In the Mouth of the Gift Horse: An Extended Rant in High Def
01/31/2007 10:15 Filed in: Technology
I'm still enjoying the plasma TV and HD DVD player that I essentially got for free last week. In fact, I've been amazed at the world of wide screen high definition movies and television and still feel like I have my own personal movie theater. No complaints there. But I do have some thoughts about the peripheral issues that come with venturing into such worlds that some of you might be interested in.
1. Do I really need that set-top box to receive the HD channels?
Apparently not. I got $100 off the purchase of my LG plasma television for signing up in the store with Insight Communications for the HD channels. Now, this is a deal that I could have cancelled the moment I stepped into the parking lot. The problem? Both Best Buy and Insight told me that I absolutely had to have the set-top box in order to receive the HD channels.
I bought the television on Monday, but Insight wasn't coming to my house for the installation until Thursday. In the meantime, I plugged in the same cable that had been in my older RCA set into the new LG plasma. I then set the LG to scan through the available channels. First it registered all the regular cable channels that I'd been used to. Then I noticed that it was scanning through something called "Digital Cable." What do you know--it found the HD channels!
When the cable guy arrived on Thursday morning, I showed him that I was already receiving the HD channels without a set-top box. He emphatically told me that I was mistaken--that I was viewing the channel stretch out to fill the screen. To demonstrate that I was not doing that, I switched to the regular NBC affiliate and then I switched to the HD version. The latter even had an "NBC HD" logo in the bottom right. After still protesting a bit, he finally conceded.
I'm not a fan of set-top boxes. I think they are an extra way for cable companies to get more money out of its customers. When we first moved into our house the Cable company said we had no choice but to take one. After keeping it two or three weeks and not being overly excited by it, I determined that the cable plugged straight into the television worked just as well, except that I now couldn't order Pay-Per-View or Movies On Demand. Who cares. I forced the issue, took back the box and got my bill reduced by $10 every month.
For right night I'm keeping the set-top box that was supposedly necessary for my HD channels, but only because it has a DVR in it. I may decide to give it back and find my own personal DVR that I wouldn't have to pay an extra $13 every month.
2. Why didn't the cable company give me a manual with the set-top box/DVR?
I suppose because they don't want me monkeying with it. But it's got firewire and USB ports, a smart media reader and no telling what else. This device is just asking to be connected to my computer. Fortunately, I found a copy of the manual on the Motorola website, but it looks like they've changed the firmware. Regardless, the monkeying will commence as soon as I have some free time. I'd love to be able to remove HD video recorded on it, edit it on my Mac and burn it to DVD. I'll let you know how that works.
Further, not only was there not a manual with the set-top box/DVR, there weren't any instructions for recording television shows. Now, I've since discovered that it's quite easy--all I have to do is find the show I want to record on the online schedule, highlight it, and hit the record button on the remote. But why don't they just tell you that? I wasted a good bit of time trying to figure it out and making it a good bit more complicated that was necessary.
3. Why are the advertised HD channels so misleading?
On the HDTV page (click the HD Channels tab) of Insight's website, they offer this lineup of HD channels:
So I called the company up to ask about what I saw as misleading advertising. I mean doesn't it say, "You'll automatically get local broadcast channels and the most popular networks like..."? I suppose the key word here is like which can mean "similar, but not the same as." The woman I spoke to said that for me to get the three missing channels I would have to sign up for yet another package that would cost another $20/month. I asked her if she realized how misleading the Insight website is. She replied that she had not seen the website. I asked her if I could give her the URL, to which she replied that she had no desire to see it, I suppose implying a total apathy on her part that her company is misleading customers. I realize that often I should really just back down from a useless argument, but sometimes such deliberate obtuseness merely makes me push back more. So I asked to speak to her supervisor. After keeping me on hold for well over a half-hour, she came back on and said that if I would give her my phone number, one of her supervisors would call me back as they were all currently busy. That was two days ago and I've still heard nothing from them. I'm not sure if I can hold my breath much longer.
