i've been reading up on high-definition and it's all so confusing. there are so many different formats and different products that it's hard to figure out which is the best to use. is it even worthwhile going to HD at this point in time when it's still so new in SA?
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need to understand HD
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Take a look at the "HDTV Tv Cards" thread, it provides a couple of answers for the questions you have.
As far as the current status of HDTV in SA, at present there are no HDTV channels broadcast and this unlikely to change until 2008/2009. If you plan on purchasing a Plasma or LCD TV then by all means get a HD Ready TV but for the most part it will be of little benefit (for now) other then if you have a Xbox 360, Playstation 3 or a HDTV DVD drive.
thanks!
Have checked that thread already. i'm in post-production and wondering whether we should purchase some HD hardware and software (NLE's, decks, etc). and like i said before, there's so much out there that it's difficult to decide whether or not to buy one NLE instead of the other.
Have checked that thread already. i'm in post-production and wondering whether we should purchase some HD hardware and software (NLE's, decks, etc). and like i said before, there's so much out there that it's difficult to decide whether or not to buy one NLE instead of the other.
I'm not too fussed about HD, I'm waiting for it to mature, it's far too expensive to invest in anyway.
We're happy with our 42" Panasonic plasma display, only does 853x480 but when you consider the content that's readily available at the moment it was the best bang for our buck IMHO.
We're happy with our 42" Panasonic plasma display, only does 853x480 but when you consider the content that's readily available at the moment it was the best bang for our buck IMHO.
killadoob
Honorary Master
hd tv looks incredible omg
playstation 2 and xbox 360 just look amazing on an hd tv
playstation 2 and xbox 360 just look amazing on an hd tv
Another thread worth reading (although I see you already posted there) is the "When is SA getting High Def?" as it goes into a little more detail on the 720p vs 1080i debate and it will help you understand where the broadcasters are currently at.
It really depends on who your target market is and what the format of the source you are being provided with is. If you're only dealing with South African broadcast companies then it may be a little early to purchase new equipment as it will be a while before they will be able to make use of it, if you're dealing with International companies then things are a little different. If you're in the market of creating DVD's then you may want to consider looking into HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.
Other aspects to consider are whether you're dealing with the post-production of adverts or of full-length shows. Although the advertising industry tends to lead the broadcast market in many regards it's not really necessary for it to go the HDTV route just yet (other then for the wow factor). When broadcasting in HDTV, the information supplied with the transmission will include such details as to weather the video is 720p, 1080i, widescreen, etc. The supplied information will then be interpreted by the decoder or TV and the correct output would then be generated, as such there is no reason why SDTV (576i/p) adverts can't be mixed together with HDTV shows.
Unless you (or your company) has money to splash around, it's probably best to hold off on the purchase of new equipment for now. What I'd recommend you do is first look into the software side of things and get upto speed on that. Even when provided with a SDTV source there are filters for upscaling the content to produce reasonable HDTV content.
Given you're in the market, going down the HDTV route (even to a limited extent) would definitely be worth your while as you could establish your offering as one of the few local companies to offer such a service
As far as the NLE software and equipment are concerned, you're best bet is to take a look at the "AVS Forum" as well as the "Doom9's Forum" (which includes a "NLE - Non Linear Editing" section), there you'll be able to get opinions from people already using the software/equipment.
The HD standard is now very mature and the current standards will remain as they are for quite some time. As far as the locally available equipment, yes it's a little overpriced at present (especially consider most people can't make use of it) but the price has been on a steady decline and will continue to do so as the demand picks up.
If you already have a Plasma or LCD then I'd agree that for the moment there is little point in purchasing a new HD Ready TV. However, if you're looking at purchasing a new, high quality TV that you'd like to keep for the next 5+ years then I'd seriously recommend getting a HD Ready TV.
Although the Playstation 2 offers component output, that is not HDTV. The closest you can get to HDTV with the PS2 is by using the "Xploder HDTV Player". Some HDTV's do have built-in upscaling features which may account for the improved quality.
The Xbox 360 (requires the purchase of the premium package or the purchase of the component cable) and Playstation 3 (requires the purchase of a HDMI cable) both offer proper HDTV output.
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scotty777
...doesn't know
ok basically it's just a much more clear image, it also has better colour and they deep is better.
K
kingrob
Guest
I think the easiest way to explain HD is to use a PC game for example :
Playing the game at 640 X 480 & then changing the resolution to 1024 X 768 - huge difference in the graphics details of the game!
That is basically HD in a nutshell.
*TivoZA, thank you so much for all the information! It's really informative & interesting to read.
(DmZ)Wrecky
Expert Member
Basicaly to get a clearer picture on a bigger screen.
I bought a HD philips 75" screen for R5500, very impressed with the quality, and durability
K
kingrob
Guest
Are you sure Nokkie? Don't think you get 75'' screens yet.... and R5500 sounds a tad low.
maybe 75cm!
anyway hi def basically is any video source of or greater than 1280*720!
hdmi/hdcp and all those things are different technologies and standards of how hi def is broadcast etc etc.
right now you can go download hi def content and watch in on your pc, nothing fancy needed, (content is limited and rather large and are just demo's) but its really just big hi res movies!
anyway hi def basically is any video source of or greater than 1280*720!
hdmi/hdcp and all those things are different technologies and standards of how hi def is broadcast etc etc.
right now you can go download hi def content and watch in on your pc, nothing fancy needed, (content is limited and rather large and are just demo's) but its really just big hi res movies!
Did it by any chance fall out the back of a truck? If you can get one of those at that price, i will get one tomorrow