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People can't tell what's HD and what isn't? |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,323
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People can't tell what's HD and what isn't?
A news story about Freeview on the BBC today had some very interesting HD-related statistics right at the end: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6451041.stm Quote:
More than one-third (37%) believed that they were already watching HDTV. With only an estimated 250,000 HD boxes on the market, this is clearly not the case. If the numbers were extrapolated to the whole population, it would mean around 1.5m households mistakenly believing they are watching HDTV already. How is this possible? Why are so many people mistakenly believing they have HDTV when they don't?Some 18% of those surveyed said they already had HD-ready TV sets. Extrapolated this would represent some 4.5m sets, but only 2.4m HD-ready TV sets were sold in 2006. And is there that much of an advantage to HDTV if so many people can't tell whether they have it or not? |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 372
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I'm not surprised at the ignorance of 'Joe Public'. On BBC1's Breakfast show this morning, they showed a voxpop of regular Joe's in Whitehaven, Cumbria which will be the first area to get its analogue switched off. Most people interviewed knew nothing about DSO and, frankly, didn't give a t**s. It'll grab their attention one day though, when they suddenly find they can't watch Big Brother!
I know several, otherwise intelligent people, who think that because their analogue TV says it's got 'Digital Stereo', it must be a DTV. There's no hope, really. I predict total chaos during DSO, with some folk trying to sue the government, or the BBC, or anyone else they can think of, because they suddenly can't watch their fave prog. Geoff Last edited by Geoff_W : 15-03-2007 at 11:46. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pomgolia
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From what I've seen, a lot of HD sets can put out some pretty good std def pictures, with the built in upscaling its not that hard really to see why some people get confused.
Unless you see both Std & HD together then the difference would be minimal. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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What gets me is that it proves HD isn't anywhere near the revolution that colour tv was. Nobody thought they had colour when they didn't. Quote:
Originally Posted by Kojack
From what I've seen, a lot of HD sets can put out some pretty good std def pictures, with the built in upscaling its not that hard really to see why some people get confused.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pomgolia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallows
What gets me is that it proves HD isn't anywhere near the revolution that colour tv was. Nobody thought they had colour when they didn't.
True, but according to the BBC there are a couple of million people who have SD sets who think they have HD sets. How is that possible? Lol I wonder how many of these have bought Sky HD, that a side, Im sure most of those people would have HD compatible & not HD ready which caught a lot of people out. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kojack
Lol I wonder how many of these have bought Sky HD, that a side, Im sure most of those people would have HD compatible & not HD ready which caught a lot of people out.
-"I can't see any difference in the picture..." -"Don't be stupid, it's waaaaaaay better, it's HD innit?" -"It looks just like it did before!" -"No, you're just not looking at it properly!" It's like all those pensioners who opened Tessa accounts despite them already being exempt from taxes on their savings. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 15
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Forget that; I know people with a HDTV who've connected their HD-equipment (eg an Xbox360) via composite video cables
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#8 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallows
How is this possible? Why are so many people mistakenly believing they have HDTV when they don't? And is there that much of an advantage to HDTV if so many people can't tell whether they have it or not? They were mistaken 'cause don't see HDTV yet. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
Posts: 41,794
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff_W
I predict total chaos during DSO
I don't see how the entire population of a region can buy digital boxes, get them installed and working, all within a single month!. Considering you can buy them for next to nothing at supermarkets - no one is going to want to pay for professional help (assuming there's enough help available?). |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,770
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallows
What gets me is that it proves HD isn't anywhere near the revolution that colour tv was. Nobody thought they had colour when they didn't.
Last edited by meltcity : 15-03-2007 at 21:30. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
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You need to look at some better LCD's, the HD performance is absolutely stunning - I take it you do realise you need a bigger set for HD, or view it from considerably closer?. The minimum advised viewing distance for SD is so you can't see the lines that make up the picture, if you can't see the lines (on a CRT) then you can't see the detail in HD. CRT HD is a complete waste of effort, CRT's aren't good enough for it - lack of brightness, poor convergance and poor picture geometry.
