How much difference between SD and HD

when I watch TV I don't even bother going to those high numbered HD channels.
the plus for HD is that you can see every wrinkle in Jerry Springer's face. the minus is that you can see every wrinkle in Jerry Springer's face.
bumpy

DrTanTodd wrote:
Penny try the Winegard Carry Out. It gets HD with DISH and I assume it would with Direct

Nope. To get DirecTV HD, you'll need an open-faced portable dish or a Winegard Travler.

Penny try the Winegard Carry Out. It gets HD with DISH and I assume it would with Direct

When HDTV was first introduced I was a non-believer, but, over time, I've come to agree that at screen sizes of 40" and above the HDTV picture really is nicer to look at. That doesn't mean the programs are any better, but, for example, if you watch Downton Abbey in HD the scenes and the costumes have far more resolution and add to the enjoyment IMO.

I'm curious to see how the roll-out of 4K TV will go over the next couple of years. I think 3D was pretty much a bust and I am curious if the industry is going to be able to convince people that another 2X improvement in resolution is going to be something they just have to have.

I don't really care which it is I'm watching. it's better than watching the grass grow.

Some food for thought:

All DVDs are standard definition (480P). You don't hear many people complaining how bad the picture looks.

Prior to retirement I worked at a TV station and was involved with much of the installation of the digital equipment. When the news studio was upgraded to high definition, the cameras were switched from 4x3 aspect ratio to 16x9 but remained standard definition for a while. At the time there was a Minneapolis internet forum dealing with local HD TV. There was a lengthy thread debating whether the cameras were HD or SD. Many people couldn't tell the difference.

In the larger metro areas most of the channels on TV are standard definition. Usually stations broadcast one channel in HD and have one or more sub-channels that are SD. Some have several SD channels only.

I did an experiment one time to see if anyone would notice a difference in picture quality. I dialed down the bit-rate of the HD program quite a bit and left it that way for a day. There were no comments on the forum. The next day I added a third channel. The HD program remained unchanged at the same bit-rate. This generated a bunch of comments on the forum complaining about degrading the HD channel.

So it boils down to: It's in the eyes of the beholder.

Something I have discovered.

If you are watching a really good movie and half way through the movie turn off the tv.

Now ask your partner if the movie was in color or black and white.

Also ask if it was in HD or SD.

Likely neither of you will be sure provided the question is asked after the tv is off and there was no prior knowledge the question would be asked.

A good movie is OK in black and white and SD.

But I do enjoy my HD TV when there are things I need to read such as which car is in the lead on the Sunday NASCAR race.

PennyPA wrote:
We can't find a carry-out antenna that will support DirecTV HD. How much difference is there in the clarity between SD and HD?

Can not help you with HD/SD but this I can say.

NO "Dome" type antenna currently available supports DirecHDTV.

Some support DISH HDTV but non support DirecHDTV..

Reason: Direct uses a different radio band for HD.

If you have 32+" TV's you will really enjoy satelllite HD but it's still not as good as the OTA HDTV. The biggest difference is that your SD picture will not fill the screen on an HD TV so you either get a smaller picture with white or black bars on each side or us have to use the Stretch/Fill option to have the 4:5 format fill your 6:9 screen which tends to make everything appear stretched a bit out of proportion or you lose the edges of the picture.

Unless the TV in the RV is 32"+ and 1080 do not worry about SD/HD.