HD TV - is this correct ?

**Morpheus1** · 24-08-2007, 10:26 PM

Whats the latest on HD TV? The topic came up at work and we are not sure but our guess is that free to air high definition telecasts are 1 or 2 years away in the main cities and probably 3 or 4 years in smaller places.

And what about HD DVD movies? Its taken ages for the VHS tapes to be replaced with DVDs, so how long will it be for a good selection of HD movies to be available in places like Video EZ and United Video? 5 years?

Most of big screen plasma and LCD sets appear to be HD capable. Sky TV probably will go HD before free to air broadcasts, so for anyone without Sky TV it would seem a long wait for them to see HD on their big screens. Is this right?

**Metla** · 24-08-2007, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by Morpheus1

so how long will it be for a good selection of HD movies to be available in places like Video EZ and United Video? 5 years?

A decade at least. People won't just ditch their DVD players because something new is out, there is always something new out. When the masses are due to upgrade their players then the current at that time format will be adopted.

Originally Posted by Morpheus1

Most of big screen plasma and LCD sets appear to be HD capable.?

90 percent of the plasma's I have seen aren't HD capable.

**stu161204** · 24-08-2007, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Morpheus1

Whats the latest on HD TV? The topic came up at work and we are not sure but our guess is that free to air high definition telecasts are 1 or 2 years away in the main cities and probably 3 or 4 years in smaller places.

According to the free view http://www.freeviewnz.tv website Freeview aerial (terrestrial) will be available in early 2008 in nine major centres (as far as I am aware Freeview aerial (terrestrial) will be broadcasting in HD from then on)

You can find out more about Freeview aerial (terrestrial): here: http://freeviewnz.tv/index.php?section_id=3

And what about HD DVD movies? Its taken ages for the VHS tapes to be replaced with DVDs, so how long will it be for a good selection of HD movies to be available in places like Video EZ and United Video? 5 years?

I have not been in a Video EZ or Blockbuster shop for about a year or so (if not longer) as we get all our DVD movies from DVD Unlimited (http://www.dvdunlimited.co.nz ), so I am not too sure if those places have HD DVD’s, yet, but DVD Unlimited has in the last few months getting HD/ Blu-Ray movies in.

Don’t forget VHS tapes have not been replace by DVD yet (You can still get VHS tapes!!)

But in till the price of HD/ Blu-Ray DVD players come down, it’s going to be a few years at lest before we see increases of people wanting HD/ Blu-Ray DVDs (plus I think you will find in till the HD format wars ends (if every) (a bit like DVD + R or DVD – R or DVD – RAM…) e.g. the fight between HD & Blu-Ray)

People are waiting to see what happens there, unless we see more DVD players that support the HD & Blu-Ray DVD formats (They are a few out there, but the price needs to come down)

Sky TV probably will go HD before free to air broadcasts, so for anyone without Sky TV it would seem a long wait for them to see HD on their big screens. Is this right?

It depends on when Sky TV is going to start broadcasting in HD, as if they are going to start this year then they may get a head start on Freeview, but if they are going to start next year then Sky TV will be fighting with Freeview (it depend on who will start first)

My

**Metla** · 24-08-2007, 11:17 PM

I think its a safe bet to state that DVD has replaced VHS, Even here in Wanganui the video stores no longer get in new VHS stock, and 99 percent of the VHS stock has been dumped.

Your **** out of luck if you only own a VHS and think your going to have many movies to pick from.

**Morpheus1** · 25-08-2007, 07:00 AM

Thanks Met and Stu. Some of us at work are kicking around the idea of getting new tvs and hd recorders. It seems a no brainer that a new tv, in particular expensive big screen tvs, should be HD capable. Probably doesn't matter about smaller tvs, 21 and 14 inch. Then there is digital - forgot about that - I suppose the big screen sets would be capable of digital broadcasts. Would be annoying to pay 2 or 3k $$ and then find you need to buy a digital converter box.

Am thinking about this hd recorder http://www.pricecanada.com/detail.php?product_id=498078
It says "160GB HDMI Hard Disk Drive" so does HDMI mean it will record high definition broadcasts? From Wikipedia: "Both introduced in 2006, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD offer new high-fidelity audio features that require HDMI for best results. " Now does this mean a HDMI dvd recorder (or player) will play/record in high definition? I thought Blu Ray or HD players would be expensive and not yet available in NZ.

Or maybe HDMI only refers to audio, not the video stream. It would tick me off to buy a dvd recorder and then find - say next year - that there are models that would record/play high definition video.

**Bantu** · 25-08-2007, 08:17 AM

Morpheus what about this one, nice toy:- http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/products...X-S/index.html

I guess Blu-Ray/HDD combo recorder is not long away either.
HD LCD TV's for now. Much higher definition TV's than that coming in the next few years and they are also experimenting with Holographic TV according to a recent Beyond Tomorrow program. LG seems to be leading the world in this technology and going by the program make TV's for a lot of other companies.

**johcar** · 25-08-2007, 08:20 AM

Forget High Defintion TV - I want High Quality TV!!! Unfortunately I think that a fair way off....

**Morpheus1** · 25-08-2007, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Bantu

Morpheus what about this one, nice toy:- http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/products...X-S/index.html

Nice. Was also thinking about a Pioneer.
Not sure if Sony will do multi-zone, some user reviews say Sony's will not play multi zone DVDs even though they are supposed to. Its a minor point since I seldom want to play a dvd from another zone.

**Bantu** · 25-08-2007, 08:56 AM

The one in that website has built-in DVB-S so it should be able to record the freeview channels without a seperate Freeview Decoder if you put a splitter in your sky cable to it.