Washington, D.C.
(February 8, 2007)
--
I get scores of e-mails
every week from readers asking everything from whether
they should buy a new HDTV to when will their TV
provider add new high-def channels.
So, from time to time, I will publish my responses here in this column called, "Ask Swanni!"
Q. Do you still think that we shouldn't buy DIRECTV's HD DVR? I know that you've said it's buggy. -- George R.
Yes, to refresh everyone's memory, I said late last year that I couldn't recommend getting DIRECTV's HR20 HD DVR because of widespread reports that it repeatedly failed to record programs and would often freeze up when you hit the fast-forward or rewind buttons. (I had my own problems with the high-def recorder and had to get a replacement unit at one point.)
However, after testing the device for the last few weeks -- and talking to numerous DIRECTV HD DVR owners around the country -- I am going to lift my ban. It seems that DIRECTV has finally fixed the software issues that were causing the recording glitches.
That's not to say that every DIRECTV HD DVR will work perfectly; even time-tested products will occasionally have problems. But I think it's now safe to buy one.
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Q. Do you really think the federal government should be responsible for getting people to switch to Digital TV? Shouldn't the broadcasters and cable companies do this? -- Alice M.
The federal government passed the law mandating that everyone's TV signals will go digital in 2009 -- and it will likely generate $10 billion in the auction of the old analog signals. It can afford to spend some of that $10 billion on an education campaign to ensure that its citizens don't wake up one day and can't watch their TVs.
NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams.
Q. I heard a rumor that NBC will go high-def with its evening news in March. True? -- Marcus B.
A. TV Newser, a blog at MediaBistro.com, has reported an unconfirmed remark by a NBC Nightly News producer that the program will go high-def next month. If so, it will be the first network evening news program to air in HDTV. However, I have not been able to confirm the report. Not yet anyway. So, NBC employees out there, if you know anything about this, let me know. Your anonymity will be protected.
Q. Do you think that LCD or Plasma offers a better HDTV picture? -- Marcie G.
A. I have both a LCD and Plasma and I think that Plasma offers a slightly better picture. The blacks are richer; the details a bit sharper. However, I have a live-in girlfriend who says the LCD picture is better so I really don't think there's a right answer to this question. Everyone will have a different view; just be sure to enjoy it.
Q. Did you see Katie Couric in high-def on the pre-game Super Bowl show? Ouch. -- Matt S.
A. Let me just say this. NBC might go high-def for Brian Williams, but don't count on CBS putting Katie in HD anytime soon. That may sound harsh but you can't underestimate how important image is in television. Katie is not HD-friendly.
Q. I live in a small community and one of my local stations is not broadcasting in digital yet, much less high-def. Isn't there anything I can do about this? -- Josh W.
The federal government requires stations to go digital by February 17, 2009. Until then, there's not much you can do.
Q. I liked your article on which HDTVs offer the best HD picture. But what about high-def sets that offer the best picture for non-HD channels? My wife hates the way CNN and MSNBC looks on our HDTV. -- Frank T.
That's a good question. Consumer Reports recently reviewed 98 high-def sets for how they look when displaying standard definition channels. I will try to analyze their report in the near future and report my findings here.
Q. If I get a Blu-ray HDTV DVD player, will I ever be able to play HD-DVDs on it? Even if the two companies come to a truce? -- Aaron D.
No, even if Blu-ray and HD-DVD resolve their differences and settle on a single format, current Blu-ray players will only be able to play Blu-ray DVDs. Same goes for HD-DVD players. However, LG's new dual-format player will display both Blu-ray and HD-DVDs.
Q. Why isn't Survivor in HDTV? -- Yardley L.
CBS says it's too risky to bring expensive high-def cameras out into the wild. Network executive vice president Marty Franks jokes that you can't exactly bring a broken camera down to a corner Sony store in Fiji to be fixed. However, high-def cameras are getting less expensive so look for even Survivor to go high-def sometime in the near future.
So, from time to time, I will publish my responses here in this column called, "Ask Swanni!"
Q. Do you still think that we shouldn't buy DIRECTV's HD DVR? I know that you've said it's buggy. -- George R.
Yes, to refresh everyone's memory, I said late last year that I couldn't recommend getting DIRECTV's HR20 HD DVR because of widespread reports that it repeatedly failed to record programs and would often freeze up when you hit the fast-forward or rewind buttons. (I had my own problems with the high-def recorder and had to get a replacement unit at one point.)
However, after testing the device for the last few weeks -- and talking to numerous DIRECTV HD DVR owners around the country -- I am going to lift my ban. It seems that DIRECTV has finally fixed the software issues that were causing the recording glitches.
That's not to say that every DIRECTV HD DVR will work perfectly; even time-tested products will occasionally have problems. But I think it's now safe to buy one.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Q. Do you really think the federal government should be responsible for getting people to switch to Digital TV? Shouldn't the broadcasters and cable companies do this? -- Alice M.
The federal government passed the law mandating that everyone's TV signals will go digital in 2009 -- and it will likely generate $10 billion in the auction of the old analog signals. It can afford to spend some of that $10 billion on an education campaign to ensure that its citizens don't wake up one day and can't watch their TVs.
NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams.
Q. I heard a rumor that NBC will go high-def with its evening news in March. True? -- Marcus B.
A. TV Newser, a blog at MediaBistro.com, has reported an unconfirmed remark by a NBC Nightly News producer that the program will go high-def next month. If so, it will be the first network evening news program to air in HDTV. However, I have not been able to confirm the report. Not yet anyway. So, NBC employees out there, if you know anything about this, let me know. Your anonymity will be protected.
Q. Do you think that LCD or Plasma offers a better HDTV picture? -- Marcie G.
A. I have both a LCD and Plasma and I think that Plasma offers a slightly better picture. The blacks are richer; the details a bit sharper. However, I have a live-in girlfriend who says the LCD picture is better so I really don't think there's a right answer to this question. Everyone will have a different view; just be sure to enjoy it.
Q. Did you see Katie Couric in high-def on the pre-game Super Bowl show? Ouch. -- Matt S.
A. Let me just say this. NBC might go high-def for Brian Williams, but don't count on CBS putting Katie in HD anytime soon. That may sound harsh but you can't underestimate how important image is in television. Katie is not HD-friendly.
Q. I live in a small community and one of my local stations is not broadcasting in digital yet, much less high-def. Isn't there anything I can do about this? -- Josh W.
The federal government requires stations to go digital by February 17, 2009. Until then, there's not much you can do.
Q. I liked your article on which HDTVs offer the best HD picture. But what about high-def sets that offer the best picture for non-HD channels? My wife hates the way CNN and MSNBC looks on our HDTV. -- Frank T.
That's a good question. Consumer Reports recently reviewed 98 high-def sets for how they look when displaying standard definition channels. I will try to analyze their report in the near future and report my findings here.
Q. If I get a Blu-ray HDTV DVD player, will I ever be able to play HD-DVDs on it? Even if the two companies come to a truce? -- Aaron D.
No, even if Blu-ray and HD-DVD resolve their differences and settle on a single format, current Blu-ray players will only be able to play Blu-ray DVDs. Same goes for HD-DVD players. However, LG's new dual-format player will display both Blu-ray and HD-DVDs.
Q. Why isn't Survivor in HDTV? -- Yardley L.
CBS says it's too risky to bring expensive high-def cameras out into the wild. Network executive vice president Marty Franks jokes that you can't exactly bring a broken camera down to a corner Sony store in Fiji to be fixed. However, high-def cameras are getting less expensive so look for even Survivor to go high-def sometime in the near future.