Yes and no. I've complained for years about the crummy picture offered by cable television. I've said over and over that if you live within range of a television station, a simple rabbit ear antenna on your television will give you a better quality picture than what cable can deliver. You just want get hundreds of other useless channels. Well, the six or so HD channels that I get are excellent quality, especially on my 42" screen. All of the other regular channels are still lousy, of course and now that I have comparison of the two on the same set, it just makes me a bit more resentful about the poor quality of standard cable television channels. I'm no television/cable technology expert, but I can't help wonder why it is that if they can deliver crisp HD pictures, they can't make all of them with quality images since they're all coming through the same cable.
If you've been having HD television envy realize a couple of things. First, most channels are not HD ready, and even if they are, not every television show is in HD. Even on the tradition three big networks, only two out of the three morning shows are in HD and none of the evening news shows are yet. And it seems that only the most popular of television shows are in HD, and sometimes I'm surprised to discover which ones are in regular 4:3.
Second, although the HD shows are very sharp and somehow it seems nicer to watch them in 16:9, you're not really missing out on a whole lot. All the action is still kept in the center of the screen for the benefit of the majority who still do not have HD sets. When are all channels supposed to move to HD--by 2009? I suppose that only after that deadline, directors will start to take advantage of the whole screen.
Currently, I only own about three HD DVD movies. My regular DVD collection is fairly large, so I doubt that I will ever attempt to completely replace it with HD movies, unless that's just a multi-year goal. Regardless, from now on, I would prefer only to buy movies in HD. Also, I would consider replacing some of my favorite movies because HD DVD really is significantly more impressive than regular DVD. However, having said that, if I were to replace any movies, it would definitely be some of my favorites. What I've noticed though about a number of the HD movies (both HD DVD and Blu-ray) that have come out in the last few months is that they are movies only with no extras. Part of the reason I enjoy buying a DVD (as opposed to what will not doubt be an increasingly popular method of downloading them through legitimate sources) is the bevy of extra features such as deleted scenes, making of featurettes, etc. But take King Kong, for instance that came with my HD DVD add on drive. It contains only the movie with no extras at all. And if any movie ever called for extras, it would have to be King Kong. And although I know that HD movies take up more space on the disc than regular DVD movies, I'm assuming that there's lots of wasted space left on a disc that comes with only the movie.
As an aside, I said in my previous post about the HD format wars that I didn't have a clear format--that both HD DVD and Blu-ray technologies were superior to regular DVDs and I suggested that if anyone is torn, to merely flip a coin if HD movies are wanted now. However, to be honest, I suppose that now that I have an HD DVD player (which was bought not because I thought it was superior to the Blu-ray players, but simply because it was cheaper), I am rooting for that format to win. Universal's recent announcement of 100 planned exclusive releases for the year from both it's own back catalog and new movie releases concurrent in HD DVD and standard DVD is really a shot in the arm to this format.
Also, if you're holding out for the LG BH100 dual format player, keep in mind two things. (1) It's still cheaper to buy a regular HD DVD player and a regular Blu-ray player separately than to get the BH100. And (2) the BH100 won't access the HD DVD interactive features. It will essentially only play the movies. If you want a dual format player, I'd recommend waiting until the next round or until prices come down.
I find it highly ironic that it takes me three remotes--all claiming to be universal remotes--in order to use all the features of my new HD setup. If I want to watch HD DVD movies, I have to use the Microsoft remote. If I want to use the DVR features, I have to use the remote from the cable company. If I want to access input modes or audio and video features of the plasma television, I have to use the LG remote. All three will change volume and turn my television on and off. But that's about as universal as it gets.
Okay, rant over. I originally thought this post would only take a couple of paragraphs. I'd be glad to entertain any conversation in the comments.
Ahhhh...the Cable Company
1. Do I really need that set-top box to receive the HD channels?
Apparently not. I got $100 off the purchase of my LG plasma television for signing up in the store with Insight Communications for the HD channels. Now, this is a deal that I could have cancelled the moment I stepped into the parking lot. The problem? Both Best Buy and Insight told me that I absolutely had to have the set-top box in order to receive the HD channels.
