous, it's like saying you can't tell the difference between 640x480 compared to 1280x1024 in a game on a 17" LCD.


Completely different comparison

All people have said is that with larger screens there is a more marked difference
 
pinkaardvark said:
I think the viewpoint of "you need 27" or bigger to enjoy HDTV is ludicrous, it's like saying you can't tell the difference between 640x480 compared to 1280x1024 in a game on a 17" LCD.

If you look at the 17" screen from a couple of metres the difference is far far less.
 
The thing is you dont have a massive lcd if you are sitting close to it, i have a 26" dell HDLCD and i sit about 5 foot away, a 32+ wouldn't make sense (i also dont have a space for 32" :p )
 
JAMAL said:
The thing is you dont have a massive lcd if you are sitting close to it, i have a 26" dell HDLCD and i sit about 5 foot away, a 32+ wouldn't make sense (i also dont have a space for 32" :p )

You would be suprised.

I have set up loads of 42" Plasma in small rooms where the people sit about 5-6ft away!
 
Tesla said:
You would be suprised.

I have set up loads of 42" Plasma in small rooms where the people sit about 5-6ft away!

Even tho the thread is about HD i bet they looks pants on SD.
 
The way to look at it -

On the average bog standard box, most people could tell the difference when watchin VHS, to off air UHF. The picture always looked softer and less clean when watching a video.

If you use the old saying of garbage in garbage out, then you are never going to truly see what your screen is capable of, until you feed it with the best signal that is possible.

Currently, hi def is that signal. Having had a demo of the hd sat channel 1080i, it looks awesome.

I havn't witnessed Sky HD yet, and not likely to for a while yet! :rolleyes:
 
I can tell the difference between HD and SD on my 24" dell when sitting 2-3 meters away - it is of course subjective though
 
HD is all spin.

Once you get past the wow-factor does it really add that much more to television? No.

Take watching Lost, sure it looks impressive in HD but we watch more for the story than anything and with Lost being filmed in HD people watching in SD already benefit from improved picture quality.
 
norm said:
HD is all spin.

Once you get past the wow-factor does it really add that much more to television? No.

Take watching Lost, sure it looks impressive in HD but we watch more for the story than anything and with Lost being filmed in HD people watching in SD already benefit from improved picture quality.

You point was made when moving to colour from black and white.
VHS to DVD.

Sport and nature programs IMO really benefit from the improved picture/detail.
 
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