I have a high definition TV. I bought my first set last June and have my eye on buying a bigger one. I am also married, and while my wife also likes the HDTV, it's clear (no pun really intended here) that I'm much more ready to leave the world of 4x3 480-line "standard definition" behind in favor of wide screen 16x9 high definition.
At first, I considered this might be explained as more of a money issue. But the price of high defintion TVs is continuing to come down. Smaller sets can be now be had for less than $500.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 84 million HDTV's will be up and running in American homes by the end of 2008.
But are they all bought by guys?
In my informal, utterly non-scientific personal poll, enthusiam for HD seems to be a guy thing. Women seem more "whatever" on the subject. Yet, according to the ratings, women watch a lot of TV.
If an HDTV were a new laser-guided table saw, or a sportscar, the guy angle might make more sense.
So, help me out ladies. Is HDTV just no big deal for you, or is my "poll" just plain wrong?
I am a woman, and I love HD. :) Bear in mind most shows have only recently started recording in HD, and if you use a DVR, shows recorded in HD take up much more space.
We've had an HDTV for the past 3 or 4 years, and recently upgraded to a flat panel. Oh man - I LOVE having HD.
Yeah, I watch some of my regular shows in HD, but I love watching sports in HD, the quality is like comparing a cassette tape (or 8 track) to a compact disc. I know that not everyone will see the difference and most people probably don't appreciate the picture clarity, but I certainly do.
Not a lady but my girlfriend is more into it being flat then the HD. A tv hung on the wall takes up a lot less space and looks more appealing the a big old tube tv.
NOT a guy but LOVE my HDTV. I'm an avid baseball fan and almost prefer sitting in my livingroom watching over going to the park.
Once anyone, including women begin watching HD, then its only a short time before any other technology (480) comes up short. Yes, you're hooked. Guys like technology, thats just they way it is. The girls like it too but they're not usually first out of the chute with the credit card to go buy the newest wiz bang at Circuit City. Ask any marketing people who know their stuff and they'll tell you. I talked to a poor sap the other day who wants to buy an HD but (gulp) his wife wouldn't let him right now. I believe the word she used was "not necessary". She also recently picked out the car he drives. A red four door KIA 4 cylinder. Not even a six banger for cryin' out loud. Full-on Chick car. It even had a fuzzy kitty cat thing hanging down from the rear view mirror. Poor guy. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him it was going to be OK. Can't even pick out a TV.
Once anyone, including women begin watching HD, then its only a short time before any other technology (480) comes up short. Yes, you're hooked. Guys like technology, thats just they way it is. The girls like it too but they're not usually first out of the chute with the credit card to go buy the newest wiz bang at Circuit City. Ask any marketing people who know their stuff and they'll tell you. I talked to a poor sap the other day who wants to buy an HD but (gulp) his wife wouldn't let him right now. I believe the word she used was "not necessary". She also recently picked out the car he drives. A red four door KIA 4 cylinder. Not even a six banger for cryin' out loud. Full-on Chick car. It even had a fuzzy kitty cat thing hanging down from the rear view mirror. Poor guy. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him it was going to be OK. Can't even pick out a TV.
While we are on the subject here, I just got my new Panasonic 42" HDTV, but I am confused on receiving the "HD" picture here on Ch-5.. They say to tune to Ch-5.1 . This is where I get confused.. My new tv won't do that..I have a outside antenna. Also, we have DirectTv. (which i understand I need to pay extra to the HD feature). But how can I get HD on my outside antenna, which should be free? Or do I need a special outside antenna?
I agree with mattg that women just love the displays because they are flat and look so much better in a room than a CRT.
The reason guys like HD so much more than women is because guys can pick up resolution, colors, clarity etc. more than women can, and it matters more to them. Men can also better pick up things that can go bad in a picture, like pixelation, 3:2 pulldown effects etc.
The reason apparently is evolution - Men for thousands of years have been the ones to go out and hunt and bring back food. This made them better in looking at a scene, say a dense jungle, and figure out if what they see is a part of an animal or what. So even today we care so much about what we are seeing, what the resolution, clarity, lighting etc. is.
I'm a woman and love HD. Within a few weeks of seeing my first HDTV, I ditched the fuzzy 32" 4:3 CRT (ironically, I gave away that TV to a man, who doesn't seem to notice the lack of picture qulity), to get a 42" plasma. I'm an artistic type--color and resolution are very important to me. And I'm disappointed by the sad gender stereotypes presented here. The only reason I don't have HD DVD yet is I'm waiting for the format wars to end.
I am interested in what happens to those of us who won't be able to get TV once the switch happens. We have installed the converter and moved the antenna all the way around and we still only get channels 13 and 20. None of the Seattle channels. I've checked with Circuit City and the web and found that there is not even a new antenna out there that works for those of us in the hills or out of range.
So we will be sad to lose the information King 5 News provides now as we won't be able to even get it in the near future. We live near Eatonville. I'd like to hear from others who have tried it but didn't get a signal.