DVI? HDCP? HDTV? Help!!

[chachster]

I'm looking to purchase a new television within the next month or so and was trying to get some idea of what I should be looking at.

I am looking at getting the Sony 51HW40.

What would I not be able to do without DVI? I guess I am looking for my disadvantages to buying this set after trying to figure out what I am missing if I don't have DVI port.

Any help, insight, suggestions would be great.

I just don't want to put 2k+ out for a tv and have it not be able to do something (this is what I am trying to figure out) in a year or so.

Thanks,
Chachster

[zarlor]

DVI is still up in the air, to a certain extent. If you look at the other thread here there is a quick discussion that DVI, using Firewire (IEEE 1394), is a digital connection format and, therefore, should mean you get less signal loss between components that use it. Personally, I doubt the difference is enough to mean much of anything to anyone right now or that most people would ever even notice there was a difference.

That being said, I don't expect that DVI will mean anything "in a year or so". I think it should have no effect on HDTV material availability at full resolution any time soon, unless you've decided to buy one of the newer models of HD-VCRs out there. (At a $1,000-$2,000 a pop, I won't touch those proprietary pieces of garbage.)

DVI is SUPPOSED to allay Hollywood's fears of the "Napsterization" of their films in such a pristine format at HDTV provides. In this way it is possible that SOME HDTV sources (most likely PPV) will only show the full resolution of a movie or event through the DVI connection. Through component (or RGBHV/VGA) you would only be able to get a downconverted image of, say, 480p... about DVD quality.

Encryption like that is still up in the air, though, and is being very hotly debated as it could seriously encumber the consumer's fair use rights. Search these boards for DVI to find out more on it.

I'd say that DVI encryption won't see reality within the next 5 years, and even then only in limited venues, like PPV or maybe the first time it shows up on a premium channel. Your OTA HDTV, such as the major networks, won't fall under this limitation. And some of us happen to think that there will be someone out there who will happily create and sell conversion units that will convert DVI to analog anyway, even if it did happen.

*I* wouldn't worry about DVI right now, and I plan on keeping my set for at least 10 more years. BUT, I'm also not The Amazing Kreskin and any or all of my predictions could be completely wrong. It's really up to you to decide if you want to take that bet or poney up the few extra dollars now to hedge against it.

[phenom]

I bought the same 51" model three weeks ago. Then I started to learn more about DVI/HDCP. The last TV I bought was a 27" Sony that worked great for 10 years and still works great to this day. My plan with a new TV is for it to last and be fully capable for another 10 years. With the possibility of DVI being the interface for full resolution programming, even if only on a few channels, I didn't like the idea of a downgraded picture or even the possibility of it. Now, with movie studios (obviously) and several TV manufacturers jumping on the DVI bandwagon, I see DVI as being a fairly real possibility.

Therefore, I decided to return my 51 and wait for the new models in a few months. I didn't plan on buying this early anyway, but I liked the 51 so much I decided to jump in. It won't be a big deal to wait, and I'll pat myself on the back if DVI makes it's way into our viewing lives. If not, I'll still have a great TV at about the price I'd planned on paying that should give me 10 years of service.