I recently got an HDTV. The prices went down quite a bit and I picked up a Vizio 42" plasma 720p at Costco for $700. If money were no issue, I would have gone for the Sony Bravia (it looked very sharp IMO).
In any case, I was already a TWC subscriber. After a DirecTV install failed (I didn't want holes in a house that's not mine), I was stuck with TWC.
I had a regular receiver hooked up to a Tivo Series 2. I had to pick up the HD receiver. TWC tried to get me to use their HD DVR, but it would have cost about $8 (HD receiver fee) + $10 for the HD DVR fee. I asked what would happen if I got a Tivo HD DVR and how much it would cost to get the cable card(2). I was told they would cost $2 per month. So I ordered the Tivo HD (refurbished for $180) directly from Tivo. I'll get it sometime next week.
Once I got the HD receiver from TWC I browsed the HD channels. Wow, what a meager selection of channels. I really bummed about not being able to get DirecTV. I noticed that not all programming is in HD in the HD channels. During commercials, not all HD channels display them the same way (some show them in 4:3, while others stretch them to 16:9).
SD quality on a HDTV is not that great. The colors are better than SD, but there is some pixelation. I suppose that's to be expected.
The Discovery Channel HD stutters with some frequency. It's annoying. I've noticed other HD channels stuttering as well. If this is a long term problem, it's going to suck.
Hopefully TWC will add more HD programming.
In any case, I was already a TWC subscriber. After a DirecTV install failed (I didn't want holes in a house that's not mine), I was stuck with TWC.
I had a regular receiver hooked up to a Tivo Series 2. I had to pick up the HD receiver. TWC tried to get me to use their HD DVR, but it would have cost about $8 (HD receiver fee) + $10 for the HD DVR fee. I asked what would happen if I got a Tivo HD DVR and how much it would cost to get the cable card(2). I was told they would cost $2 per month. So I ordered the Tivo HD (refurbished for $180) directly from Tivo. I'll get it sometime next week.
Once I got the HD receiver from TWC I browsed the HD channels. Wow, what a meager selection of channels. I really bummed about not being able to get DirecTV. I noticed that not all programming is in HD in the HD channels. During commercials, not all HD channels display them the same way (some show them in 4:3, while others stretch them to 16:9).
SD quality on a HDTV is not that great. The colors are better than SD, but there is some pixelation. I suppose that's to be expected.
The Discovery Channel HD stutters with some frequency. It's annoying. I've noticed other HD channels stuttering as well. If this is a long term problem, it's going to suck.
Hopefully TWC will add more HD programming.
