Telly on the blink.

[Paul Carmel]

In fact it is dead!

I have done quite a bit of research for the next one, but the one thing I can't my thick old head around is, if I go for one that is HD ready, do I need a separate receiver, or is it all built in??

[Sue Dyer]

Not sure but then you have to pay for a subscription for HD TV from your cable/satellite provider!! Check out the Sky website.

[Paul Carmel]

Thank's,

That's that one off the list then!

[vrooje]

Nowadays many TVs have the receiver built in, but they don't all have that feature. HD receivers are a very specialized area for sound and picture junkies, so not everyone wants the built-in solution.

But yes, you do still have to pay extra to actually activate the HD channels from your provider. I don't know exactly how much, though...

[AndyLucia]

Although (presumably) the BBC and the other terrestrial channels will be making the switch as well eventually?

[Paul Carmel]

I think we are going to pass on HD this time! Please bear in mind that in Corsica even terrestrial TV is like watching snow.

[CostaBlanca]

Hi Paul,

A lot of LCD & Plasma sets here in Spain are displaying the 'HD ready' sticker but it seems a nonsense that we will have a HD Tv service here anytime soon. Only 1 national channel broadcasts in stereo let alone widescreen or HD. Many were bought becuase it is the latest gadget, or being unaware and the rest because they are compatible with high definition DVD players.

We do have TDT (terrestial digital TV) here and all the national and regional channels broadcast on it, supposed to get some foreign language stations at some time!! I still get decent reception on analogue but this is supposed to be phased out within a couple of years.

Hope you enjoy the snow

maria

[Big Sis..]

Hi Paul,

Love the photo especially the penguin going shopping

[vrooje]

We have considered HD many times for our home. But we've always decided against it. There are at least a dozen channels in HD now in the US (probably more, actually), but... really... do I need to watch NBC (one of our three big networks, and hence home to such graphically intense programs as the local news and the sitcom "Friends") in super high definition? ...No, not really.

Of course, I read recently that the new PlayStation 3, a video game console, will support HD. As my husband is an avid video gamer, we may have a new HD-ready TV soon!

[A-two]

With so much video on demand now thru websites and online movie subscription sites like Vongo, we're starting to wonder how long we'll need a traditional TV and expensive cable service, HD or otherwise.

We're tempted to paint the wall with refective screen paint and hook a laptop up to a projector instead, which we did over the summer outdoors at one of the vineyards here where we were helping out. It worked a treat. We ran DVDs through Windows Media. They had a painted canvas hung on a frame under the shadow of a tree outside on the lawn by the beach, maybe 20ft ft across. Everyone brought picnics, rugs, chairs and as the sun went down, we lined it all up, clicked play and rolled the movie. It was great!!!

The key is the projector, which costs around $1,500, but we ebayed one for about $250, and they're not hard to get. The quality of the sound was OK, but not great thru the speakers we were using, but that wouldn't have been a problem indoors, even in a banqueting hall size room.

Anyway, that aside, if you're aiming for a new Plasma TV set, I wouldn't. The manager at our local Best Buy told me they are getting a lot of them returned and not to expect them to last more than 2 years. It seems that LCD is the future of TVs, with Sharp leading the field (at least in the US). Widescreen is a must of course, whichever brand and size you buy.


My 2 cents.

[Paul Carmel]

Thank you for all the input!

We already have Canal + and Canal Sat, I cant justify any other subscriptions.

[Big Sis..]

Paul

Your so clever
How do you do all your photo stuff....your cats pretty clever toooo

[AndyLucia]

We have considered HD many times for our home. But we've always decided against it. There are at least a dozen channels in HD now in the US (probably more, actually), but... really... do I need to watch NBC (one of our three big networks, and hence home to such graphically intense programs as the local news and the sitcom "Friends") in super high definition? ...No, not really.

There was an article in the Guardian Weekend a few weeks back, talking about exactly that problem. Apparently Ray Liotta was even scarier than normal, as they had had to absolutely cake him in make-up to reduce the super highly defined cragginess! So for those of us in the UK, we can look forward to a more highly defined version of Graham Norton in years to come!

[Sue Dyer]

Paul, the guitarist, is it "Cat" Stevens?

[vrooje]

We're tempted to paint the wall with refective screen paint and hook a laptop up to a projector instead...

I have seriously considered this option. We live in a house that was built in the 30's, so the living room doesn't really have a place for the TV. But there are a couple of places where one could easily mount a nice projection screen, and a ceiling-mounted projector wouldn't get in anyone's way.

The key is the projector, which costs around $1,500, but we ebayed one for about $250, and they're not hard to get.

The thing that has always made me hesitate is the cost of the replacement bulbs for most of these projectors. They're not exactly store-bought 100-Watt bulbs! The replacements can easily cost hundreds of dollars.

At my previous university, my fellow majors and I used to commandeer our department's lecture hall every Friday night, bring pizza and libations, and watch movies. Comfortable chairs, surround sound, a high-end mounted projector, and a 20-foot screen -- heaven!

It was always so late at night that everyone else had gone home, so no one knew what we were up to. The department managers just scratched their heads when the bulb burnt out about a year before it was supposed to! It cost them $900 to replace. Ouch.