HD-DVD: not worth it if you dont have a big screen?

[Paradox-SJ]

I was down at BB this weekend and they had a HD-DVD demo setup and playing in a 42" LCD. I must say that it didn't look any better than a regular progressive scan DVD.

Which now leads me to think that unless you have a big screen 50" or better you really don't get the real benefit of the new format. Would anyone else agree with this?

They were also out of stock so I could not pick one up and test out my idea on by 60"

What do ya think? What is the minimum size to really take advatage of HD-DVD?

 

[vurbano]

I was down at BB this weekend and they had a HD-DVD demo setup and playing in a 42" LCD. I must say that it didn't look any better than a regular progressive scan DVD.

Which now leads me to think that unless you have a big screen 50" or better you really don't get the real benefit of the new format. Would anyone else agree with this?

They were also out of stock so I could not pick one up and test out my idea on by 60"

What do ya think? What is the minimum size to really take advatage of HD-DVD?

I find that hard to believe

 

[dantheman77]

I agree paradox. I was at a bb Sinday and thought the same thing, I THINK it has to do with the tv though, at least at the bb i was out. The way it was set up you could only watch it from about 3 feet away , there was a another display in the way for something else. I was shocked that did they did not have a big display for the hd dvd and it hooked up to there best tv. I also went to a ultimite electronic store and they had the hd dvd hooked up in a cabnet that was enclosed, could not even see it!!!! im suprized that these two stores did not make a bigger deal of this! oh well. They did not get my money.

 

[Ilya]

This applies not just to HD DVD, but to HD in general. The bigger the TV set, the more important the HD becomes. SD picture looks great on smaller screens but as you start enlarging the picture, scan lines and the lack of resolution become more obvious. The same with digital cameras, by the way. 1 meg-pixel images look almost as good as 5 mega-pixel images... until you start enlarging them.

Having said that, I believe even on a 42" HDTV (not EDTV!) display the difference between HD and SD should be noticeable. It just may not be as drammatic as on bigger displays.

 

[vurbano]

He's talking about 42" though. It should be very noticeable. hell, during the sony Blu Ray laptop demo fiasco people were saying that you should see quite a difference at 17" widescreen.

 

[dantheman77]

This applies not just to HD DVD, but to HD in general. The bigger the TV set, the more important the HD becomes. SD picture looks great on smaller screens but as you start enlarging the picture, scan lines and the lack of resolution become more obvious. The same with digital cameras, by the way. 1 meg-pixel images look almost as good as 5 mega-pixel images... until you start enlarging them.

Having said that, I believe even on a 42" HDTV (not EDTV!) display the difference between HD and SD should be noticeable. It just may not be as drammatic as on bigger displays.

Hi, i sorry if i spoke wrong; it was noticeable, a better picture for sure, BUT it was not the WOW factor that i hoped for. im not saying its like that on all tv's, but the two i saw the WOW factor was not there. i was hoping for a VOOM (DBS) WOW. and it was not that. this weeked i will check other stores, but i think i will wait till blue - ray to compare before i buy! .....VOOOM - RIP

 

[Ilya]

this weeked i will check other stores...

And as you do that, I suggest you verify the following:

1. The LCD display on the player shows "1080i"
2. The TV set is connected via HDMI.
3. They are actually playing HD DVD not DVD.

Some stores are not doing that right.

 

[dantheman77]

And as you do that, I suggest you veryfy the following:

1. The LCD display on the player shows "1080i"
2. The TV set is connected via HDMI.
3. They are actually playing HD DVD not DVD.

Some stores are not doing that right.

good, thanks for the tip! i just assumed the store would know what they are doing, but i guess you cant do that anymore! LOL

 

[Ilya]

good, thanks for the tip! i just assumed the store would know what they are doing, but i guess you cant do that anymore! LOL

I remember when I saw the first VOOM setup at Sears, the box was connected via S-video cable! 480i in all its glory!

 

[Zookster]

Sears is the worst. I was recently shopping for a small bedroom LCD at a Sears, and not a single HDTV was properly connect to an HD video source... it was either an SD DVD or analog cable.

 

[iammike]

Just my 2 cents worth. I haven't been to BB, but I've been watching HD for a couple years now both on a 32" LCD and a front projector with 100" screen. The main factor I notice with the "HD wow effect" is how far I am from the screen. If I watch the 32" screen from 12 feet away, it's not as impressive because my eyes can't discern the detail that they can from say 8 or 9 feet. It's much more evident on the projector because it's impossible for me to get too far away to see the detail. I've also watched a good bit on my computer screen. As long as I'm at normal working distance from my 21" monitor, HD has the wow affect but at 5 or 6 feet DVD's and HD look about the same. The other observation I can make of DVD vs. HD quality is that there's a lot of variation in the quality of movie transfers from film to HD. I watch C-band HD, and some movies are truly amazing. They blow away the DVD, even when its upconverted to 1080i or 720p with my MyHD card. Conversely, some transfers are really poor and there's not much of a difference. Programs shot with HD cameras also really give the wow affect. Sports and programs like American Idol or programming from Discovery HD tend to have the biggest wow for me.

 

[jayelem]

I remember when I attended a Universals Studios Conference for Home Video Retailers, the talk started about HD DVD and the response about quality was well, when you went from VHS to DVD it was like putting on a pair of glasses, but DVD to HD DVD is just slightly better, I guess not as big a WOW factor, this came from one of the top Universal guys, never seeing HD DVD myself , looks like I should check out BB just to see the demo.

Still HD DVD is a hard sell for most people , supposedly the bonus content offered on the HD DVD's is the icing on the cake, lets see what they come up with, and the price increase should accompany it.