Technology and the cost of that technology will always keep changing; however, at times those changes will reach plateaus and the costs will reach certain price points. I think the key to buying technology is identifying the plateaus and making the purchase when you personal price point is met for that plateau. For myself I consider Blu-Ray and/or HD-DVD to be a significant plateau. The top end for these technologies will be 1080p for resolution and DTS-HD for audio. That means I need to look for components that will support these through the entire AV system. We are only now seeing the full 1080p support from input to image engine in the displays. Unfortunately we are not there yet on the audio side because we are waiting for HDMI 1.3. Once that is released manufacturers can support DTS-HD, or Dolby TrueHD if you prefer. If you want lossless audio processed in digital on all components you don't have a coice but to wait. Once all of these components are on the market you just have to wait some more until the price falls to what you can afford. There are plenty of other features to consider, and they make a big difference in price, but I think these are the key features. Hey, if you had to buy a component before we reach this plateau that's fine. There is not a "wrong" decision as long as it works for your situation. Getting a nice 720p display can give you a great picture and you will either save money or get to enjoy it long before I get my 1080p. Just don't try to tell me that I'm wrong for waiting, or that there is no content. The movie studios have to push 1080p on disk to differentiate themselvse from broadcast quality or we wouldn't buy them.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
apacit @ Apr 20th 2006 3:21PM
Technology and the cost of that technology will always keep changing; however, at times those changes will reach plateaus and the costs will reach certain price points. I think the key to buying technology is identifying the plateaus and making the purchase when you personal price point is met for that plateau. For myself I consider Blu-Ray and/or HD-DVD to be a significant plateau. The top end for these technologies will be 1080p for resolution and DTS-HD for audio. That means I need to look for components that will support these through the entire AV system. We are only now seeing the full 1080p support from input to image engine in the displays. Unfortunately we are not there yet on the audio side because we are waiting for HDMI 1.3. Once that is released manufacturers can support DTS-HD, or Dolby TrueHD if you prefer. If you want lossless audio processed in digital on all components you don't have a coice but to wait. Once all of these components are on the market you just have to wait some more until the price falls to what you can afford. There are plenty of other features to consider, and they make a big difference in price, but I think these are the key features. Hey, if you had to buy a component before we reach this plateau that's fine. There is not a "wrong" decision as long as it works for your situation. Getting a nice 720p display can give you a great picture and you will either save money or get to enjoy it long before I get my 1080p. Just don't try to tell me that I'm wrong for waiting, or that there is no content. The movie studios have to push 1080p on disk to differentiate themselvse from broadcast quality or we wouldn't buy them.