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Any impressions of HDTV?

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Posted on March 8, 1999 at 16:20:31
Joe S


 
I've seen in stores at two places of the new Mitsubishis in a few sizes and while they look good (run off a hard drive HD video from Mitsu showing desert, bayou, everglade type scenes) I have to admit I had mixed impressions. Nicer, but not as good as I would have expected - more than a little disapointing actually.

Now of course every dealer I've ever been to is intent on showing how bright the Mitsu picture can be so these guys were probably far from ideally set up - I didnt have the chance to access adjustment menus to see, so I'll reserve judgement for now. But a couple of nights ago I saw the new Pioneer 64" and all I can say is WOW. This is more like it.

Very lifelike picture, a huge step up from any NTSC RPTV I've ever seen. Almost 35 mm print quality in terms of image and a notable lack of traditional video artifacts. What are you guys seeing out there?

Joe

 

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Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 8, 1999 at 18:37:10
nataraj


 
>What are you guys seeing out there?

Yes, we can for the time being only talk of seeing, not owning. Pioneer looks much better than panasonic that I've seen. One more thing is that most of them are not set with right light conditions ... and you can see lots of tube lights getting reflected off the screen.

But then, isn't it the first gen. ?


 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 9, 1999 at 06:56:15
Rod M


 
Well I haven't looked at any dealers yet, still too expensive, but I saw HDTV about 10 years ago in Japan at the Matsushita plant in Osaka, WOW!

They did a demo of standard and then switching to HD and the difference was almost like TV vs Real life. Colors were vibrant, image was impeccable, no scan lines to be seen. So I've been waiting a loooooong time.

Did you look at any of the LCD stuff? I've seen the Phillips but it was only running the standard TV feed so it was hard to tell how good it might look. I really like the idea of a the small footprint and depth of the LCD stuff, if it performs of course.

 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 9, 1999 at 08:59:03
Audiophilander


 
I've been to a couple of HDTV demonstrations in the Metroplex in the past 1 & 1/2 years and they were fairly impressive. I also checked out a couple of HDTV systems with supplied demo-discs recently at an area HT store: one was properly set up (beautiful picture); the other was overly bright with saturated color and tint running to red side of the spectrum (Note: The picture had minor horizontal scanning artifacts to boot!). In both cases I was VERY impressed by the price! ;-)

AuPh

 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 9, 1999 at 09:17:34
Joe S


 
I assume you mean the flat screen stuff. Yep, Ive seen a couple of brands at least 5 ro 6 times and in a word (two to be exact) - it sucks.

Too bad, because the hang on the wall thin screens are a cool format...

Joe

 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 9, 1999 at 09:36:35
Rod M


 
Too bad, but brightness and speed are big issues with LCD. Maybe some day. It does seem like the greatest thing if it could be done right. I would say that what I've seen in LCD is at least as good as older RPTVs. I've never really liked RP vs a good tube TV. Tubes, got to love 'em.

 

Keep moving, nothing to see here..., posted on March 9, 1999 at 11:32:27
dy/dx


 
saw the Panasonic demo at the refrigerator store and talked a long time to the sales/tech rep for the region. He was nice and knew his bits. It ran from a "VHS" tape deck that was way more cool than the TV. The picture was amazing but I have cable so I can't even compare it to good current broadcast TV. I get much better reception with rabbit ears. The best thing about the demo was the comments of the people who were in the store to buy a new washing machine. "It's 3-D! Is it 3-D? it this the new 3-D TV we heard about? What am I looking at?" No kidding, it was a riot! I don't know how the sales guy could keep a straight face. The big problem with this format is the same as DVD...there's nothing to see. Put on a record and turn out the lights.... now that's high definition!

I love movies and wish I still lived in the city where I could go and see a good FILM once and a while -- without the idiots who ruin the mood. I'm first in line to get a state of the art TV when they have the films I want to see. If I see one more Austin Powers demo I'm gonna...do something. Doesn't anyone selling home theater have any taste at all? Wouldn't you love to see "RAN" in HD? Or even see it in a good movie theater on a wide screen with focus and a proper sound system? Don't get me started.

