DVD Recorder

Analog terrestrial broadcasting is due to end early in 2009. Cable service is both analog and digital in most areas, but the cable box puts out an analog NTSC signal. Some of the digital cable fare is "free" (unencrypted), and can be received by any TV with a QAM tuner. Our government has mandated that all local terrestrially broadcast digital/HDTV stations carried by cable companies should be available at no extra charge, like their analog counterparts. The majority of HDTV sets being sold will tune NTSC, ATSC, QAM, and 8VSB signals. Some have two RF inputs on the back, some only have one but will "remember" channel settings for two different RF inputs, and some have only one RF input and one memory group. LCD seems popular for smaller sets, with plasma getting the nod for larger sets. Large plasma HDTVs are OUTSTANDING!

Thanks for that. HD via satellite is also outstanding here. I have seen HD in the stores over there in the U.S. ( I get to Florida and Vegas a couple of times a year ) but had not taken much notice as to what the delivery method was. Have you read about, or even seen, an S.E.D. screen yet ? I was reading the other day that this new technology is maturing fast, and will probably overtake plasma as the preferred large flat-screen delivery medium, in very short order. Apparently, it can produce contrast ratios equivalent to CRT technology, with full 180 deg vertical and horizontal viewing angle, and zero motion lag or driver artifacts.

Arfa

Ah, the best display technology that we may never see. Don't ya LOVE litigation?

But seriously, a micro-CRT for every pixel sounds good to me. Too bad Canon and Toshiba have now pushed commercial production of their first set, a 55" SED, back into 2008. And, according to Toshiba, it is likely that consumer sets will be delayed "past the foreseeable future" and that initial SEDs will be geared toward the professional market.

So, so give up on LCD and plasma just yet.

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 02:24:54 +0000, Arfa Daily Has Frothed:

I cannot stand to watch standard cable on my girlfriend's hdtv. It looks like it's out of focus. Nothing wrong with the set though.

I've had good luck with DVD+RWs. I've been using the same lot of discs for a few years and I have yet to lose one except to accidental scratches. They even play back in most DVD players made in the last 5 years.

I don't recommend DVD recorders though. Even if the hardware is reliable, the software which makes them work is usually crap. I have never used a DVD recorder that worked the way it should. There are always at least one or two "bugs" in the user interface.

They're also not as convenient to use as VCRs. You can't just pick up a DVD and throw it in and press record. You have to turn on the TV, wait for the DVD menu to load, then go through the menus to erase the DVD, then wait for it to load again, then press record and 5 or 10 seconds later it actually starts recording. If the power goes out while it's recording you'll lose the entire recording because it didn't updated the disc menu. DVDs only hold 2 hours of good quality video. Sure you can get 3, or 4 hours on a DVD, but it will look like something on utube.

Andy Cuffe

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