Posted by Lloyd Parsons on 09/20/07 21:39

In article <jqBIi.5163$Ij2.2867@trndny06>,
Derek Janssen <ejanss1@nospam.verizon.net> wrote:

> ninphan wrote:
> >
> > Aside from that, this Christmas is when J6P will be picking up an
> > HDTV, not picking up a high definition player.
>
> Exactly:
> J6P and Smuggy F. Warwhiner (the cynical evil brother of J6P, who prides
> himself on his initials) both say "Who cares about the next disk,
> there're only 35 sets out there anyway!"
> But this is a special case as from 90's DVD, as the public now has to be
> sold TWO new gizmos at once that they've previously not been acquainted
> with, and in sequence--The horse has to come before the cart, and the
> screen has to come before the player.
>
> And grownups may buy new toys every Christmas-sales rush, but when those
> toys start in the $700's, they usually buy ONE toy.
> And it's more likely to be the more Best Buy demonstratable one that
> shows football games you *don't* have to replace libraries for, which
> they imagine will alone be enough of a cable headache (aside from the
> fact that they now think they have to spring for the DirecTV satellite
> service that BB keeps throwing at them)...And that's leaving aside all
> those misread panic headlines, where somebody in the paper told them
> their old TV set now has only a year to live.
>
> And why is a Q4'07 boom in set sales important (apart from making
> production more mainstream and lowering the price)?...It starts the
> addiction.
> Which means J6P will *stop* asking "Why do we need hi-def disks?" (as he
> can now turn on ABC for free and get an answer every night), haul off
> and slap SFW in the head, and start reading up his homework for next
> season's toy....Ah, sweet war-recruitment drive. ^_^
>
> (One recent HDTV sales-promo doc that's been airing compared "invisible"
> present-day network HDTV broadcast saturation to Walt Disney and Bonanza
> selling color TV sets in the 60's--
> And as one who can remember the first time he got to watch Wizard of Oz
> on the family's first new color TV set as a kid, those comparisons are
> so on the mark as to be scary.) 0_0''
>
> Derek Janssen
> ejanss1@verizon.net

I've got Dish Network and I can certainly tell you that many of the HD
channels are literally eye-popping. All the Discovery ones of course,
but HDNet and HDMovie are stepping up to the bar.

Torchwood, a BBC import, is in HiDef and is absolutely stunning in both
sound and picture, that it seems like a pretty damn good show is just
icing on the cake.

TNTHD is doing movies in HD (not stretch-o-vision either), and their
original series are in HD. Two great series, Closer and Saving Grace,
are well worth watching.

If J6P and his cousins buy an HD set this Christmas, he owes it to
himself to ensure he gets plenty of HD channels. Dish is there now,
DirectTV is moments away, and a few (too damn few, imo) cable systems
are stepping up to the HD bar.

Add Netflix and either of the hi def dvd players (or both or a combo),
and you've got a great HD start.

I expect to see some bundled sales this year. Either BD or HDDVD
coupled with an HDTV. We've seen very few of these so far, but this
might be the year to do more of that.

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