PC Connectivity

We've been enjoying the 37" Sharp Aquos LCD for several months now (especially those CSI episodes broadcast in HD). However, we had never watched a DVD movie on this display. Recently, I went and got the necessary cables to take advantage of the DVI input to the TV. I connected my IBM Thinkpad to the display and right away got a very crisp rendering of my PC desktop. I tried various resolutions and settled on the oversampling "stretch" mode. Even though the top and bottom of the screen gets cropped, it works well watching 16x9 DVD movies. The sound is also decent with the TV's speakers.

The setup gets a little messy with the cables and wires needed for hooking up the laptop. I'm thinking of getting the Mac Mini as a low cost home theater PC (HTPC). The form factor allows for this and the G4 processor supposedly is powerful enough for rendering 1080i HD content. That would be my next project -- taking advantage of the Aquos' TV Guide programming capability. It automatically downloads TV Guide scheduling (sans the monthly TiVo charge) and allows for recording to be scheduled to a DVHS. Software exists to allow HTPC's to function as virtual digital VHS devices. Finally, a way to get TiVo like functionality with high definition content...

Comcast Disappoints

We just concluded our Comcast digital cable promotion. They had a difficult time getting the billing correct. Fortunately, when I booked the order online, I took screenshots of the conversation I had with the Comcast sales agent. Thus, I had proof that the promotion was promised to me for $39.99. Even so, it took far too many calls to Comcast to get the billing resolved. Several times, my phone call was dropped after I was put on hold for a long time. Finally, I got through to someone who actually picked up the phone, but they told me I had to FAX the proof that I was promised that price promotion. (Don't these guys have email?!) Then the call center agent said he'd pick up the FAX after work and he'd show it to his boss to decide how to resolve it at that time. I had to hang up without knowing if the situation was going to be resolved. Then I get a threatening notice from Comcast that they're going to disconnet my service because I wasn't paying the balance of the amount they mistakenly billed me. I had to call back yet again to talk to someone to review the "file" they had on me. At last, this agent confirmed that they had accepted my claim of being wrongly billed, but they couldn't credit me until the next month. Doh!

Because I was so frustrated with the way Comcast treated its customers, I decided that I would stay on with the most basic digital TV offering -- even though the agent tried several times to sell me the "silver" package. My plan is to get HD content coverage for the time being while I research satellite providers... The experience with Comcast was so bad, I'd be willing to pay more to someone else simply so I can avoid giving Comcast any business.

Wife Nixes the Rabbit Ears

We decided to try out the Comcast promotion to pay $39.99 for digital cable so we could get the HDTV channels without using the indoor antenna. We asked for the CableCard to avoid having a STB. It's a lot more expensive to get the HDTV tuner on the TV, but I like having it. It offers more flexibility when trying out different options.

The good news is that our TV's EPG (Electronic Programming Guide from TV Guide) picks up all the additional channels and works with the new listings.

NFL Pre-Season in HD

I caught the CBS broadcast of the 49er-Raider preseason game. Fox was also broadcasting, but even though the channel supported HD, the broadcast was SD (standard definition).

Football in widescreen is much more interesting, especially the shots that show players lining up before the snap. I compared the SD broadcast to the HD broadcast by switching back and forth between channels. SD could show the defense up through the linebackers. Anyone playing back in the secondary was out of the picture, in SD. In HD, you could clearly see the 49er safety cheating towards the side of the field with Randy Moss... pretty cool.

PGA Golf in HD

Watched my first PGA golf tournament broadcast in high definition. CBS broadcasted the 3rd round of the PGA championship, and I was really impressed.

Several things enhanced the experience:

1. Wide-screen format adds to the experience
   I switched back and forth between the HDTV broadcast and the SD broadcast. Basically, the SD broadcast clips the sides of the frame, so you see about 20% less of the picture. In a golf tournament, this means not seeing the depth of the gallery along the sides of the tee box, a bunker lurking off of the green, or a caddie fidgeting off to the side as the player hits his approach.
   