CRT is dead! - learn to live with it!. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallows
How is this possible? Why are so many people mistakenly believing they have HDTV when they don't?
And is there that much of an advantage to HDTV if so many people can't tell whether they have it or not? For my part, SD seems pretty poor with it's pixelation and blocking and HD is what it should have looked like from the start. SD was definitely a step back in PQ (for me), but HD now moves digital telly forward at long last. In the end, it's the content that matters not the delivery method; as long as the delivery method is adequate most people aren't going to care about getting something better when the programmes are still rubbish. Broadcasting, for example, Torchwood, in HD may make it look "prettier", but it doesn't make it any more watchable (apologies to those who like Torchwood, but, as you can tell, I don't). |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Joanne, Zazziton
Posts: 538
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Many people have simply purchased a tv set that is "HD Ready" without realising that separate equipment and subscriptions are required to watch a HD broadcast. A lot of this I suspect is down to lack of information from whoever sold it to them. In their ignorance, they just convince themselves that they are watching a better quality picture to justify the expense of a new tv!
I know it sounds harsh, but I remember reading an article about it somewhere. There is an awful lot of confusion about HD and the analogue switchoff amongst other things. For example, I spent ages the other week convincing my mum that she didn't have to get a HD tv just yet, as she assumed that everything was going to be broadcast in HD after the analogue switch off. She already has digital tv but wrongfully assumed that she would have to get "something else" as she put it! Last edited by joleen1 : 16-03-2007 at 14:01. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,001
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Just to add to this, I know people who would be and are, exactly the same, buying a HD TV set thinking that they automatically get somesort of HD content. And then persuade themselves that everything does look way better. (My opinion SD TV looks worse on LCD than on a CRT, but HD looks fantastic)
They do really need to explain HD properly, it took me quite a few months of research prior to me purchasing a HD set, as I wanted to get exactly the right set up for my Xbox 360. All the new connections, the p's and the i's, 1080, 720. The future of watching TV, films and playing games, is all about being an AV nerd!
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 69
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I've read on foreign forum about movie "TROY" that was broadcasted in SD in wonderful quality (16:9, DolbyPrologic), indeed quality was so great that lsome people were thinking they're watching HD
. The members of that forum gives question: why they dont watch all movies in the same picture quality if it's possibility on SD.
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#16 |
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,001
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Following up on my post, I was asked today by my friend who just bought a HD TV at the weekend if they could borrow one of my HD DVDs to watch.
"As now we have a HD TV we can watch HD DVDs in our DVD player right?" They really need to explain it all better. It's not making fun, it's completely understandable and shows how the large majority don't care about the next-gen formats or know much about the whole HD concept. At least they don't think they're watching HD content already. Last edited by SjayaK : 19-03-2007 at 23:01. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Ilkeston
Posts: 18,075
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Yes nothing wrong with the technology it's just that many people who are not that interested in AV simply have no concept of what HD really is and how it's supplied having been rasied with simple VHS and the exotic DVD both of which can be connected to any CRT with a RF cable
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London, UK
Posts: 3,063
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marshmallows
A news story about Freeview on the BBC today had some very interesting HD-related statistics right at the end:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6451041.stm How is this possible? Why are so many people mistakenly believing they have HDTV when they don't? And is there that much of an advantage to HDTV if so many people can't tell whether they have it or not? ![]() Don't forget too, a lot of people are still on CRT screens, and at sensible sizes like 28-inch or lower, the picture quality on Freeview can be pretty good (although not that often). |
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London
Posts: 923
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nifta
Forget that; I know people with a HDTV who've connected their HD-equipment (eg an Xbox360) via composite video cables
![]() Last edited by uchman365 : 31-03-2007 at 15:03. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London
Posts: 923
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin
I completely agree! - luckily there's a few years (and plenty of other 'experiment' regions) before it happens round here.
I don't see how the entire population of a region can buy digital boxes, get them installed and working, all within a single month!. Considering you can buy them for next to nothing at supermarkets - no one is going to want to pay for professional help (assuming there's enough help available?).
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. The members of that forum gives question: why they dont watch all movies in the same picture quality if it's possibility on SD.