Digital TV - are we being ripped off?

ollyk

mascherano wrote: »

does anyone know where I can get a high-definition radio from?

well DAB certainly is NOT high def (or more correct to say HiFi but the same really) and many countries ditched DAB because of it's relatively poor sound quality!

espresso wrote: »

Analogue signals are affected by ghosting and co-channel interference etc. and if you are suffering from (pixelation, freezing, complete loss of sound/picture/both, etc) you need to get a properly installed aerial. i.e. not a set top type.

But the point is it is not always possible to do this.. i.e. we have very large trees that partially obstruct our signal all under a preservation order but we are also on a flight path the planes interfere with an analogue signal slightly but digital gets cut off. I Would personally have snow and ghosting than a blank screen!

ollyk

Has anyone else heard that the current generation of STB's will be useless before too long? I think they are switching from MEPG2 to MPEG 4 which means digital tuners will become useless! Not sure about the facts though so it may not be happening for some time to come yet...

I know one thing, all this is a nice little revenue earner for someone!

rmg1

espresso wrote: »

You should report your problems to the landlord as the communal aerial system is obviously not giving a good clean signal as it should.

Tried that (local authority housing) and got nowhere. They basically said it wasn't their problem and to do it ourselves but, apparently, that needs permission from them to add an extrnal aerial or satellite dish.

ollyk wrote: »

Has anyone else heard that the current generation of STB's will be useless before too long? I think they are switching from MEPG2 to MPEG 4 which means digital tuners will become useless! Not sure about the facts though so it may not be happening for some time to come yet...

I know one thing, all this is a nice little revenue earner for someone!

Providing they're going to replace everyone's STB for free, fine (can't see it happening, though, can you?)

Idiophreak

ollyk wrote: »

I know one thing, all this is a nice little revenue earner for someone!

You think?

You can buy a set top box for £20.

For that you get something like 30 extra TV channels (and the option to Top-Up for more (actually, I doubt you get a top-up slot with a £20 box, thinking about it...)), a bunch of radio stations, better text/guide functions, interactive-ness...and the majority of people will get much better picture quality on terrestrial channels (especially channel 5)...

Paying £20 for both the box to do this and for the massive infrastructure/logistical effort behind it (albeit part-funded by the BBC etc) I don't think is too bad...It's also not mandatory...nobody makes you pay for it...and even when analogue is switched off, you *don't* have to have digital if you don't want. You don't have to have TV at all.

Sinicism in this country really is at an all time high...it's getting really depressing. I, personally, get a lot out of digital TV - as do a lot of people I know - and yet people seem determined to see it as some kind of con. I just don't get it.

Moneymaker

Idiophreak wrote: »

Sinicism in this country really is at an all time high.

Yeah, same with cynicism. :cool:

superscaper

Moneymaker wrote: »

Yeah, same with cynicism. :cool:

I just looked up that Sinicism is a real word but it means traits peculiar to the Chinese. I guess it inadvertedly makes Idiophreak's statement kind of racist, oops! :rolleyes:

Idiophreak

Oh crap.

Am I going to have to leave the MSE house now?

jt2k6

wolfman wrote: »

Hmmm I partially agree. DVD+ and DVD- were adopted differently, whereas with HD-DVD and BluRay there's more of a division between a lot of the blue chips in media and film.

I still agree though in the sense that both will be around just like DVD+ and DVD- have co-existed, mainly due to the amount of money invested and technologies that are dependent on both (ie PS3 - BlueRay, and Xbox360 HD as examples).

XBOX 360 isn't HD,
currently uses DVD's you can buy a HD add on, but if HD doesn't take off then I will be very suprised if you don't see a Blu Ray add on for it.

Inactive

Idiophreak wrote: »

Oh crap.

Am I going to have to leave the MSE house now?

The cynical answer would be yes.. :rotfl:

superscaper

jt2k6 wrote: »

XBOX 360 isn't HD,
currently uses DVD's you can buy a HD add on, but if HD doesn't take off then I will be very suprised if you don't see a Blu Ray add on for it.

Not sure how likely that would be, why would Sony license their technology to their main rival in the gaming market? Not to mention that Microsoft are one of the main supporters of the HD DVD consortium, it would be a huge u-turn that I'm not sure they can afford to take.