What programs for you are best to view in the HD format and why? (1 Viewer)

[DenisWyatt]

As I don't yet have a HD format TV (but intend getting one soon), can any readers who are vastly more knowledgeable on this topic than I ever will be, please weigh in on what event/s you reckon are best to view in the high definition format and please say why, preferably without using ultra-technical jargon.

What I mean by 'events', is anything that’s presented as it occurs live, anything pre-recorded, or any particular TV show/s or film/s.

 

[Shane Martin]

Everything to be honest is best in HDTV. It is all better regardless of which programs you watch.

Some are better than others because of their lighting conditions. For instance Alias and 24 are fairly dark shows for the most part and while they are superior to the regular broadcast and dvd, they will not make you go WOW like the following:

CSI Miami
The Late Show with David Letterman
Jay Leno
Conan Obrien
Sporting events(all of them)
Music events like the Eagles concert recently shown.
Anything on Discovery HD, InHD or HDnet
Las Vegas

The main reasons for the better picture quality tend to be because of the lighting and colors used on these shows but like I said everything is great in HD.

 

[TravisR]

The shows that I watch that look great in HD are 24, Alias, CSI, Deadwood, and Lost. Lost with its locations and soundtrack is especially good.

 

[Kevin Grey]

The density of the jungle in Lost, along with the beautiful tropical vistas, really shine in HD.

 

[RAF]

HD contains ~six times the picture information that SD (Standard Definition) TV does.

'Nuff said.

 

[JeremyErwin]

House -- see the medical symptoms! Read the Charts!
Prison Break -- generally well photographed, nice aerial shots.

Surprisingly, a lot of the PBS stuff is hit or miss, mostly because of bit starvation-- running a good quality SD subchannel at the same time will do that.

 

[Shane Martin]

American Idol in HD is oustanding!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Ogle Cameron!

Joe

 

[chuck_b]

Generally, I have found scene lighting has a lot to do with the impact of HD. Outside sunlit shots always have more depth and color in HD, and some shows like CSI Miaimi boost the color and contrast to exaggerate that views even more.

Because of this, I find Discovery Channel and any nature HD content to be the most impressive. Travel shows also are great uses of HD, since they tend to show larger vistas and sunlit shots that HD captures best. The widesceen component in HD also makes a difference in almost any situation.

Where does HD not shine as well? Some older movies which are upconverted, darker lit shows with low contrast used to create mood and show which are poorly produced in SD.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Animation is probably the only programming that isn't night & day between SD and HD

 

[MarkHastings]

One word: Sports!

Seeing more of the field, court, park, (or whatever) is a major plus with 16x9.

Ignoring the obvious boost in resolution, the only problem with most HD shows is, they still have to frame for 4x3 presentation on non-HD channels. This means all of the action is in the middle of the screen. The stuff on the edges is more "extra" stuff, so shows (like sitcoms) don't really gain anything from this extra space.

Saturday night live is one of the few (maybe even only) show that runs a letterboxed presentation on it's 'standard' def. channel. Most others crop off the sides of the 16x9 area.

Now, while sporting events also have to frame for 4x3, there's always stuff happening (especially in hockey) in that extra space. That's why IMO, sports are suited best for HD.


And the other major plus for HD content...it's 16x9, so you don't have to worry about how you're going to watch your programming (i.e. 4x3 material either gets stretched to fill the screen, zoomed, or added black bars on the side).


p.s. Yes, obviously adding the black bars on the side (of 4x3 material) is the way to do things

 

[Shane Martin]

I guess you haven't seen real HD for Animation because even Toy Story blew away the new one dvd release. Bambi did as well. I can probably name 4 or 5 recent showings on network TV that stomped the crap out of the dvd. If you had a 480P projector I guess you might not notice the difference but if you had a 720P or 1080I set the difference is noticable even if you are using an upconverting dvd player.

 

[Randall Z]

"The Office" also runs the show in letterbox on SD. Must be an NBC thing.

 

[JeremyErwin]

They've shown Bambi meets Godzilla on network TV?

 

[JeremyErwin]

It's a mixed bag, really. The MPEG artifacts might just be a a bit easier to notice, but ATSC color is far more faithful than NTSC color.

 

[MarkHastings]

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, the HD presentation looks great, but there's one MAJOR drawback...The quality is SO good that you see all the imperfections in the quick-job makeup. You see all the bald wig hair lines, you see all the fake lines in the prosthetics, etc.

So while the picture quality is improved, it may not be the best thing for this type of show.

 

[MikeM]

Another one to add to the list is Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa on PBS.
I get it OTA via KQED, and the travel shots are amazing in HD.
They really make me want to visit some of the places...just beautiful stuff!

 

[JeremyErwin]

I've got a pet name for what PBS shows: "HD Porn". Beautiful photography, limited narrative, and slow pans (quick camera movement leads to pixelation). It derives in part from PBS's early role in evangelizing the format, before the other networks had the necessary equipment.