50% of HDTV owners don't watch HD

This is so sad and so true. I just read a thread on one of the hdtv
groups about this very same thing.

-goro-

http://www.techliberation.com/archives/027416.php

Video Placebo: Is that Really HDTV You Are Watching?

News of the video bizarre: According to a just-released survey by
Scientific-Atlanta, millions of people who have HDTV sets apparently
think they are watching high definition television, but aren't. The
survey was spurred by an earlier Forrester Research projection that by
the end of the year some 16 million U.S. households will have HDTV
sets, but only seven million wll have HDTV reception. The Scientific
Atlanta survey found that, yes, some 49 percent of households were not
taking advantage of their HD equipment. About a quarter found that
their HD set itself provided better reception, without taking the
additional steps necessary to view HD. Eighteen percent said they
didn't even know needed additional equipment, such as a set-top box
or antenna. A quarter admitted they thought they were watching HD video
because, after all, the programs said at the beginning that they were
broadcast in HDTV.

The survey confirms the long-standing prejudice of many of us
non-videophiles that HDTV really isn't all that impressive. Still, it
is milding shocking that so many people plunk down money for an HD set,
but never catch on that it isn't actually turned on.

This could open up a slew of innovative policy options for the digital
transition. Perhaps, instead of actually allocating spectrum to HDTV
broadcasts, the FCC could just say it has done so, saving the spectrum
for more valued uses. And instead of requiring HD tuners on sets, the
FCC could just require a sticker saying the set has an HD tuner. The
possibilities are endless.

Goro

"Goro" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> This is so sad and so true. I just read a thread on one of the hdtv
> groups about this very same thing.
>
> -goro-
>
> http://www.techliberation.com/archives/027416.php
>
> Video Placebo: Is that Really HDTV You Are Watching?
>
> News of the video bizarre: According to a just-released survey by
> Scientific-Atlanta, millions of people who have HDTV sets apparently
> think they are watching high definition television, but aren't. The
> survey was spurred by an earlier Forrester Research projection that by
> the end of the year some 16 million U.S. households will have HDTV
> sets, but only seven million wll have HDTV reception. The Scientific
> Atlanta survey found that, yes, some 49 percent of households were not
> taking advantage of their HD equipment. About a quarter found that
> their HD set itself provided better reception, without taking the
> additional steps necessary to view HD. Eighteen percent said they
> didn't even know needed additional equipment, such as a set-top box
> or antenna. A quarter admitted they thought they were watching HD video
> because, after all, the programs said at the beginning that they were
> broadcast in HDTV.
>
> The survey confirms the long-standing prejudice of many of us
> non-videophiles that HDTV really isn't all that impressive. Still, it
> is milding shocking that so many people plunk down money for an HD set,
> but never catch on that it isn't actually turned on.
>
> This could open up a slew of innovative policy options for the digital
> transition. Perhaps, instead of actually allocating spectrum to HDTV
> broadcasts, the FCC could just say it has done so, saving the spectrum
> for more valued uses. And instead of requiring HD tuners on sets, the
> FCC could just require a sticker saying the set has an HD tuner. The
> possibilities are endless.


How anyone can view an HD program and NOT be impressed is beyond me... I
watch (and HD-TIVO) lots of HD programming...

dave
www.Shemakhan.com

Lookingglass

Goro wrote:
> This is so sad and so true. I just read a thread on one of the hdtv
> groups about this very same thing.

Which part is sad...that they're not receiving HD or that they think
they are?



..


>
> -goro-
>
> http://www.techliberation.com/archives/027416.php
>
> Video Placebo: Is that Really HDTV You Are Watching?
>
> News of the video bizarre: According to a just-released survey by
> Scientific-Atlanta, millions of people who have HDTV sets apparently
> think they are watching high definition television, but aren't. The
> survey was spurred by an earlier Forrester Research projection that by
> the end of the year some 16 million U.S. households will have HDTV
> sets, but only seven million wll have HDTV reception. The Scientific
> Atlanta survey found that, yes, some 49 percent of households were not
> taking advantage of their HD equipment. About a quarter found that
> their HD set itself provided better reception, without taking the
> additional steps necessary to view HD. Eighteen percent said they
> didn't even know needed additional equipment, such as a set-top box
> or antenna. A quarter admitted they thought they were watching HD video
> because, after all, the programs said at the beginning that they were
> broadcast in HDTV.
>
> The survey confirms the long-standing prejudice of many of us
> non-videophiles that HDTV really isn't all that impressive. Still, it
> is milding shocking that so many people plunk down money for an HD set,
> but never catch on that it isn't actually turned on.
>
> This could open up a slew of innovative policy options for the digital
> transition. Perhaps, instead of actually allocating spectrum to HDTV
> broadcasts, the FCC could just say it has done so, saving the spectrum
> for more valued uses. And instead of requiring HD tuners on sets, the
> FCC could just require a sticker saying the set has an HD tuner. The
> possibilities are endless.
>

cloud dreamer

On Fri, 9 Dec 2005 09:18:58 -0800, "Lookingglass"
<> Gave us:

>
>How anyone can view an HD program and NOT be impressed is beyond me... I
>watch (and HD-TIVO) lots of HD programming...


