BeckyFL Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The TV in our family room just died. We have been buying used TV's on craigslist so not TOO big of a loss. Now the question is... do we upgrade to HDTV? But.... if we upgrade, do the SD channels look bad? Does it end up costing a lot more per month since we'll need HD channels? We have Verizon FIOS Essentials and I think just a few HD channels are included. Is it worth the price of a new vs used TV? I didn't really want to spend time on this right now, but we DO need to watch American Idol! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I hate to admit it because I did think HD was a load of something smelly, but I LOVE watching it. It really does make a difference in clarity. I can't tell a difference with the regular channels - they don't look better or worse IMO. We do pay $10/month for the extra HD channels. I'm not sure it's worth that, but dh did and signed a contract so I'm stuck with it for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 We don't have cable so we were using one of those boxes that the government was giving out coupons for in anticipation of the conversation from analog to digital in February (which has been postponed or something). Then our analog tv died. My husband bought an HD and I have to say that I do NOT see any difference. It may be because it's not hooked up to cable with the fancy channels, but two of our local news stations and our PBS station are already in digital, so we do have stations that are supposed to be better....but honestly, I don't see it. I've tried flipping back and forth between the HD and non-HD to figure it out, and I'm not seeing any difference except the size on the screen (we got an HD widescreen). And the non-HD channels sometimes seem distorted...I'm sure when/if the switch to all HD happens that will go away, but ....sigh....I really wish we had saved half that money and stuck with another old TV. We watch mostly news and DVDs so I may not be the best judge. My DH on the other hand says that he does see a difference even if the kids and I don't....so we kept it. We bought it at Walmart and they have a 90 day return policy, so maybe you could buy it, keep the box and all the "stuff" and use it for a week or two to see if you see any difference. If not, return it, as they don't care if your reason for return is "I changed my mind", and then get a cheapy. That's what we were planning to do but since DH says there is a difference to him, we're keeping it. Since we tend to keep TVs until they die (the second set in the bedroom is at least 11 years old as it's older than one of our kids, lol)....so at least I can console myself that this $400 expense is amoratized over at least 10 years right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey in MA Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I could take it or leave it. DH was gung-ho to get it, and isn't usually gungho about stuff like that, so I let him w/out protest. I don't find it too "special" quite honestly. If we didn't have it, my quality of life wouldn't go down! ha! So if money is an issue or even a consideration, don't feel like you're majorly missing out if you end up not getting one. Also FWIW, I DON'T like huge TV's! Our newest is a 37" and I personally think it's too big. I would have preferred the one size down. I think there's a web site you can go to where you plug in some data and it tells you what TV is the right and comfortable size for your room. Google it and see if you can find something like that.... I remember finding it AFTER we had purchased ours. Would have been useful before hand - ah well! Happy TV shopping! - Stacey in MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyJo Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've always heard there is really no difference at all. I have a sister who lives out of state so needless to say I haven't seen it yet but she said it was a waste of money. I would just go for a new "regular" tv. Which, then again, our family is not much on a tv so I would definately never spend extra money for better graphics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 My guess is that HD probably isn't that noticeable if you have a small tv, but is much more noticeable if you have a large-screen tv. We've got a 47" flat screen HD, and there's a world of difference between the HD and regular channels. My parents have a much smaller tv, and it's hard to see any difference at all. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 With a good feed - it's STUNNING. I have only seen it in person on my computer with a TV tuner. I was doing the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and was flipping between the 2 channels. WOW. But i didn't have enough hard drive space to record the HD version. A good HD won't fix a crappy input, but with a good quality input - its amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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