You are partially right about replacing when they die. However, many people will use their old TV for a 2nd or 3rd set.
DTV sales were 91,000 units in June. The price dropped $200 in one month. Sales are up 400% from last year. Projected sales are for doubling every year. Sales of DVD players are up 25% over last year. Programming is getting broader every month.

Aug 22, C-3D demonstrated the worlds first HDTV disc for movie distribution. (DVD's are compressed junk in re HDTV). www.c-3d.net or email me for complete packet on C-3D.

Time Warner AOL has agreed to put all their past and future content onto the new FMD discs. Profilo, the largest TV maker in Europe plans to have FMD drives made part of 1/2 their televisions in 2003.

I think that HDTV will be here very soon and quality is more a function of content delivery which will soon come up to speed. You are probably watching regular content now that is line doubled.

hey brett i wasn't at all talking to you in any way...so don't get all defensive...i was simply passing on knowledge...robert

Robert,

You need to invest in a Prozak perscription friend.
I was in no way being defensive. This is my topic and
I wanted to chime in. You should get in your "ultimate
driving machine" and take a long trip across some small
country back roads, enjoy the scenery and take a deep
breath.. Relax :) We're all cool here.

lol....yeaa maybee your right....robert

[ACTION] Extends his hand to Robert in a show of good
faith.

Glad we're on the same level :)

Hello folks;

I had a tube 1988 28" RCA Monitor (800 Line)I was pleased with it. My freind owns a Stereo store & had me sold on the 53" Toshiba HDTV. I called him last year & said ok I'll buy it. He said come in & see the
new Pioneer 53" - i did so then put the demo dvd in each HDTV (as well a Marantz & others. My eyes told me what to me was the best. The same way my ears have always picked my sound system components. Then after that was done he said oh yeah have you heard the new
Yamaha RX-V1 since I hadn't I took listen.
The result: I just came upstairs from my living room to check my email & browse this site after finishing watching a movie on both of these products. My ears & eyes (my friends tell me) are extremely good!
My pocket book however is still angry at me $10K later! LOL

Brett, et al,
This is going to be a bit long because I am surprised at the response in this post regarding high definition broadcasts in general and Pioneer HD RPTV in particular. I love my HDTV. I have been enamored of high quality video and audio for a very long time. I purchased a laser disc player before VCRs were sold. I was then amazed that anyone would buy a VCR because the picture was so crummy and the sound was worse.

When I was given the okay to upgrade my video gear at the beginning of 2001, a wide-screen HDTV was tops on my list because I was tired of watching DVDs with black bars on my 27" Mitsubishi. Like most people who have seen the Pioneer Elite RPTVs, I was smitten. But could not afford one. I went with the standard (53") Pioneer RPTV because I felt it displayed regular cable (NTSC) better than the other comparable RPTV sets. I saw very little difference in the high definition picture among the sets I was interested in. HD output was uniformly outstanding!

I was surprised at the cost of all the other stuff I needed. To get a high definition signal I had to purchase DTV tuner (Hughes) for about $600 (a bargain). Then, I needed to send about $100 for a video cable that would connect the tuner to the TV's component video inputs (otherwise I couldn't display true HD signal). I then went through about 4 or 5 antennas until I found a great (Channel Master) UHF antenna that would reliably capture the OTA digital broadcast signal from local stations. (Since, for the most part, you can't get HD network broadcasts from satellite or cable!) Now, I can not wait to watch HDTV shows.

The CBS primetime lineup is mainly in HDTV and they have been broadcasting SEC college football games every Saturday this fall. ABC is broadcasting more and more in HD and NBC (in conjunction with HDNet) will be broadcasting the 2002 Winter Olympics in HD.

The HD shows (especially sports) is like watching reality through a window. It is truly WOW TV. I have found myself watching shows just because they are broadcast in HD. I recently watched about 10 minutes of The Young and The Restless on CBS. (Now that was sad, watching a soap opera because it was in HD!)

If your HD picture on your Pioneer RPTV is not simply great, you may not have the DTV tuner correctly connected to the TV. HD signals must be input through either component video inputs, Input 1 or Input 2 (which is recommended) or through the VGA input (Input 4). If you are running the output from the DTV tuner through the standard antenna or S-video output, the quality will probably be lower than watching the direct cable feed from the Antenna A or Antenna B inputs. (At least that is my experience. I watch the digital and HD broadcasts through the DTV tuner and regular cable through the antenna inputs.) Check your manuals for correct connections.

Irrespective of HDTV, watching widescreen DVDs on this Pioneer is still worth it. It isn't WOW TV, but it sure beats the heck out of my 27" Mitsubishi with the black bars!!!

By the way, DVD players have outsold VCRs for the last few months (since August I believe). And digital TVs are increasing in popularity by leaps and bounds. Probably because of those "black bars" or 4:3 sets. Widescreen sets are here to stay.

Widescreen may be here to stay but I will not own one
intill A: all OTA is 16:9 or B: well there is no B!

:)

I do not mind black bars considering even in 16:9 I
have a larger display on my 61" than even the largest
of widescreen's currently have.