I bought the television on Monday, but Insight wasn't coming to my house for the installation until Thursday. In the meantime, I plugged in the same cable that had been in my older RCA set into the new LG plasma. I then set the LG to scan through the available channels. First it registered all the regular cable channels that I'd been used to. Then I noticed that it was scanning through something called "Digital Cable." What do you know--it found the HD channels!
When the cable guy arrived on Thursday morning, I showed him that I was already receiving the HD channels without a set-top box. He emphatically told me that I was mistaken--that I was viewing the channel stretch out to fill the screen. To demonstrate that I was not doing that, I switched to the regular NBC affiliate and then I switched to the HD version. The latter even had an "NBC HD" logo in the bottom right. After still protesting a bit, he finally conceded.
I'm not a fan of set-top boxes. I think they are an extra way for cable companies to get more money out of its customers. When we first moved into our house the Cable company said we had no choice but to take one. After keeping it two or three weeks and not being overly excited by it, I determined that the cable plugged straight into the television worked just as well, except that I now couldn't order Pay-Per-View or Movies On Demand. Who cares. I forced the issue, took back the box and got my bill reduced by $10 every month.
For right night I'm keeping the set-top box that was supposedly necessary for my HD channels, but only because it has a DVR in it. I may decide to give it back and find my own personal DVR that I wouldn't have to pay an extra $13 every month.
2. Why didn't the cable company give me a manual with the set-top box/DVR?
I suppose because they don't want me monkeying with it. But it's got firewire and USB ports, a smart media reader and no telling what else. This device is just asking to be connected to my computer. Fortunately, I found a copy of the manual on the Motorola website, but it looks like they've changed the firmware. Regardless, the monkeying will commence as soon as I have some free time. I'd love to be able to remove HD video recorded on it, edit it on my Mac and burn it to DVD. I'll let you know how that works.
Further, not only was there not a manual with the set-top box/DVR, there weren't any instructions for recording television shows. Now, I've since discovered that it's quite easy--all I have to do is find the show I want to record on the online schedule, highlight it, and hit the record button on the remote. But why don't they just tell you that? I wasted a good bit of time trying to figure it out and making it a good bit more complicated that was necessary.
3. Why are the advertised HD channels so misleading?
On the HDTV page (click the HD Channels tab) of Insight's website, they offer this lineup of HD channels:
Now, the first set of bullets are what supposedly comes with the $13/month set-top box (which I've already determined that I don't necessarily need to get the HD basic lineup). The second set of bullets, called the HD Pak, comes with yet another $8/month fee. A lot of people opt for this HD Pak I've been told because it has ESPN HD with it. I'm not a big enough sports fan for this to matter to me; I'd probably be more interested in the movie and Discover HD channels.
However, I quickly noticed that I was not receiving the bottom three bullets in the first list: ESPN 2 HD, TNT in HD and MHD. Now, it's not that I necessarily wanted these channels, but it was the principle of thing thing since it was advertised and I was not getting them. But I had failed to note the little asterisk after the word "lineup" in the screen capture above. So I scrolled down and read this disclaimer:
* HDTV set, Basic Service, HD receiver (or Insight CableCard) required to receive all HD channels. Subscription to Classic service and at least 1 Digital Programming Pak (or Digital Standard/Choice) is also required to receive MHD, TNT in HD and ESPN2 HD. Not all programming available in all areas. © 2006 Insight Communications Company, Inc.
So I called the company up to ask about what I saw as misleading advertising. I mean doesn't it say, "You'll automatically get local broadcast channels and the most popular networks like..."? I suppose the key word here is like which can mean "similar, but not the same as." The woman I spoke to said that for me to get the three missing channels I would have to sign up for yet another package that would cost another $20/month. I asked her if she realized how misleading the Insight website is. She replied that she had not seen the website. I asked her if I could give her the URL, to which she replied that she had no desire to see it, I suppose implying a total apathy on her part that her company is misleading customers. I realize that often I should really just back down from a useless argument, but sometimes such deliberate obtuseness merely makes me push back more. So I asked to speak to her supervisor. After keeping me on hold for well over a half-hour, she came back on and said that if I would give her my phone number, one of her supervisors would call me back as they were all currently busy. That was two days ago and I've still heard nothing from them. I'm not sure if I can hold my breath much longer.
