What's so great about HDTV?

Question

People always try to talk me into getting an HDTV but for some reason, I'm not that impressed about it to spend $1,000+ on getting one. I just don't see the logic and why people are so crazy about it. Ok, so you get a sharper picture. You see more detail such as seeing the freckles and pores on a person's face. But I don't understand. I don't watch TV to see the freckles or pores on a person's face. So, tell me. What is it about HDTV that's so impressive? And if your reason is sharpness, then tell me why seeing the freckles and pores on a person's face is so essential to your TV viewing.

Answer 1

It's not about freckles and pores. It is about realism. Football is INSANE on HDTV, Baseball is great, HOCKEY is like your there. HDTV is also good for umcompressed audio, you hear things you never heard before through HDTV.

What do you watch TV for? Enterntainment, right? HDTV exponentially increases your entertainment, sitcoms, dramams, reality series, all are going to HD because it draws in the audience like never before.

Watching a Blu-Ray movie on a 60" LCD is truly better than being in a movie theatre.

Answer 2

the difference between the HD picture and digital picture isnt too huge. the picture is sharper, but you can only tell the difference between the 2 upon close inspection between a channel in digital and HD.

HOWEVER!

if you like to watch football (soccer) there is a HUGE difference. instead of seeing blurry figures running around the screen you can make out who's who. The colours are brighter and better as well. i havent compared the HD to digital picture in any other sport yet, so i dont know how big of a difference there is. but this summer for the euro cup 2008 there was a HUGE difference (at least to me there was) between the HD and non-HD versions of ESPN.

final verdict: HD is only necessary if you like to watch football (soccer) on tv and probably the other sports as well.

(or if you are aspiring to be a dermatologists [skin doctor] ahaha)

Answer 3

Standard def video is backwards compatible to a 1950's television.  It was designed to fill a 9-inch tube in black and white.

We are WAY overdue for an upgrade.

"What is it about HDTV that's so impressive"

Television shows and Movies are about escapism.  I want to hear the swirling 5.1 sound of activity around me when watching a summer Popcorn movie.  

I want Immersion - video so real it sucks me into the scene/action so that I forget I am sitting in my living room.

(Ok - watching CSI in high def while eating dinner .. perhaps this is TOO real.)

I want Emotion - video and audio so real I feel the terror/joy/lust of the actors on screen.

I want Movie Theater quality video -- in my home. I dont want the Multiplex to be the only place for better pictures and sound.  For the price of 2-3 Theater tickets I can own a copy of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and watch it on MY schedule.

This is why I love HDTV and true HD video.