HD Gets Addicitve
So, first it takes me just shy of a year to get any digital TV stations on my HDTV. After admitting defeat for the OTA solution, I ponied up the recurring monthly fee, and signed up for Optimum's triple play (Verizon hastened things a little bit).
So, now I have Optimum television, with the iO digital cable box which gets me plenty of digital television, and a taste of HDTV. I can easily see how folks become what I'm dubbing "HD snobs." I found myself watching the national news from NBC the other day, and wondering why the picture didn't look sharp, and then realizing that channel 4 needed to be set to 704 for the HD feed. I'm also using the Optimum DVR (Scientific Atlanta 8300) to record more things as my Philips DVR is still on the analog feed, but is quickly becoming a secondary machine as it's not HD.
When I watch the local newscast, which is broadcast in HD, it's quite noticeable, and increasingly annoying that while the studio cameras are in HD, all of the field cameras are standard def. This creates a shift back and forth between standard and HD that shows off the blurriness of standard television. On top of that, the SD footage often has the reporter's name in HD sharpness, with the blurry footage behind it, which serves to accentuate the difference even more. I would think that the networks would have at least some of the cameras in HD, but so far it seems like none, and makes it look like we're adding YouTube quality video into the mix. Don't even get me started on the non hi def commercials that practically beg to be flipped off as I surf to another channel.
Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for the HD channels I'm getting which includes the locals, some sports (Yes HD so I can see the Yankees lose in hi def), and a few others like Discovery Theater HD, which curiously doesn't have any of the top shows on it from the Discovery Channel. When I looked at this objectively, just a week ago, I figured out that Optimum actually had more HD than Fios, for less money, so it seemed like the better deal.
Now today, the first cable bill hasn't even arrived yet, I'm still fine tuning the setup, and the caulking hasn't even dried on where they drilled the hole for the cable to enter the house (you can probably guess where this is going...) and there's already a rumor than Verizon's Fios is adding some serious HD channels come early summer. What's Optimum planning to add? There big play is Hallmark HD?! Needless to say at this point, I'm glad I don't have a contract, and while I won't go back to Verizon for the next year, after that I'll have to explore this fully and compare at that point as to who has the better HD package. Oh yeah, for the sake of completeness I should mention that DirectTV actually does have the most, but I want to get internet and phone all from one provider, and to not brush off a roof top dish when it snows.
Jonas
So, now I have Optimum television, with the iO digital cable box which gets me plenty of digital television, and a taste of HDTV. I can easily see how folks become what I'm dubbing "HD snobs." I found myself watching the national news from NBC the other day, and wondering why the picture didn't look sharp, and then realizing that channel 4 needed to be set to 704 for the HD feed. I'm also using the Optimum DVR (Scientific Atlanta 8300) to record more things as my Philips DVR is still on the analog feed, but is quickly becoming a secondary machine as it's not HD.
When I watch the local newscast, which is broadcast in HD, it's quite noticeable, and increasingly annoying that while the studio cameras are in HD, all of the field cameras are standard def. This creates a shift back and forth between standard and HD that shows off the blurriness of standard television. On top of that, the SD footage often has the reporter's name in HD sharpness, with the blurry footage behind it, which serves to accentuate the difference even more. I would think that the networks would have at least some of the cameras in HD, but so far it seems like none, and makes it look like we're adding YouTube quality video into the mix. Don't even get me started on the non hi def commercials that practically beg to be flipped off as I surf to another channel.
Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for the HD channels I'm getting which includes the locals, some sports (Yes HD so I can see the Yankees lose in hi def), and a few others like Discovery Theater HD, which curiously doesn't have any of the top shows on it from the Discovery Channel. When I looked at this objectively, just a week ago, I figured out that Optimum actually had more HD than Fios, for less money, so it seemed like the better deal.
Now today, the first cable bill hasn't even arrived yet, I'm still fine tuning the setup, and the caulking hasn't even dried on where they drilled the hole for the cable to enter the house (you can probably guess where this is going...) and there's already a rumor than Verizon's Fios is adding some serious HD channels come early summer. What's Optimum planning to add? There big play is Hallmark HD?! Needless to say at this point, I'm glad I don't have a contract, and while I won't go back to Verizon for the next year, after that I'll have to explore this fully and compare at that point as to who has the better HD package. Oh yeah, for the sake of completeness I should mention that DirectTV actually does have the most, but I want to get internet and phone all from one provider, and to not brush off a roof top dish when it snows.
Jonas
Labels: Digital Television, HDTV, Optimum
posted by digitaldoc at 9:01 PM
2 Comments:
Welcome to snobbishhood :)
Oh and here they dont like to put the dishes on the roofs anymore - I imagine too many people used it as an excuse to blame the sat company for making their roof leak and get it replaced.
Mine is in the ground in front of my house on a pole. It makes it nice to clear it of obstructions.
Mike
now quit making excuses why you didnt go with the best for hd :p
lol - glad you are liking your service so far! Also nice to hear about them allocating the phone service as a higher priority than anything else!
We like it mostly. There's some related issues I'll save for next week's NudgeCast. I have an issue with the bill, and I already was fixing audio and video problems...
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