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Cracked.com weighs in on HD DVD vs. Blu-ray

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 19th 2006 at 2:36PM

While some people evaluate the HD DVD/Blu-ray debate from a rational, educated perspective, humor site Cracked has taken a different route. Using the irrefutable logic that "consumers are at heart, incredibly stupid", and that "no one wants a turd in their living room", they have also come to the conclusion that HD DVD will be the winner between this fight of "two fat kids on a teeter totter". All this talk of codecs, studio support, manufacturing problems and delays seems so unnecessary now. We're sure all of these quotes will be appearing on The Look and Sound of Perfect website any moment.

[Via HDTV UK]

Sky HD Launch delayed for many

by Richard Lawler posted May 23rd 2006 at 9:07AM

The BBC is reporting that many in the UK are facing delays in getting high definition set-top boxes installed due to shortages. While thousands of customers have been installed already, many are getting shuffled back as much as three weeks. As our friends at HDTV UK mention, anyone who didn't preorder their install from Sky already can look forward to an install date of August, after the World Cup broadcast that people there are so looking forward to.

HDTV UK however was one of the lucky few to get their high definition boxes installed already, and have a few impressions of it up. Now they finally join us in discussing such mysteries as why does every Discovery HD program feature something getting eaten? Honestly we don't know, but you get used to it after a while.

Who has the oldest TV in England?

by Richard Lawler posted May 10th 2006 at 7:31PM

Easy contest, the person with the oldest (still working) television in the land will be upgraded to a lovely new HD-ready 50" plasma TV. The point of the contest is to "raise awareness about the DTV transition" (read: sell lots of new HDTVs). Seems like a good plan to, get people looking at that old television set and imagining something shiny and brand new its place.

Anyone got a TV they think could win this contest if it were open to the U.S.? My money is on this guy.

[Via HDTV UK]

The (in)famous 1080p truth pt. 2

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 25th 2006 at 8:17PM

Do we have to go into this again? I've got to question this piece on The Inquirer that compounds the confusion of the article cited. They're telling people that their CRT TV is going to throw away half the information on 1080i Blu-ray and HD-DVDs giving you a 540p image, and that a 1080p set is really only going to give you 540p, which is not necessarily an accurate description.

One way of getting your information correct is to go straight to the source like HDTV UK did recently. They have an excellent writeup getting information on 1080p from the manufacturers themselves.

The original author has written a new post clarifying a few things. While I'm still puzzled by repeated references to CRTs method of displaying 1080i in relation to why a 1080p television using totally different technology won't be 1080p; it seems we agree on one thing: "I’m not against anyone buying a 1080p HDTV — I just want that person to be a smart shopper and ask plenty of questions to see how the content is actually mastered and delivered to the HDTV."

If you're still wondering what all the hubbub is and if it affects your buying decision, don't take my word for it (© The Reading Rainbow). Check out the further information links and comments on our other post and educate yourself, then take a look to to see if you notice a worthwhile difference in 1080p.

Philips explains why 1080p.....isn't

by Richard Lawler posted Dec 24th 2005 at 5:42PM


In the "oh no you didn't" of the week, Philips has tried to talk their way out of the whole "1080p TV's don't accept a 1080p signal" mess. Our friends across the pond at HDTV UK have the full response but the gist of it is Philips thinks that it is not worth it to put in the chips necessary to receive a 1080p signal, since very few devices can output at that level right now.

Did they really think we were going to fall for that? I'm not even going to say that their statement is not true, in that there isn't any 1080p content to watch right now, but what about when there is? I think their stance doesn't hold water one bit for several reasons.

  • They claim including the necessary equipment to process a 1080p signal would increase the cost of the set, I say so what? Anyone buying a 1080p TV is willing to pay a premium, and is paying a premium to have the technology. If current so-called 1080p TV's only cost the same amount as existing 1080i sets, no one would complain.
  • If they think 1080i is good enough HD, could they tell their friends over at Sony to stop calling 1080p the "only true HD"?
  • Speaking of Sony, what about the PS3 coming next year which will be able to output at 1080p, (whether that content will be rendered internally at that resolution is doubtful, but if the PS3 puts it out at 1080p, I want my TV to be able to take it)
  • If it's not a big deal, then why aren't TV manufacturers upfront about the current limitations of the technology.
As angry as I am regarding these comments, in fact I commend Philips for even making a statement on the situation and quite frankly I may remember that when it comes time to make my next HDTV purchase. While other manufacturers continue to play hide and go seek with their specs, at least Philips has let us know where they stand and why, whether or not we agree with it.




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