Why do we still have SD (Standard Definition) TV channels? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Berger]

HDTV penetration hit 95% last year. In 2015 it was reportedly about 85%.
https://www.combitel.com.au/about-u...enetration-reaches-95-in-us.html#.WYJv5tEpChA

That also means there are about 6M households without an HDTV. And I doubt that's counting nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

Just because you bought a new HDTV doesn't mean you threw out the other 4 (or more) sets located around your house in various convenient viewing locations.

 

[TJPC]

I find it amazing how HD flat screens swept the old fashioned sets away almost over night. Eight years ago we had a rear projection 45 inch about the size of a fridge that we paid an arm and a leg for and which was the envy of all our friends. When flat TVs came out, we couldn't even give it away. We live on a busy street, and I ended up putting it at the curb although it still worked well. No one took it and we had to take it to the dump.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I got my first projector back in 2007, a 16x9 standard definition PJ, because my tiny bedroom at the time didn't have room for a tube TV larger than 20", but it was quite easy to hang an 80" screen on one wall and put the tiny projector against the other. Way cheaper than flat screens were then.

Eventually got one but I was not an HD or flatscreen early adopter. I had Blu-ray discs and a BD player at least a year before I had an HDTV.

 

[RolandL]

My wife couldn't care less about image quality and only complains if she can't see the picture at all. I've seen her watch a program with an image so "snowy" you could barely make out what was happening - and she didn't complain, simply saying "thanks" when I fixed it for her.

I, too, watch for content over quality and grew up in the age of fuzzy broadcast, edited films, non-OAR, 16mm dups for local TV, etc. If something exists in a higher quality then I want it, but if all that's available is a lousy PD dupe from Mill Creek I'll take it. I also do not watch "broadcast" or "live" TV at all any more. I cut the cable in my den/viewing room and watch physical 99% of the time with the other 1% streaming a few random shows to sample and see if I want to spring for physical copies. She can't be bothered with physical media or a DVR at all and is happy to be held hostage by broadcasters.

I too remember moving antennas around trying to get a good picture. Also late at night when nothing was on TV, playing around with the outdoor antenna control box trying to find a movie out of New York.

 

[skylark68]

I find it amazing how HD flat screens swept the old fashioned sets away almost over night. Eight years ago we had a rear projection 45 inch about the size of a fridge that we paid an arm and a leg for and which was the envy of all our friends. When flat TVs came out, we couldn't even give it away. We live on a busy street, and I ended up putting it at the curb although it still worked well. No one took it and we had to take it to the dump.

Yeah, I remember my Dad's last TV before flat screens became common was a Mitsubishi 65" Diamond widescreen rear projection. I believe Mitsubishi was trying to come up with their own gimmick so it had "firewire" as opposed to HDMI (which was just coming online). Needless to say the best you could get out of it was 480p which at their viewing distance wasn't too bad but I remember when the power supply finally went out on it we managed to lug it out onto the curb. Someone actually took it within a couple of hours but who knows why.

 

[CraigF]

I have to admit I was surprised to find the U.S. still has some analog broadcast channels. This just happened recently when I accidentally put the tuner into analog mode on the one TV here that can tune this way. And since my antenna is sized for HD broadcasts, i.e. not very good at traditonal reception, even so I pick up quite a few stations from upstate NY, so am assuming there are still a lot of analog stations out there.

 

[TJPC]

Canada went all digital a few years ago. Because of the small size of the population, and large size of the country, until recently everyone had cable. When the switch occurred, new cable boxes were provided for all subscribers.

 

[Stan]

Was it "difficult" because it was harder to follow the storyline because of the image quality or perhaps something else? I've never found it difficult to watch any movie on DVD or SD TV. Odd you had such a difficult time.

I've got DISH Network, switched to their HD version years ago and had a huge improvement on an old (1983) Sony 20" CRT. The tech said it was because it was receiving "more information".

Almost everything comes across OAR and I can squish it or do whatever, but I choose not to. Many shows do seem to be widescreen, late '80s and beyond. Some are "windowboxed", so those I will view on zoom, losing a bit on the edges, yet overall things are pretty decent.

