Money, happiness does not buy
also

technology gets really boring when you are on your fourth upgrade (of anything).

Hi-Def is good, but not "I've got to tell the rest of the world" stunning.

LSD did nothing for me, so it was probably dud. That's maybe a Good Thing.

Jean-Michel Jarre at the Docklands. God it was awful.
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:31, 11 replies)

My issue with hi-def
is that if so much focus is spent on packaging, ie, 40" of high def shiny chrome-y loveliness, you have to assume the content (programming/films etc) is shit.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:33, closed)

what I don't understand
is having adverts for hi-def, and super uber hyper quality tv adverts . . . . on my TV, I can't see how good it is you fucking cuntybuckets, because my telly is shit!
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:38, closed)

I agree with halfy
I comment on that too. How do I know how good it is - I have an HD TV but I'm too tight to pay for a Sky HD box!
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:41, closed)

I agree with Hi-Def...
Very over rated.

VHS to DVD was a sizable leap in definition, and quality. VHS had been around since the late 1970's and it was about time there was a decent upgrade (as opposed to the half arsed measures of Video CD and the doomed Phillips CD-i format).

I have compared a Blu-Ray player to a standard DVD player/recorder on playback and there are tangible differences in definition. But, not enough to shout it from the top of your rooftop.

In fact, a Blu-Ray disc has too many silly menu's and is too anally retentive. I feel that it's all picture quality and disc content over substance.

The worst culprit was "Aeon Flux". There were loads of daft closeups to show off the hi-definition playback that got in the way of the film. Blu-Ray discs just become a "detail fest" that distract from the enjoyment of the film.

And this is from someone that has the latest eletronical shiny whatever, and not someone that is a Luddite. Believe it or not...
(Panteneman Isn't entirely sure why he bothered on, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:43, closed)

but lsd
is wonderous (or at least it was)
(pogo_it, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:49, closed)

There's also
an amazing amount of films *not* on Blu-Ray yet. And upscaling DVDs don't look markedly different from Blu-Ray, at least not enough to make the purchase necessary IMHO.
Oh, and I've got a 42" plasma if that makes any odds. So it should be plenty good enough to show a significant difference.
Problem is, lots of people who've invested dosh in upgrading don't want to announce the fact they've just pissed away their money, so they are happy to prolong the myth that the tech is worth the spend.
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 14:53, closed)

I had tickets to JMJ at Docklands
and was unable to go, so I've always been disappointed that I missed my chance to see his wibbling with laser harps.

Sounds like drinking myself into oblivion in a bar in Cambridge as a better option.
( chthonic, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 15:04, closed)

Get yourself an XBox or PS£
That's where HD comes into it's own.

PCs have had HD for years you say? Well yes that's true but have you seen the price of a 50" wide screen monitor?

EDIT: Didn't mean for the watching of films and the like, only for the HD gaming. Higher quality images are not key to making a film of high quality. All too often it is responsible for disrupting my suspension of disbelief, and thus just a collection of scenes surrounded by cameras..
( Gregor Lenko There's a tree..., Thu 26 Jun 2008, 15:13, closed)

I have a PS3
and a few Blu Ray discs - and like I said, good, but not as incredible as say the jump from 2 speaker sound to 5 speaker...(proud owner of 4 Celestion Studio Monitor 66s)
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 15:22, closed)

@chthonic
The sound was like an AM (MW for older readers) radio turned up loud. The visuals would have been great if you were hanging 200 feet in the air and maybe 1/4 mile back but none of the audience had that viewpoint.
Then the entire 200 000 crowd had to leave the concert via an exit maybe wide enough for 5 people.
Missed the last train back home.
Disaster - you were better off in Cambridge. Massive disappointment
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 15:27, closed)

Comparing HD with standard def
is, for me anyway, like the difference between an unfocused or focused picture. I've been watching Euro 2008 on BBC HD and the difference in quality between that transmission and the usual Freeview/Freesat digital transmission is very noticeable. I've only got a 32" lcd but I honestly find it hard to watch standard definition now.
(highly_defined, Thu 26 Jun 2008, 16:25, closed)