need help deciding...

[quminottie]

Hey everyone,

Hope all is well. I will be getting a handsome commission check within the next week and am looking into upgrading my DirecTV to HD. HOWEVER, I'm wondering if it's worth it yet.

I plan on getting the HD DVR they offer on their website and upgrading to the "Plus HD DVR" plan. My dad has the HD service, but I noticed black bars on the left and right side of the TV. Is this a standard with SD content, or can this be fixed? (my dad isn't the most tech savvy individual as I am). I ask because my wife watches Oxygen and my daughter likes watching Noggin and those Disney channels, and those aren't in HD. If I upgrade and my wife sees those black bars, she'll scream up a storm and say how she hates it.

Everything that i dig is in HD, from USA to local channels to the movie channels. And it seems like DirecTV is shelling out HD channels like crazy lately.

I just want to get HD before all the new seasons of Heroes and House start up. Thanks everyone, all words of wisdom are appreciate. Thanks again!

Stefan.

 

[bateau980]

All SD will come in as 4:3 pictures adding the side bars (in your choice of color). Some HD channels still display the older episodes as 4:3, some automatically stretch them to 16:9. You do have the choice to stretch the 4:3 out in 2 ways, configure it in the DVR setup menu as a default option, or simply press the format button on the remote until you select the resolution and format you like.

Personally, I leave the content in it's natural settings because i hate the pull effect on the edges of the screen. I thought my wife would hate it, but I made sure to set the expectation that the picture is the same size as would be on our old SD tv. She knows how to swap between the stretch, zoom, or window-box formatting if she so chooses. Do this and I think your wife will be ok.

Good Luck!

 

[jcrandall]

WELCOME to Satguys!

In general, almost everything that is being newly produced is in HD, especially network programming.

DirecTV will have 130 HD channels by end of August. There is only a handful that are not up already.

 

[charper1]

Tell you wife to get over it; LOL

 

[gadgtfreek]

Posts #2 and #3 offered the needed answers. Ill just add, that if you like HD, then upgrading is a no brainer.

Yes, some of the HD channels still show a lot of SD, but the PQ is MUCH better than the SD counterpart, especially if you have a tv with some size on it. I generally dont even watch SD channels anymore.

 

[NutFlush920]

I have "Show Duplicates" turned off on my box. Very seldom do I watch SD. Only when there is no HD counterpart (and now that is far and few in between).