New Shiny! (teevee)

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

If you're going to be only watching standard definition (low-res) material on a bigger high-def TV then be prepared for even more disappointment. It looks horrible. DVD will look fine, but at least consider getting an antenna for over-the-air HDTV programming.

It's not the size of the box that matters. It's what you put in it.

I've seen SD pictures on big TVs (not every channel is in HD you know) and it looks fine. But since I keep getting told that unless I am going to upgrade to blu-ray and spend the money on a cable box it's going to completely and totally suck I guess this was just a really stupid idea. Not everyone wants to spend $60+ a month on cable* and not everyone cares about blu-ray. I own less than 20 DVDs. Blu-ray is a waste of money for me. I just wanted a new shiny to watch stuff blowing up on.

*I don't have a south facing apartment for satellite options, FIOS isn't in my area yet and the cable box won't work right with my TIVO anyway.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

... at least consider getting an antenna for over-the-air HDTV programming.

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

I don't have a south facing apartment for satellite options

Just to make sure there is no confusion, PB is not talking about satellite TV. Most local stations now broadcast at least some HD content over the air for no charge just like in the rabbit-ears days. Assuming your new set has a digital tuner, all you need is an external antenna and you are good to go. To get an idea of what you can pull out of the air and the type of antenna you need to do it from your location visit antennaweb.org