   
2. High Definition gives more feel on the greens
   In standard definition broadcasts, I have no idea if the ball is supposed to be rolling uphill/downhill, or breaking left/right. But with high-def, I can actually tell how the ball will roll on the green as the player is lining up the putt. I also see a lot more imperfections on the green (spike marks, divots, etc.)
   
   
3. High Definition helps track the flight of the ball
   In standard definition broadcasts, I have difficulty seeing the ball off the club face during tee shots or approach shots. With high-def, I can see the ball much better and I can tell very early on if the shot is a draw or a fade. Amazing.

There are still a number of improvements that can be made to achieve a true HDTV broadcast for PGA events. Check out this blog to read about some of the enhancements still needed.

HDTV, First Contact

I read on one internet posting that it was possible to get lots of good HDTV programming OTA ("over the air"). So I ran out to the nearby Radio Shack, bought an old fashioned set of rabit ear antennas, and hooked it up to our new TV set.

Wow...

HDTV is AMAZING.

I found 2 channels right away... KPIX (CBS), and KBWB. The first HDTV show we watched was CSI on CBS. The picture and sound quality was like nothing we experienced before. It's difficult to describe the experience, but it's kind of like having the picture become more three dimensional because the clarity on the screen is so sharp.

Later, by playing around with the position of the antenna, I was able to find these additional channels:

• KGO (ABC, in HD)
• KTVU (Fox, in HD)
• KNTV (NBC, in HD)
• KQED (PBS, in HD) NOTE: KQED offers several different PBS channels
  Channel 9.1 is HDTV
  Channel 9.2 is SD
  Channel 9.3 is PBS world
  Channel 9.4 is PBS life
  Channel 9.5 is PBS kids
  
• KBHK (UPN, digital, but no HD)
• KICU (Action 36, digital, but no HD)
• KCSM (digital, but no HD)

There are a bunch of other random channels (non-English, shopping, etc.) that I haven't taken the time to figure out. But the experience of watching digital TV has been really awesome.

The problem with picking up analog TV signals off of an antenna is that the picture is often snowy or blurred due to signal drift and random noise. But with digital, picture and sound quality is perfect, so long as there is adequate signal strength.

A New Way to Look at Analog CableTV

With a high definition TV, we get to see analog CableTV up close and personal. Sometimes its not pretty. Analog CableTV broadcasts in SD (aka Standard Definition, a resolution of 480 lines). On our high definition television, poorly broadcast channels appear very grainy. The quality of the analog broadcasts appear to vary during the day, interestingly enough.

There are some web sites that report that Comcast broadcasts OTA (over the air) hi-definition channels with analog cable. My TV has a built-in digital tuner, so theoretically, I would be able to pick up these digital channels, even though I only subscribe to the analog service. No such luck. My TV doesn't detect any digital channels in the lineup. At least, I haven't figured out how to tune in to any digital channels.

Another issue was the aspect ratio. Standard definition broadcasts have an aspect ratio of 4:3, close to being square. With a wide-screen (aspect ratio of 16:9) TV, I opted not to stretch the picture. If the programming happens to be in wide-screen format, the picture will fill out more of the screen.

The Journey Begins

After subscribing to analog cableTV for years, we took the first step of modernizing by purchasing a new digital TV from BestBuy last week.

There are a number of decisions to make:

• Plasma vs. LCD (what size?)
  
• Terrestrial Antenna vs. Cable vs. Satellite
• if satellite (DirecTV vs. Dish)
• if digital cable (Limited Basic vs. Digital Classic vs. Premium)
• High definition via all the above?
  
• Upgrade the TiVo to HDTiVo?

We decided to start with the bedroom TV. Due to the dimensions of the armoir housing the TV, we decided to go with a 32-in LCD. Plasmas usually start at 37 inches and the best deals appear to be for the 42 inch models. We needed a flat screen so LCD was the way to go. A large plasma for the family room is still in the plans.