How do YOU get your HDTV?

[Talos4]

Well, I chose D* and OTA because that's how I get everything.

I generally watch the locals OTA so the situation with 10, 18, 24, 36-1 and 58 not on D* is really no concern at least for me.

[MrVideo]

While I get some HD via OTA, i.e., NBC and FOX, the other networks, ABC, CBS and The CW, I get via satellite, but not D* or Dish (non of the pizza-pan suppliers).  That is why I couldn't tick the satellite box and I'm sure it was meant for pizza-pan subscribers.

I do not get any "cable-channel" type HD services (Discovery, HBO, etc).

There was a comment that OTA has the best picture.  There are many who would argue that, me being one of them.  The bitrate starved ATSC just cannot handle rapid video frame changes.  The MPEG-2 encoders just do not have enough to create a clean signal.  Jut ask anyone who watches sports on their HD displays.  I hear nothing but complaints.

Clean MPEG-2 HD requires a bitrate the is at least twice the maximum that can be put out over ATSC channels.  When you see HD with a bitrate of 35-40 Mbps, you hate going back to ATSC bitrates.  Even better video is 1080p, as provided by the hi-def DVD format war.  Unfortunately I've not seen hi-def DVD video, but everything I read is all positive.  OTA/Cable/Pizza-Pan is not going to be able to provide the video quality of hi-def DVD 1080p.

[Leinie Lodge]

Would this be a fair summary?  Engineers please chime in!

BEST   50+Mbps
Blu-Ray Highest bit rate available

GREAT   19Mbps
OTA dedicated full bandwidth (no subchannel)

VERY HIGH QUALITY   Peaks 10+Mbps
Cable HD
MPEG-4 DirecTV
OTA HD signal sharing bandwidth with SD subchannel
ATT U-Verse
 
WORSE
MPEG-2 legacy compression scheme
Overcompressed cable QAM
OTA HD choked w/ too much subchannel draw

[John L]

I don't have a real HDTV, I just use an old converter box thats about 4 years old Samsung and I receive all the DTV via OTA. I can tell it must be HD when the black side bars are filled in, but because its viewed on a analog TV, course it doesn't matter if it was connected to a DTV receiver you don't get high definition. Just a wide screen.  Otherwise just the side bars are black for SD. I voted in the poll receiving it via OTA.

I got to get a bigger living room and $$$ before I get a HDTV.

-John L.

[Bluto]

It might be time for a new survey.  It would be interesting to see how the numbers have changed over the past two years...

[Tom Snyder]

I think you're right!

[techguy1975]

So,

While in the process of migrating to the new forum software, and fixing broken links on the home page, I stumbled upon this old thread.   I'm curious to see how much has changed, so I zeroed out the vote counts, added the first letter back to each vote option (which was missing for some odd reason  ) and I'm re-opening this thread.

[duncantuna]

One thing that's changed .. need a Streaming option.

I use Playstation-Vue, myself.

[techguy1975]

One thing that's changed .. need a Streaming option.

I use Playstation-Vue, myself.

I didn't even think of that!   I'll add it as an option

[MDR]

can't select all that apply. just toggles for single choice.

[techguy1975]

can't select all that apply. just toggles for single choice.

Hmmm...doesn't look like thats an option...

[Bebop]

Cord cutters are usually OTA and streaming.

[techguy1975]

Cord cutters are usually OTA and streaming.

You can now select multiple