New version Sky remote

Crisp_£_note

penrhyn wrote: »

Because your eyes cant see the difference at normal viewing distances if the screen is not big enough.
There is a graph that relates resolution to screen size and viewing distance.

Ahhha! perhaps that is why I havent as yet been able to see the difference when demonstating on display in the shops? They use 18.5 inch at local Tesco store!

Whats the "normal viewing distance" well the reccomended one anyhow?

Thanks

penrhyn

Read it off the graph, 720p is best viewed on a 40 inch TV from about 7.5 foot, to see the benefit of 1080p you have to get a bit closer, say 5foot for a 40" set. Assumes your eyesight is good.

Gratis

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Thanks. Why does the TV have to be so big to appreciate HD?

We have a 32" and hubby likes F1 so if its 'included' thats ok with him

I agree, from personal experience at several sizes, with penryn’s figures for the optimum distances to sit from an HD television. (Although I've not yet found room for a 140" television in our lounge and would expect to encounter some degree of domestic resistance to the prospect of it. )

And I'd also add that, for many people, the closer you sit to it, the less good your natural eyesight may need to be.

Actually, you can even see and appreciate the difference between SD and HD on a television smaller than 32”. Check out the picture via an aerial of a 24” Panasonic TX-L24c3b (720p) or, better still, TX-L24e3b (1080p) if you spot one somewhere (Richer Sounds, for example, stocks them). They are the smallest televisions of which I am aware that come with a Freeview HD tuner built in.

It does all depend, though, and as penrhyn points out, how far you sit from the set.

We bought a 24” Sony KDL-24ex320 (1080p) television for the kitchen table (it sits on its own dedicated diagonal shelf in the corner of the room, just above the table, to raise its screen to eye-level when we are seated). Its own tuner is only SD but we feed it from a dedicated Humax Freeview HD box. We can also pipe our FreeSat HD and Sky+HD to it via an HDMI switchbox.

We sit, respectively, about 18” and 24” from it when watching it. We chose it carefully; it’s the comfortable screen-size to watch from that distance. (It also doubles, via the HDMI switchbox, as a 24” 1080p monitor for a PC we keep under the table!)

The key point to bear in mind, at that size, is not so much the HD screen resolution of the television (720p or 1080p) but that the broadcast HD signal contains much more picture information than the SD signal.

We were watching the U.S. Masters Golf this evening and the difference between SD and HD was considerable. In SD, you see the greens, the plants and the trees: in HD you see the blades of grass, the flower blossoms and the individual leaves! Truly.

We also have 32” (bedroom), 40” (my study) and a 55” (lounge) Sonys with Freeview HD built in, so I do know what I’m talking about, here. Believe me, you really will notice the difference between SD and HD on a decent 32” HD television provided that you sit close enough to it. Particularly (I find) on Channel 4. That looks horrible in SD.

Obviously, with Freeview and FreeSat there’s no fee for HD. Whether or not it’s worth paying Sky £10.25 (that’s £123 a year) for Sky’s HD is another matter – only you can decide what it’s worth to you for better picture quality

A key factor in your case is your husband’s fondness for Formula One. If you subscribe to Sky HD he’ll then be able to watch Sky’s Formula One channel for no additional fee (at least in 2012) and you have intimated that that alone may justify the cost.

You’d also need to upgrade to a Sky+HD box, of course. Don’t just ring up Sky and ask for one: check out online the various deals you can get for this – Quidco/Top cashbacks, M&S vouchers and so on. Compare these with what incentives Sky itself will offer you, online.

I would caution you, however, that Sky’s Formula One may not necessarily come free with Sky HD in 2013...

spike7451

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

If we did upgrade would we automaticaly receive the up to date remote (which would obviously save us paying out for a new one as well and save us some money)??

Thanks in advance

Yes,all the new boxes come with leads,remotes,ect.Only time you wont receive a remote is with a reconditioned box on a service call.

penrhyn

Amazon had some new Sky remotes for not too much recently, bought one myself, these ones were made by Philips.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SKY-REMOTE-CONTROL-MADE-PHILIPS/dp/B001HNH1WE/ref=pd_sim_ce_1