[HOM]

Originally Posted by Moogs Some questions I am still left with: 1. First we had 720p and 1080i (progressive and interlaced) as the HD broadcast formats, now 1080p is starting to show up. Is there any hope or effort of convergence on this issue? Can we realistically hope that in a couple years all the TV stations at least will broadcast the same type of signal, so that we don't have to scratch our heads when buying a set or monitor?

Short answer: No
Long Answer: The type of format a program is in really depends on what type it is. A network drama will look much better in 1080i than 720p because it is usualy slow moving and the interlacing is not an issue. However, sport look much better in 720p because of the 60fps refresh rate and the progressiveness.

The problem/awesomeness of 1080p is that it is too highbandwidth for ATSC broadcasts unless they drop the bit rate way down. So don't expect any non cable/satilite channels to be offered in it. I highly doutb that there are going to be an TV broadcasts at all in 1080p. However, both HD-DVD and Blu Ray are supposed to support 1080p so investing in a more expensive monitor will not be an entire loss.

2. What happens when you watch a 1080i program on a 720p set? Progressive scan devices are not prone to flickering so despite the fewer lines I am inclined to buy a 720p set. In which case, happens if the world does standardize on 1080p, and you watch on a 720p set? Does the signal box automatically covert down to the lower resolution standard?

That all depends on how you are getting your signal and what device is doing to the signal processing. If you are getting your HD OTA then the monitor is going to be doing the downsampling. Some sets are better at this than others. If you are getting your signal from cable/satilite, the set top box can either downsample it for you, leave all broadcasts in their native resolution, or upsample it. Again, some boxes are better than others, but they all tend to be pretty good.

Also keep in mind that some type of display technologies are better at changing resolutions. LCD at lower than native resolution suck, but CRTs and rear projections are much better.

3. Will all HD movies be 16:9, by definition? Or is it like widescreen movie DVDs, where no two aspect ratios are exactly alike?

Depends. Most content should be native 16x9, but some may not and some others may be 4x3. ESPNHD broadcasts in 4x3.

4. Will it be expensive for studios to re-master their existing movies to HD-DVD, thus passing the cost on to consumers? I remember when VHS movies were like $25, unadjusted for 20 years of inflation... are we in for the same with High Def DVD formats?

No and yes. Most if not all studios have converted a significant portion of their library to 4K files which can then be converted to any format they want. That's what they do with DVD's right now. So instead of outputing to MPEG2, they will output to MPEG4 at 1080p (Still way below the 4K threshold). But you can bet your ass that the studios are going to be charging a premuim for their HD content for two major reasons. One, next gen DVD buyers are early adopters that have dropped at least $2000 on their home theaters so the studios are going to rape them. Two, studios are going to build in the 'anti-piracy' price. You're going to be paying a fee for hypotetical pircay of their HD content.

One thing to keep in mind when buying a set is the following: All LCD's are progressive by nature so if it 1920x1080, but it's only listed at 1080i, it is in fact a 1080p display. BUT, some sets, and I shit you not, downsample 1080p content to 1080i and then upsample it back to 1080p for the display. The other thing to note is that some sets may list 1080i/p, but are in fact only 720p sets. They list the resolutions because they can downsample the content. Make sure that any set you buy, if you are going for a 1080i/p set, has 1080 as a native resolution, otherwise you're paying more for nothing.