Re: HD is overrated
 

Probably because Sky are paying all the UK HD providers a lot of money for exclusive rights..

Re: HD is overrated
 

Have you seen South Pacific on BBC HD. Stunning. There's no going back.

Re: HD is overrated
 

Don't start that one off lol.

Its a combination of being slow on deciding that people want HD and now that are looking to add channels Sky has pretty much taken control of that market.

Virgin are currently negotiating with various channels and hope to have 5-6 channels launched this year but there seem to be a lot of contractual issues and its taking longer than they intitially suggested.

Re: HD is overrated
 

As for whether I think HD is overrated.. It depends on the content. Lost, for instance, doesn't really gain much from being in HD. Yes, the scenery is stunning (as are Evangeline Lilly and Elizabeth Mitchell), but it doesn't actually add to the story.

Anything that relies (at least partly) on visual impact does gain from being in HD. Heroes does. 24 does. Battlestar Galactica does. Most nature documentaries do, because most of them seem to have at least a couple of shots where you see the true spectacle of Nature (whether it be something big like a lion attacking prey or something small like an ant going through it's nest).

Similarly with films, I find the the big action films (Transformers, Spiderman etc) tend to look absolutely stunning on Blu Ray, but the difference is not so noticeable on smaller, character-driven films.

I think Homealone gave the right advice. At least he gave the advice I would give to anyone considering HD. Take a look. If possible go down to your local home cinema/hifi shop, assuming you have one and look at a few sets. It's better to go to one of these rather than a chain electrical store or department store as the staff are more likely to know what they are talking about.

Re: HD is overrated
 

Normal tv is like sex with a condom while HD is without one. While its still enjoyable with one its much better without one!

Re: HD is overrated
 

Havig lived with SkyHD for a while i cant go back to watching footbal in smearovision anymore. Skys SD sport isnt bad on a 1080 tv ( itv is appalling ) but the HD sport is just awesome.

I mean just look at the difference on that split screen sky sports ad.

That is how much difference there is..once youve had HD you cant go back

I feel sorry for those that want to leave virgin but cant as the hd content virgin has is woeful

Re: HD is overrated
 

I feel that the way HD is advertised is ridiculous. A recent advert I came across was a TV which has no motion blur but they demonstrate that there is no blur on your own television! Therefore telling the viewer that they have no need to go and purchase the advertised television.

Re: HD is overrated
 

i would still say hd is overrated if you are just talking about sky / virgin hd channels seen both on various tvs and i wouldnt pay extra fot it though i am considering ( waiting for tv to go to heaven lol hate getting rid of working things ) getting a new 1080p to watch the blue ray films i am slowly collecting

but my crt wide screan honestly looks very good the lcd/plasma tvs are only just getting to the point where they are much better than it to imho justify getting one

---------- Post added at 19:31 ---------- Previous post was at 19:11 ----------


lol ;)

Re: HD is overrated
 

No way is hd over rated i recently spent a few days staying with my mum her other half is a sky engineer he has hd in the living room on his 50'' lcd and DAM u notice the difference big time watching movies and football in hd is like 20times better i was gobsmacked when u see how clear it is hence im going to sky for the hd content alone has sold it for me! And they transmit in 5.1 which virgin dont.

Re: HD is overrated
 

If people want a real compasion of HD and SD, tesco are pushing sky hd just now they are also showing you a movie with a scroll bar that scrolls form one side ot the other showing oyu with and without hd even my wife who couldnt see the difference did with that

Re: HD is overrated
 

upscaled SD on a good TV is good but as you move closer to the screen you can see obvious signs of the interlacing.

On the BBC HD channel these signs when watching Robin Hood for example are gone(even though its still inerlaced) this in itself is a massive improvement. Also HD tv rips from the stats are impressive whether they are 720 or 1080 they are still a lot better that SD upscaled. You also have to bare in mind there are hdready tvs and HD Ready tvs and you get what you pay for

Re: HD is overrated
 

You're over exaggerating a bit, HD is 4 times the picture detail ;)

Re: HD is overrated
 

When there used to be a Sony shop and a tv shop in town, I did stop and gawp at the hd tv's. They do look pretty stunning, but then again, so do some 'ordinary' tv's. :)

Re: HD is overrated
 

Breathtaking? I doubt that. Breathtaking is watching the new Star Trek film in digital at a new cinema. Upscaled SD content on Sky is hardly breathtaking.

Placebo.

---------- Post added at 12:33 ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 ----------

Thats because that isn't an HD feed, it's SD showing a rediculously blurred image being sharpened to SD! It's a marketing gimmic...that apparently works.

---------- Post added at 12:34 ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 ----------

Plasmas have been there for years. LCDs will never reach that quality.

Re: HD is overrated
 

Yes but dont forget the discoverys and nat geo wild hist ect that show all hd material.