When did you go HD

[TheAntMan]

When did you have your epiphony about HD and wanting it?

I remember hearing "available in Hidef" for the first time, and I can still hear myself telling my wife, "I don't care. TV is TV." (I know..I know...I can't believe I felt that way :( ) Then last May, I just bought an HDTV because I wanted to see what HD was, and I have talked HD ever since.

Do you remember when you first thought..."I want my HDTV"

[57U]

It was in the late 1990's, but the TVs were too expensive (even CRT-based HD RPTVs were around $10-20k.)

My existing 51" TV was "dying", but I researched and managed to hold off until mid-2001, when I started my hunt in earnest. Late 2001, I bought my HDTV for just over C$5k. Had it for 3.5 years.

Almost bought a 4:3 TV, but glad I didn't. At the time, there were only a few select programmes every week in HD.

The 2002 Winter Olympics were in HD on NBC, unforgettable - that paid for the TV. I think I watched about 100 hours of HDTV in those 2 weeks.

[Splicer]

Having never seen true HD, but hearing about it for a few years, what intriqued me most was the 16:9 screen ratio. I primarily bought it so i could use the progressive scan feature on my DVD player. With-in a month or two I wanted to see what the set would really do, I ordered cable HD. I was not exactly blown away (it is still of course, just TV) but I was still amazed and pleased with the new format. I had informally researched for the years since they were introduced but I still bought on the picture quality itself, no other reason...

[strangersonmyflight]

...when I discovered I could buy an ota tuner for cheap and pull it off the air for free. :D

[raff]

2001, when I purchased my DST3000 and 56H80. I watched the OTA PBS loop for months!

[raff]

...when I discovered I could buy an ota tuner for cheap and pull it off the air for free. :D


Only people who own HDTV's can answer this. :rmoon2:

LOL, Just messing with ya man!!

[flyonthewall]

Local sports radio station had been talking up HD for the last year or two thru promotional thing w/ Tweeter. That made me aware of high def. Then, when I finished the basement and made it a playroom, I moved our current TV down there for the kids. We needed a new one for upstairs and my wife made the mistake of letting me handle it...

[oman321]

I first saw HD sets being introduced in the late 90's also, on one of the morning news shows, like Today or Good Morning America. I remember they had two CRT rear projection sets and were talking about this new technology that was going to revolutionize the TV industry.

Then they talked about the price, and like TheAntMan i'm thinking how much better can it be. My 25" Magnavox had a beatiuful picture with PIP and all I could picture is my mom's old RPCRT which looked horrible when viewed from an angle.

More recently Plasma's had grabbed my attention and like many others had to deal with getting past their attraction of a thin display. I was considering ED because that's what was obtainable for that type of display. I ultimately realized that I could get HD, more screen, and pretty funky looking set for the same dough. :rofl2: Joy...

[logman]

I bought a Sony 36" XBR 400 (4:3 with verticle compression) in May of '01 but didn't get the TWC HD Box 'til August of that year.

Jim in Houston

[Jeffrey Thomas]

I followed HDTV for about 5 years before finally purchasing. I am a proud 2 year user. My wife got a new house, I got my HD.

[SoundFX]

I have had my HD set for over two years now. The BIG question is when is the rest of the TV world going HD??
It's not right to expect all of america to step up and buy into digital/HDTV without current programming being in the new format. I know these things take time, but I feel I'm doing more to suport the cause than the broadcasters are.

[soze]

since oct 2003...it's the chicken and the egg analogy...have more HD programming people will buy HD tvs, make Hd tvs affordable so more people will buy it...most broadcasters will not change to the format until:
1) have to by law
2) competition
3) and the lamest excuse..small number of hd sets sold

im not caring much - hd is rolling - hd dvd is around the corner.. people are getting it now...prices for tvs have dropped considerably

have faith and patience, jeez

[Matt27]

I got sick of seeing the tv scanlines with videogames and dvd, but now that i have an hdtv.. whoala!!!!

[mjones73]

Probably got interested in it about 4-5 years ago when RP CRT's were running in the $4k-$6k range, waited patiently, gave up on Comcast bringing HD to my county (which they still haven't done yet), finished my TV room researched my alternative for programmining then bought my 57HX83 and a HD Directv set up in the middle of last year.

[HookemHorns]

Just as Antman said; I always heard the "Presented in HD" and thought "big deal". Then this past winter when Oakland played Denver @ Denver, it was snowing really hard, Denver had on their orange jerseys, I was at a friends house who had recently gotten his HDTV.

I was completely blown away at how much detail there was. Instead of just the field being white; you could actually see the texture of the snow. And the jerseys and helmets just jumped out at you. Got my HDTV 2 weeks later.

[mikehbkwm]

went into ultimate electronics in march 2002 looking for a 27 inch analog and noticed HD sets but didnt think a thing about it... then brought the 27inch back in for a 32inch but the guy mentioned hd so thought why the hell not... still wasnt happy so went with a sony 51 rptv and was hooked from there... the rest is history cause i had problems with the sony etc and finally today have a mits as you can see.... im still into the whole hd/home theater/whatever you want to call it and am still very happy with it....

[Dango727]

I had a standard 27" TV and in October 2004 I got a DVR with a built in HD tuner. I was able to watch HD channels, but they were like watching a widescreen movie, so I had the bars on the top and bottom of the screen. The picture was sharp, much clearer than digital and as far as I knew, that's how I thought it would appear on an actual HDTV.
I told myself that I would hold off on getting an HDTV until 2006, but my TV stopped working just last week, so instead of wanting to repair it, I decided to finally go HD.
So as of March 31st, 2005, I am now a proud owner of my first HDTV.

