Technologist said:
The whole HD thing is a trap for 'early adopters' at present.
None of the sets on sale in Ireland are full HD resolution, there's hardly anything being broadcast in HD & there's no HD discs or players.
They're really last year's sets with new HDMI connectors so that that can display HD pictures, but not actually at HD resolution.
If a set is 1366x768 as most are, then it cannot display a European HD signal natively. That's 1920x1080. So they actually reduce the resolution. They're nice, but you'll be sorry next year when proper HD sets start becoming available.
Wait another year.
Technologist, I don't entirely agree with you there.
HD TV at 720p is noticeably better than PAL @ 576 scan lines.
1080i - even downconverted to 768 pixels - looks very good on these sets.
A true 1080 line display - and let's not get into the 1080i versus 1080p debate here - will be better again but may not noticeable on anything small then 37 or 40 inches. Not to mention, will cost more money.
So, should you buy now or wait for the next big thing, bearing in mind that there is always new technology on the way?
As with all technology, if you don't need a new TV now then don't buy one. If you are in the market, buy the best one you can afford - best in terms of features for the price. The HD Ready logo is an industry standard and gives you a lot more futureproofing than buying a TV without this logo.
As for no content - we have Sky HD now; HD-DVD players out in the US and due in Ireland before Christmas; Samsung's world-first Blu-ray player out in the US this week and expected in Europe by Christmas; Sony's player out in July with Pioner following in August; the PS3 out in November with a Blu-ray drive.
So, if buying a TV now I would certainly get a HD Ready one. If you wait another year, they will be cheaper with more features - but the same will be true next year and the year after that.
I do however agree that buying a top end DVD player or a DVD recorder with HDD is probably not a good idea right now with the high def format war going on. I would buy a cheap upconverting DVD player such as the Samsung DVD-HD950 and forego the recording for now.