With older shows, if the footage isn't there, not a lot to work with unless they crop/chop and zoom. Those I skip. Bars on the side of the screen, I'm fine with that, as long as I see the entire show as filmed.

 

[Steve Armbrust]

Do you zoom in the image so it fit's the TV screen?

Nope. She doesn't seem to notice or care about that either. Besides, it would be too complicated for her to manage. (I make her sound stupid, but she's not. It's just electronics that seem to baffle her.)

 

[jcroy]

I find it amazing how HD flat screens swept the old fashioned sets away almost over night. Eight years ago ...

(Jogging my memory).

Around a decade ago or so, I remember seeing many old cathod-ray-tube tvs and vcrs sitting out on the curb almost every week during garbage day.

 

[Stan]

(Jogging my memory).

Around a decade ago or so, I remember seeing many old cathod-ray-tube tvs and vcrs sitting out on the curb almost every week during garbage day.

Yep. I've got a 25" and a 36" ready to go, just have to hire somebody to haul them away

Never thought of putting them out by the trash pickup, might give it a try, but I think they'd just ignore it, pretty strict rules here.

 

[TJPC]

We live on a very busy street and have put many large items by the curb that we know will not be picked up by the garbage guys. They are picked up and mysteriously disappear over night. The rear projection was never claimed by anyone.

 

[CraigF]

Yep. I've got a 25" and a 36" ready to go, just have to hire somebody to haul them away

Never thought of putting them out by the trash pickup, might give it a try, but I think they'd just ignore it, pretty strict rules here.

You can pay someone, or... Do the Boy Scouts in your area sometimes have "drives" where they pick up old electronics for free? They do around here. Now that I think of it, I've seen ads for people who'll pick up old electronics for free too. It's the "other stuff" you almost certainly have to pay for, unless there's a proportionately large metal content.

Otherwise, anything relatively easily liftable put at the curb here disappears overnight, if it even makes it that long. It is an "occupation" nowadays.

 

[Stan]

You can pay someone, or... Do the Boy Scouts in your area sometimes have "drives" where they pick up old electronics for free? They do around here. Now that I think of it, I've seen ads for people who'll pick up old electronics for free too. It's the "other stuff" you almost certainly have to pay for, unless there's a proportionately large metal content.

Otherwise, anything relatively easily liftable put at the curb here disappears overnight, if it even makes it that long. It is an "occupation" nowadays.

The 25" is a beautiful piece of "furniture", wooden cabinet, etc Something you might see in old "Bewitched" episodes. Still works so maybe worth playing around with.

The 36" lost some colors, so everything is purple/red, really not worth the effort to fix, plus it probably weighs 200 lbs.

I'll figure out something, thanks for the advice.

 

[DaveF]

We live on a very busy street and have put many large items by the curb that we know will not be picked up by the garbage guys. They are picked up and mysteriously disappear over night. The rear projection was never claimed by anyone.

In Rochester, NY if you put something of any minor value on the curb, there will shortly be a guy in a small pickup truck taking it away.

I'm pretty sure they're Jedi and sense the disturbance in the Force when valuable artifacts are discarded.

 

[TJPC]

Ahh! That explains it!!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm pretty sure they're Jedi and sense the disturbance in the Force when valuable artifacts are discarded.

Or guys who like to re-sell scrap metal. But definitely one of those two things...

 

[Stan]

In Rochester, NY if you put something of any minor value on the curb, there will shortly be a guy in a small pickup truck taking it away.

I'm pretty sure they're Jedi and sense the disturbance in the Force when valuable artifacts are discarded.

Send them my way. Putting stuff out in this neighborhood doesn't go well. Could put them in the alley, but even then it's a mystery. Might disappear, maybe not. City may take it, charge me for it or I'll get a ticket.

Got a flyer from a guy "Tim Hauls Everything", so may give him a call.

 

[DaveF]

I sold my previous crt. But that was in 2009. So there was still a little market for one.

 

[Edwin-S]

SD broadcast still exists, because there are still a lot of people out there with SD sets.