 

Re: Keep moving, nothing to see here..., posted on March 9, 1999 at 12:21:26
Joe S


 
"Doesn't anyone selling home theater have any taste at all?"

Not that I can discern.

Your thoughts parallel mine. And yes, I'd love to see RAN, Ju Dou and a bunch of others in widesreen with film like quality at home :-) Now we just need a prerecorded HD medium to go with the picture & then we'll be on to something. Patience - it will come....

Joe

 

I'm satisfied with DVDs, posted on March 9, 1999 at 12:34:46
Rich


 

especially anamorphic. They look great on my 80" wide screen. I use a Faroudja, but they look great straight in. HD will obviously be better, but DVD(especially anamorphic) is a huge step up from Laserdisc letterbox. Laserdisc pan and scan looks pretty good, but butchers many movies.

 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 10, 1999 at 07:12:38
rock


 
Impressive yes. But behind projected schedule as far as broadcasting goes. Don't hold your breath for affordable units. NTSC will be here for a long time to come.

 

Re: Any impressions of HDTV?, posted on March 11, 1999 at 12:25:51
Edp


 
At a recent WCES show, I saw many different units and have also seen them a bit in stores.

When source quality, signal quality and recording equipment quality was at the best, there is no comparison. BUT many units I saw could not handle images that included stop/move/stop action. The big deal at WCES was to come see American football, because like when TV's first came out, sports events really moved the units out the door (guy thing). A strange and almost sickening/queezy feeling seeing the TV basically doing a focus/slight blur/focus dance. No idea if the recording equipment (cameras, broadcast) were up to snuff.

Local area has HDTV broadcasts. In store one unit was not doing so well on picking up, so the image froze/pixilated/jitter-jogged ahead. Reruns of 1980's tv programs was nothing special. Canned demos of slow/moderate pans of nature were stunning.

Do you remember the midstages of TV (with tubes!) where the units were getting cheap enough, but there was alot of ghost/snow/flip/skew/fade.
Seems like we may be at that stage right now in this Digital TV world, but it promises to be almost as staggering as when color came on board. In time.

 

pan & scam is high comedy: seen "The Graduate'?, posted on March 24, 1999 at 13:14:27
petew


 
Sometimes the guy who "reformated to fit your scream" , who removes 40% of the film so you can see it 3:4 must be laughing in his beer at the things he does. Example: that crucial scene when Dustin Hoffman is in the hotel room with ? Anne Bancroft? anyway: he wants it but knows it's bad, she's stitting on the edge of the bed removing her socks. In the film, you see Bengie with his back on the door, ready to bolt either forwards or backwards, it's not clear what he's going to do. Mrs. Robinson is totaly in control, on the opposite side of the screen, waiting for what she knows has to be (the ultimate triumph of evil over innocence), and in between the two is a huge gulf of empty movie screen, symbolic of the generation gap, Vietman, virginity and barreness, promise and disappointment, hope and bitterness, everything. On TV what you see it the very end of Dustin Hoffman's nose and a piece of Anne Bancroft's knee: symbolizing what? that Dustin Hoffman has a really big nose? the low comedy of trying to do art on TV? Not quite what the director had in mind. It would have made more sense just to remove the scene entirely.
Except that it's the best in the film.
I've seen worse: I dont' remember the film but it was on a train in the dining car. the camera was set in the ailse shooting out the window at the passing landscape. In the film two actors were having a long dialoge. There was no movement of the camera or the actors, the only movement comming from the window. A wonderful effect on the screen. With pan & scam all you saw was the rushing landscape and a salt & pepper set with napkins and some disembodied voices. It went on and on, the movement seen only emphasised how long the scene was without any people for the voices. It was as if the dinner plates were talking. It has to be the funniest editing I've ever seen. But what could the poor guy do? Think about it. Are you going to jump back and forth to the faces each time? The scene was perhaps 10 or 15 minutes! You'ld get vertigo. Should you do a slow pan back and forth? Silly. He did the best he could do with the format, sort of like CD sound, right? Yea!

anyone top that?



 

first gen? Heck no. Japs have broadcast for over 10 years!, posted on March 24, 1999 at 13:16:59
dy/dx


 
We were 'sposted to have this in 1985, remember?

 

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