[tonelocdog]

In 2002, when i started to hear about it, then I purchased 46 inch phillips, for a thousand dollars, from walmart. Then when hd started increasing its channels, and i made some money, Then I bought what i have now.

[Paul Mohr]

I think I looked at them in 99 or so when I bought my big screen tv, dvd player and first 5.1 reciever. Along with some big ole cerwin vega speakers (cashed in my profit sharing from the factory I worked at when it closed). Like said above, waaay to expensive and no programming for them. I did like the wide screen tv's though.

I finally bought one shortly before I registered here, so propably around July of 2003, I used my vacation check. Couldn't get a big screen so I bought a direct view high def ready 4:3 32 inch tv. It has a true wide screen mode though with video compression. Cost a little over 600 bucks, and then I bought a hitachi progressive scan dvd player a few weeks later. And around the time I joined here I got a samsung OTA digital reciever for true high def signals.

I wanted a wide screen flat screen (mine is neither) but they were a bit out of my budget at the time. Cheapest one I could find was around 1100 bucks. I could have gotten another big screen for that.

If had it to do over again I would probably go with a wide screen tv that didn't really go full High Def. Like a 36 inch wide screen that displayed 480P or something. Not a huge difference between that and 1080i on this small of a screen. I mean you can tell a slight difference, but not as much as you can with a bigger tv.

After tweaking the crap out of it this tv looks pretty damn good no matter what signal you feed it as long as it is good to begin with.

If money wasn't an issue though I would get a 45 inch or so wide screen rptv with a built in digital tuner. Unless I win the lotto though that will never happen in my lifetime.

Paul

[Freddy Basset]

Neat thread. :)

I used a 16mm Ampro projector in my bedroom back in 1975, lotsa fun, always loved a big, clear picture. I had a contact with a back-door outlet from a nearby film lab, lotsa great Laurel and Hardy, Betty Boop etc classic stuff.

Around 1993, at a video show in a hotel complex in Morristown NJ, I wandered into a small movie theater and saw General Electric "Talaria" projectors showing Japanese HDTV clips.

http://www.hi-def.com/3LV.html

(surprised this webpage is still active :D )

They were doing a ~20' wide picture... I didn't realize at first I was seeing an almost pure electronic projector.
The picture was gorgeous, even though I learned later it was only a 300:1 contrast ratio.

The lamps used 50 amps at 234v. 11,700 watts. The source was a JVC "Hivision" VCR.

I was hooked on HDTV for GOOD. :smokin:

I think those Talarias were the ancient precursers of [Howard] Hughes light valve projectors, then leading to our present D-ILA equipment.

Then I got my JVC G1000 in 1998.

[Seared Steak]

I think it was at the turn of the century I walked into a Hooters and I was looking at the HDTV broadcast more than I was looking at the...hmm...wings. :rofl2:

I'd say it was about a few years ago hearing the subject and relating automatic with plasma screens and big money. For what it's worth I have to say that now as it's affordable to be in millions of homes and has become a daily subject..that's a good thing. :sherlok:

[ppease]

I first became interested in HDTV about 2 years ago when I went into my local Circuit City and actually saw one on display. Of course the price dampened my interest in actually getting one; also the fact that my local cable company did not have any HD channels and I am not in a metro area where I can get anything over the air.

Then last year my cable company began offering HD on 6 channels. By that time I was anxious to get an HDTV. I recently received my income tax refunds and went right out any spent it on an HDTV. Now it's when will my cable company provide more HD channels?

[raidbuck]

I was interested in HD in 2002 and finally bought one in April 2003. Comcast had 4 channels back then, (ABC, NBC, HBO, SHO) so any show/movie in HD was an event. I can say that my wife was against this whole thing (she rarely watched TV anyway and didn't want to spend the money) but now she watches several hours of HD on Discovery during the day plus usually something at night with me.

Rich N.

[gparris]

My 1992 50" Pioneer RPTV was getting old, not as good as the pictures in the HDTVs in the store I used to frequent and I wanted better in 2000.
So I bought the Mits 60" 4:3 and used it until I realized widescreen and a bigger size - 65" was the better way to go for the room I had...so it became a 65" Mits widescreen in 2003...the rest is history.

[brector]

A year in June

[hd4me2]

Before HD was even out I wanted a big screen TV really bad. Everytime I went into a store to look at the big screens the picture quality wasn't that good to spend so much money on, so I waited, and waited. Finally I went to see the big screens when HD came about and I knew it was the time to buy.

[stress_guy]

I "had to have it" when Fox announced they were going to be showing a large # of NFL games in HD. I had been interested in it for a while, but that (NFL in HD) put me over the top.

[TeeJay1952]

Last year. Monday Night Opener. Invited to a friends house and was way too excited. I don't know what I expected. Jet packs or invisibility or something really big. After the initial shock of it just being football, I realized that I was watching the clearest most detailed football game I had ever seen. I swore I would be "online" by the following year. Fox went all HD and ABC did the bowl games and I have been in heaven ever since.

[TheAntMan]

Thanks for all your answers guys. It looks like we all had our moments that got us into HD. Man, HD has come a long way, especially for you "pioneers" out there. I think that HD is soon to be a "normal" thing and then it will be the same guys here talking about the awesome PQ of HD DVD's in the upcoming months.

I think it was at the turn of the century I walked into a Hooters and I was looking at the HDTV broadcast more than I was looking at the...hmm...wings. :rofl2:

They serve food at Hooters???? I thought it was a poor mans gentlemen's club!?

Neat thread. :)

Thanks Fred. We have a lot of threads where people need help and ask questions, and I try to help when it's something I can help with, but this was just to shoot the breeze...no questions asked. Just to comment and think back of what got you here to the dance.