No middle ground when it comes to high definition channels
Noobie recently ran a poll on its web site asking how important the number of available high definition channels is when choosing between over-the-air, cable or satellite programming. The results were definitely interesting.
The majority, roughly 39% of respondents, said that the number of high definition channels was not at all important. The second highest group of voters, 27% of respondents, said that the number of high definition channels was extremely important. The remaining 34% were split somewhere between somewhat important, important and very important.
So it appears for most people that high definition channels are either extremely important or not important at all. This makes me wonder if the people who say it is not important have never experienced high definition television programming. If they haven't, I have to wonder if that played into their response. Or maybe it was that they have seen all of the high definition marketing hype and don't need another reason to give the cable and satellite companies another $10-15/month.
You don't have to pay for high definition
If the latter is true, consider this a public reminder that high definition programming for the major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and FOX) are all currently available in high definition for free using nothing more than a standard indoor or outdoor antenna. Well, that and a widescreen television with a digital tuner.
This whole migration to high definition television makes me think of the days when Blockbuster first introduced a DVD aisle in its stores. I'm sure when the majority of people signed up for a Blockbuster membership, the number of available DVDs was not a big consideration in their decision. But how many would sign up for a membership to a video store now that only carried VHS movies?
The only question I have is when high definition is fully integrated everywhere and has become commonplace, will the cable and satellite companies continue to charge their premium for it?
6 comments for this blog post so far...
January 15, 2009 at 6:35 pm
asudduth
Patric, on your last question I have wondered similar things… Specifically I was wondering if in 10 years would there even be “high-definition” (that is, the term) - if high definition is the standard… then maybe there will be no “standard-definition” It will just be TV.
I didn’t take the survey, however the number of Channels is important (6 days until I get u-verse!). I have been using an OTA antenna, however it was a pain to record programs because not all of the channels came in… Mainly 6 and 13. 4,8, 59 were hard to get… So its time for me to pay for convenience, and get more HD channels to boot!
(BTW, prior to moving I had a 32” 4:3 HD-compatable TV, but could have cared less how many HD channels we got. It looked better, but wasn’t that important. But now with a 61” Samsung LED-backlit DLP, its a must!:)
January 17, 2009 at 10:48 am
Deanna
HD? I would love it, but it is all about giving the sat, cable companies more money! Do you remember when we first started to pay for cable channels? One of the big benefits was that when you pay for your tv, there are no commercials on those channels. Does anyone remember that? Now we pay for it, and the sponsors pay for it, wow, who is making the good $ now?
January 17, 2009 at 10:51 am
asudduth
@Deanna I think part of Patric’s point is you don’t have to pay for HD. In matter-of-fact as long as you can get an antenna signal, the quality is the highest quality HD signal you can get. (Of course if you aren’t where signals are strong you may need a roof antenna or get only 1 or 2 channels)
On a related note, I pay for Satellite radio (XM) and am always slightly bothered when I am on a Channel with commercials (a lot are commercial free, but not 100% of them)
January 17, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Deanna
Thanks Asudduth. I feel concerned that I am about to ask a stupid question but ... here it goes. We all have to have the new converter to get broadcast signals now right? I have a Sharp Aquos Liquid Crystal TV - ‘full HD 1080p’ and I am thinking about dropping all pay TV. Will my TV get signal with out a convert box?
January 17, 2009 at 10:09 pm
asudduth
@Deanna Actually you do not need the converter box if your TV has a built in HDTV Tuner (also called ATSC tuner—you may see an ATSC or DTV logo on your TV). You just connect the antenna to the TV’s antenna jack and then can have it do an auto-program or search for channels. The DTV channels will show up as 6-1, 13-1, 59-1 (or 6.1, 13.1, 59.1), etc… There will also be more channels called sub-channels (6-2, 20-2, 13-3, etc) - These are used for additional content like weather Radar or other programs (usually these aren’t HD, but still are digital).
As a note on the converter boxes… The ones that are $40-50 are not actually HDTV tuners, they are DTV tuners. They take digital signals and convert them to a lower quality signal (still better than old analog TV, but not HDTV). You would only use these if you had a non-HDTV.
There were some older HDTV-ready TV’s from a few years back (3 or more years ago) that didn’t have built in HDTV Tuner’s but allowed for connection of external HDTV Tuners (through ports called HDMI, DVI, or Component on the back of the TV). These Tuners are essentially higher quality “converter boxes”. They cost more and typically will connect to both an older TV or a newer one.
I hope I didn’t lose people in tech-babble and I hope I made some sense… Although I understand it, I’m not sure how well I actually explain TV technically… computers are more my thing!
I’m sure Mr. Noobie (Patric) will Chime in with wonderful additional advice and comments if I’ve mis-spoken.
January 20, 2009 at 9:01 am
Patric Welch
@asudduth Actually, no need for me to chime in. I’m just commenting to compliment you on how well you explained everything!
The only other thing I tell people is to remember that some devices such as the TiVo HD DVR have built-in digital tuners. Plus with the TiVo you can use the device to record two digital (and even HD) shows at the same time.
Add A Comment
Need help leaving a comment?
Just fill out your name, email address (for our eyes only) and web site address (if you have one, this is optional) above. Next, type your comment in the comment box. Feel free to use the Enter key to leave spaces between paragraphs.
The last step before submitting your comment is to enter the CAPTCHA word. This is the funny little series of letters and numbers you see below the comment field that helps prevent comment spam and ensures your comment can be seen on the web site immediately after you submit it.
The last step is to click the "Submit Your Comment" button. Thank you for commenting.