Woefully Inadequate (1 Viewer)

[Bob_Bo]

Ok, I admit it. . . I have equipment envy.

This malady is fairly recent for me, embedding itself in my mind over the last few months-- or since about the time I started researching my HT and found these forums.

I realize the only cure is to give in and feed this monster in hopes its appetite will be sated. And while this is a demon we all share, it got me thinking about the rapid changes to video technology over the past few years and how it will/has changed my buying habits.

When my wife and I were married 16 years ago, da boys chipped in and bought us a 27" NEC TV. Pretty darn nice for its day and for the 13 years that followed, it served us well. I had no reason to upgrade because there really wasn't any compelling reason to do so.

3 years ago the size bug finally got the better of me and we bought a 53" Sony rear projection set that wasn't HD ready, and for a time I felt good.

Now, I feel that unit is woefully inadequate. I feel I need to view in 16:9 format, whereas a mere 3 years ago I considered that as being on the leading edge. I feel I need HD capability, because our cable provider broadcasts 3 channels in HD. I feel I need 1021 lines of resolution, because. . . well it's got to be better. And so on and so forth.

My question to you is; What is the current reasonable expectations to upgrade video components based on technological advancement? Barring any monetary or spousal barriers.

Has the upgrade cycle of video equipment already matched the one of computer gear-- 2-3 years?

As I try to come to grips with this new ailment, I think I'll peruse some reviews on front projectors.

Cheers!

 

[Mark:F]

Current reasonable expectations-
-HDTV programming will grow fast, with major network and cable channels(ESPN,TNT,CNN etc)totally HD by the end of this year.
-Access however will be determined by your cable provider, the deals they do with the networks, and competition vs. satellite.
-Today's high quality HDTVs (with DVI input) can handle future copyright protected broadcasts.
-They will also be able to play HDCDs (coming in a year or so)
-Current DVD players will not play HDCDs, not a big deal....I believe HDTV is much more important than HDCDs.
-When you flip between a network HDTV broadcast and its regular digital cable output, say with football or Leno, the difference will make you wonder why you waited.
Good luck, it's hard enough to pick your HDTV set once you've decided to get serious.

 

[Aaron_*P]

Just an FYI my current new computer cycle is a year max. I'll be building my Althon FX 51 soon

 

[nick_rh]

I don't think TV technology is advancing THAT fast; it's just that you fell victim to a case of EXCEPTIONALLY bad timing. I too bought a TV in 2001, right before HDTVs were becoming mainstream. Luckily, I only bought a 27 incher, it cost me under $500, and it's still useful even now that I have my nice-sized HD set.

As far as upgrade cycles are concerned, there's no guarantee that HDTV broadcasts and HD recordable media in the future won't offer higher resolution than today's HDTVs are capable of. Then again, I think the limitations of the human eye are going to come into play eventually. When I watch a good HDTV broadcast like CSI, the picture quality is as good as the best movie theaters in L.A. At least for stuff shot on 35mm film, I don't see how you can get much better than 1080i. I guess eventually more things will be shot in HD digital (like Attack of the Clones, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, etc.) and those might benefit from higher resolution TVs, but I can't imagine today's HDTVs are going to be obsolete any time soon to the point where you can really notice a huge difference in picture quality.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Considering it took 50 years to go from the NTSC to the HD (ATSC) standard and we are not even fully there yet, I feel this concern is not very warranted. It isn't that the technology may not improve, it's just that it takes a long time to establish and convert to a new standard.

 

[John S]

I have decided that if there is no way around not having DVI at any point in the future due to any sort of copy protection, I will just boycott it all. I mean, if I can't even go Satalite and view at 1080i on my component inputs, I feel it will be time.

Not such a big deal, as next year I start to relocate to an extreme isolated wilderness area. I don't think paying for Dish will be able to be budgeted. So it makes it easier for me to make such statements, as of now, I can't even get any NTSC broadcasts when I am down there.

Looking at the future, I think DVI should be a prime consideration, I think that will definetly last the life cycle of any new set purchased at this time.