Are HD Channels Really That Great?
Yes and no. I've complained for years about the crummy picture offered by cable television. I've said over and over that if you live within range of a television station, a simple rabbit ear antenna on your television will give you a better quality picture than what cable can deliver. You just want get hundreds of other useless channels. Well, the six or so HD channels that I get are excellent quality, especially on my 42" screen. All of the other regular channels are still lousy, of course and now that I have comparison of the two on the same set, it just makes me a bit more resentful about the poor quality of standard cable television channels. I'm no television/cable technology expert, but I can't help wonder why it is that if they can deliver crisp HD pictures, they can't make all of them with quality images since they're all coming through the same cable.
If you've been having HD television envy realize a couple of things. First, most channels are not HD ready, and even if they are, not every television show is in HD. Even on the tradition three big networks, only two out of the three morning shows are in HD and none of the evening news shows are yet. And it seems that only the most popular of television shows are in HD, and sometimes I'm surprised to discover which ones are in regular 4:3.
Second, although the HD shows are very sharp and somehow it seems nicer to watch them in 16:9, you're not really missing out on a whole lot. All the action is still kept in the center of the screen for the benefit of the majority who still do not have HD sets. When are all channels supposed to move to HD--by 2009? I suppose that only after that deadline, directors will start to take advantage of the whole screen.
What's the Deal with HD DVD Movies?
Currently, I only own about three HD DVD movies. My regular DVD collection is fairly large, so I doubt that I will ever attempt to completely replace it with HD movies, unless that's just a multi-year goal. Regardless, from now on, I would prefer only to buy movies in HD. Also, I would consider replacing some of my favorite movies because HD DVD really is significantly more impressive than regular DVD. However, having said that, if I were to replace any movies, it would definitely be some of my favorites. What I've noticed though about a number of the HD movies (both HD DVD and Blu-ray) that have come out in the last few months is that they are movies only with no extras. Part of the reason I enjoy buying a DVD (as opposed to what will not doubt be an increasingly popular method of downloading them through legitimate sources) is the bevy of extra features such as deleted scenes, making of featurettes, etc. But take King Kong, for instance that came with my HD DVD add on drive. It contains only the movie with no extras at all. And if any movie ever called for extras, it would have to be King Kong. And although I know that HD movies take up more space on the disc than regular DVD movies, I'm assuming that there's lots of wasted space left on a disc that comes with only the movie.
As an aside, I said in my previous post about the HD format wars that I didn't have a clear format--that both HD DVD and Blu-ray technologies were superior to regular DVDs and I suggested that if anyone is torn, to merely flip a coin if HD movies are wanted now. However, to be honest, I suppose that now that I have an HD DVD player (which was bought not because I thought it was superior to the Blu-ray players, but simply because it was cheaper), I am rooting for that format to win. Universal's recent announcement of 100 planned exclusive releases for the year from both it's own back catalog and new movie releases concurrent in HD DVD and standard DVD is really a shot in the arm to this format.
Also, if you're holding out for the LG BH100 dual format player, keep in mind two things. (1) It's still cheaper to buy a regular HD DVD player and a regular Blu-ray player separately than to get the BH100. And (2) the BH100 won't access the HD DVD interactive features. It will essentially only play the movies. If you want a dual format player, I'd recommend waiting until the next round or until prices come down.
Why Is There Really No Such Thing as a Universal Remote?
I find it highly ironic that it takes me three remotes--all claiming to be universal remotes--in order to use all the features of my new HD setup. If I want to watch HD DVD movies, I have to use the Microsoft remote. If I want to use the DVR features, I have to use the remote from the cable company. If I want to access input modes or audio and video features of the plasma television, I have to use the LG remote. All three will change volume and turn my television on and off. But that's about as universal as it gets.
Okay, rant over. I originally thought this post would only take a couple of paragraphs. I'd be glad to entertain any conversation in the comments.