Obviously true HD (and not just a VHS tape converted to digital) is of higher quality than the old standard, if only minuscule in some circumstances; I don't think anyone could dispute that. But a friend a few days ago said something that surprised me: "I can't even watch standard anymore. I have gotten used to HD and now SD is difficult to watch at any length." I had heard one other person say this a few years ago, but he's a pathological liar, so he doesn't count

Do you see HD as "so much better" that SD -- which we had been watching and had gotten used to for many generations -- needs to now be burned at the stake and thrown out as soon as possible?



I have no problems with SD, and I don't see what the big deal is just because HD came along. I still watch YouTube videos at the lowest quality available (saves loading time on my slow connection.) The only HD anything that I own is a 21.5" widescreen monitor that I have had for only 8 months. I was happy with CRT monitors when they were the only thing available (still use one from time to time on an older system I don't pull out very often) and I am perfectly happy with the standard def LCD monitors I have had in the past. It's only because one of those burned out after almost 10 years that I bought this monitor.

I watch television on a 14" CRT screen (it's only 3 feet away, so the picture isn't as small as you might think but this also means higher grain.) I still have VHS tapes that I watch on my CRT TVs. While I can understand the newest generation knowing only HD walking around with smartphones that have higher res than any of the large CRT televisions in my home, it surprises me how my generation behaves as if SD isn't just lower quality but evil.


What are your thoughts?

I much prefer HD.  But in all honesty, if the movie / show is good, I'm not paying attention to the picture quality.  Doesn't mean I don't appreciate it.  Doesn't mean I don't notice it throughout.  But at the end of the day, it's really all about the story.  And it really doesn't matter how well you dress that up.  A good story is a good story and a bad one is a bad one.  SD / HD won't change that at all.

Still, I prefer to view a good story in the best visual / audio quality I can.

We have HD TV and while we don't watch Blu rays on it yet, we do have the HD package through our satellite provider. Honestly, I can take it or leave it. It doesn't look that much different. And yes, I know it's set up correctly. I can see the small improvements but honestly, to me, the differences are just that, small. There's no problem going back and forth between HD and my old TV in my bedroom that I watch just as often.

Now, on the other hand, about a month ago I watched a VHS tape for the first time in about 3 years (the show was only available on that format) and I was stunned at the quality differences between that and DVD. Blurry, grainy, I thought something was wrong with my eyes for a minute before the light bulb went off...

I have a 73" television and watch lots of SD DVDs on it.  Most of them look fine.

Of course, my Blu-rays look better...

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Depends on the display size and viewing distance. On my 32" the difference is negligible, on the 40" it's quite noticable and beyond that I'm sure SD would hurt my eyes...

But for a really big screen 1920x1080 isn't that impressive. I'm waiting for 4K. 

Quoting Ken Cole:

Quote:
The only thing that really bugs me is watching a non-anamorphic DVD on the projector screen.  Hard to believe some studios fought against anamorphic for so long.  *Cough* Fox *Cough*

Got that right. FOX really dragged their feet and didn't see the light until season 7 of the X-Files. Now it'll probably be years if ever before we see the series released in HD. Last word from Frank Spotnitz was that neither he nor Chris Carter are involved in any Studio decisions for a Blu-ray release of the series.

From what I've gleaned from Mr. Spotnitz's blog, the series was shot it 35mm but the special effects were shot on video at a lower resolution so it's highly unlikely that an HD release of the series will see the light of day due to quality issues...which is a very sad thing indeed .

Thanks a lot FOX . Just one of your many blunders over the years.

I'm with GSyren on this one, as a fellow Oppo owner, and I share SpikyCactus' nuances as well. Much depends on the source material. If a good new transfer was done for a blu-ray release, the difference can be stunning (e.g. Monty Python's Life of Brian). If existing transfers were good to begin with, my Oppo can make SD look surprisingly good, too.
When watching TV, true HD material (as opposed to upscaled broadcasts) is a lot better than SD (e.g. History HD vs. SD History).