HD content RULES!

NunYa Bidness

cloud dreamer wrote on [Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:27:33 -0330]:
>
>
> Goro wrote:
>> This is so sad and so true. I just read a thread on one of the hdtv
>> groups about this very same thing.
>
> Which part is sad...that they're not receiving HD or that they think
> they are?
>

Most people aren't slaves to whatever you may be fanboying in whatever
area you fanboy, they just want their TV to work and get hooked by the
salesman for the flashy HD TV. They don't know any better.

Justin

I hate comcast enough to wonder if they don't already screw with people
like this. I haven't taken the HD leap yet, and I would have to do it
with Comcast...ugh. Are there any differences between over the air HD
(which I couldn't get anyway), HD over cable and HD over satelite?

I've noticed a lot of times the Best Buys and Circuit Cities have HD
hookedup, supposedly, and it looks like a regular signal. I've seen
true HDTV so I know the difference, but there are LOTS of time they say
you are looking at an HDTV picture and it doesn't look like the pure
HDTV I've seen. That may be because they have the signal split too
many times? Or just clueless?

Logical Anomaly's Ego

Goro () wrote in alt.video.dvd:
> http://www.techliberation.com/archives/027416.php
>
> The survey confirms the long-standing prejudice of many of us
> non-videophiles that HDTV really isn't all that impressive.

Oh, this is a bonehead statement if I ever heard one.

Because dumb people think non-HD is HD, that means that true HD isn't any
better? Puh-lease.

Ever single person shown acutal HD will know the difference from then on.

--
Jeff Rife |
| http://www.nabs.net/Cartoons/Sherman...nRetriever.gif

Jeff Rife

I don't think a lot of people are even seeing accurate HD in
stores...at least around my area they aren't.

At a local Circuit City they had several HD TVs hooked up showing an
NFL game and it looked no better or even worse than my TV at home that
ISN'T HD. I HAVE seen a true HDTV and it will make you cry to look at
your own picture, but if people haven't seen what it looks like, even
in the store...they don't even know what they are comparing it to.

Logical Anomaly's Ego

Logical Anomaly's Ego wrote:
> I hate comcast enough to wonder if they don't already screw with people
> like this. I haven't taken the HD leap yet, and I would have to do it
> with Comcast...ugh. Are there any differences between over the air HD
> (which I couldn't get anyway), HD over cable and HD over satelite?

My parents have Comcast and I have Cox. We both use analog cable and
just watch the unscrambled HD. I get all the HD channels via analog
cable and my QAM tuner. My reception for OTA using an antenna is just
terrible (i get 2 channels). The HD channels I get are : ABC, Fox, WB,
CBS, PBS, UPN, NBC.

My parents get three channels via QAM (i forget which ones) and they
get all the rest via OTA via rooftop antenna.

My cable bill is $49 for Mbps and cable tv. I just recently upgraded
to 9Mbps but haven't got ht ebill yet (it's +$15 so it should be around
$65 or so). My parents get 6 Mbps + cable and they pay around $80. My
Dad LOVES PBS-HD (as do i) and he really wants Discovery HD and so he
might pay the extra to get digital + cablecard. I'm not quite sure how
much that is, but i believe the cablecard itself is about $3/month.
It'll likely be about $100/month.

> I've noticed a lot of times the Best Buys and Circuit Cities have HD
> hookedup, supposedly, and it looks like a regular signal. I've seen
> true HDTV so I know the difference, but there are LOTS of time they say
> you are looking at an HDTV picture and it doesn't look like the pure
> HDTV I've seen. That may be because they have the signal split too
> many times? Or just clueless?

I went to my local BB and checked out some of the LCDs. I noticed one
side of the aisle had tvs that looked considerably better thanthe
other. When i checked the connection, the "good" side used component
cables (HD, but not HDMI), while the bad side used COAX!! No wonder it
was all noisy and ugly and stuff.

-goro-

Goro

Logical Anomaly's Ego wrote:

> I don't think a lot of people are even seeing accurate HD in
> stores...at least around my area they aren't.
>
> At a local Circuit City they had several HD TVs hooked up showing an
> NFL game and it looked no better or even worse than my TV at home that
> ISN'T HD. I HAVE seen a true HDTV and it will make you cry to look at
> your own picture, but if people haven't seen what it looks like, even
> in the store...they don't even know what they are comparing it to.

That is probably because CC was showing a DirecTV HD signal which is
often called HD-Lite. Because of limited bandwidth, DirecTV is notorious
for aggressively recompressing the HD signal which results in the blocky
picture you see for any fast motions on the demo hookups at CC. Made it
apparent to me that I should stick with HD cable for now.

Alan F

afiggatt