I will say that when I first got the TV I had Comcast digital service with the HD set-top box. At that time the picture was spectacular considering the relatively few HD programs that were being broadcast. We watched whatever was on in HD, and enjoyed it immensely, even showing it off to friends and neighbors.
What has changed?
First was the pixelating and picture freeze-ups that occurred frequently. Comcast said it was the fault of the broadcasters, and the broadcasters said it must be the fault of Comcast.
In any case, it was a situation that seemed to me to be getting worse as more and more HD channels were added to the service. I also noticed that VERY often the picture and sound were not quite in synch. Always, if I switched to the non-HD version of the show, both the pixelating and sound problems were non-existent. Also, the sound problem always seemed to go away when the program cut to a non-HD commercial.
Anyway, about a year ago, I got disgusted with the runaround from Comcast and switched to (EchoStar's) Dish Network. Ah, the picture was great, except for the same pixelating, freeze-ups, and sound synch problems. Where to go now for service?
I have noticed that these problems do not seem to exist in display set-ups in stores such as Best Buy, Circuit City, or other stores that sort of specialize in HDTV sales. Might that be because the pictures that are being shown in these locations are not the same over-the-air broadcasts or cable-satellite programming that consumers receive at their homes?
If HDTV sales are really going to take over the industry in a big way, these problems must be addressed. It has been my experience that the possibilities afforded with the digital broadcast system is almost limitless, these problems MUST be corrected.
The cable and satellite carriers cannot be held totally at fault, either. For example, I was watching Las Vegas (NBC) one Friday evening when the pixelation and freezing was particularly bad, along with the sound synch problem. I was on Dish Network, so I called my nephew , who is on Comcast in another village about 25 miles away and had him check his TV and found that he was having the same problem at exactly the same time.
That kind of eliminates the Dish Network and also Comcast from the equation, doesn't it?
While HDTV will no doubt be the system of the future, the industry must clear up these problems instead of pointing the finger at the other guy. Get together, get their engineers and technicians off their a%% and resolve these problems and do it now!
Paul Haak is a HD Observer for TVPredictions.com. If you would like to be a HD Observer, send an e-mail to: swann@tvpredictions.com
The opinions of our HD Observers may not reflect the position of TVPredictions.com.
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