Shift to Low-Def TV by Older Guys ?

[Snade]

I watched the Bears game yesterday at a friends on his new Sony LCD hi-def TV.

The picture quality was simply amazing.

But the sharpness was so sharp, it actually had an "odd" look to it, almost an "artificial" look to my eye.

My 1982 19" Sony Trinitron has very warm colors, the detail, of course, is less sharp than new TVs, but to me - more pleasing to my eye.

Are people over 50 (like me), with an eye trained to years of low-def TV viewing, going to switch back to vintage TVs as we get older, just like many of us now prefer the analog sound of records compared to digital ?

[radiotvnut]

It could very well happen. Only time will tell. I'm not even close to 50 and I plan to watch SD sets as long as I can.

[Sandy G]

About every hi-def TV to me seems like it has all the controls turned up "all the way to 11"- the color's too colorful, the image is too sharp, the whole business is "Dolly Parton"- too much too much. And motion scenes look weird- they "tear" or something, just don't look quite right. But then I'm an old poop, wish this whole HDTV nonsense would just go away.

[mhardy6647]

The old vacuum tube color TVs may not have much 'definition', but the warm, rich color always brought to mind the look of movie film to me (and I am thinking carbon arc projectors).

[Cadillac Kid]

Lots of video professionals prefer CRT monitors for color correction. Broadcast quality CRTs are disappearing rapidly, to the frustration of many.

[Duane]

I have a high def CRT RP and the images it produces in HD is stunning.LCDs,DLPs and the like just do not look normal to me either.There's something about the image that looks phony..cannot describe it in words.I don't think it's our age or our eyes.They just look artificial.

[Scorpion8]

I think we prefer analog to digital because we exist, we hear, and we see in an analog world. Digital is an artificiality to allow easier storage, cheaper production, and pursuit oif the almighty $.

[240sx4u]

God, analog vs. digital debate finally crosses into video lines LOL.

IMO with color and everything set correctly on my DLP the picture walks all over my analog sets.

One wierd thing though, is the magnification is so great on some things that its odd. Think of the detail you see on someones face normally, then blow it up to fit a 50" tv. I can see lines on the upper lips of most news anchors that smoke. Honestly, not sure if I could see it in real life.

Evan

LCD's, Plasma's and even DLP's have very distinct looks, and yes they can easily look "too powerful".

Personally I have found myself liking Samsung's LCD's, they seem to be warm and not "too" sharp. As for DLP's Sony makes some nice ones, Plasma's I don't know to be honest.

Don't worry its not the age in your eyes, I'm 23 and notice it.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

motion scenes look weird- they "tear" or something, just don't look quite right.

Yeah, the LCD ones seem to do this smearing the worst, that and if anything is black, it turns into a black lump with no detail at all.

For this I should spend the big bucks? Not this cowboy.

[Scorpion8]

All that hi-res also increases the obviousness of digital artifacts that you can see when you have DVD-read errors, or poor digital cable transmission. If you want it bad, you usually get it bad.

[ChrisW6ATV]

I like the descriptions above of "too powerful", "too colorful" and so on. High-definition TV breaks all the boundaries of traditional NTSC, but maybe it is like showing the real Grand Canyon to someone who has only seen pictures of it, or how a live NASCAR race sounds, or a real lion up close after seeing only MGM movies.

Most people, when they say they prefer analog, really mean they do not like things too real. There is a reason TV dramas have always been filmed but comedies were often on tape. Put a drama on tape and it will look like the TV news, but we know it is acting and it will seem fake. On film, with its "warm", specific look, we are already prepared for an act rather than real life.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by 240sx4u

IMO with color and everything set correctly on my DLP the picture walks all over my analog sets.

You said the magic words- "with everything set correctly". Probably relatively few people have seen well-adjusted HDTV displays. Certainly none of the ones in retail stores are ever set up properly.

Originally Posted by Snade

I watched the Bears game yesterday at a friends on his new Sony LCD hi-def TV.

The picture quality was simply amazing.

But the sharpness was so sharp, it actually had an "odd" look to it, almost an "artificial" look to my eye.

My 1982 19" Sony Trinitron has very warm colors, the detail, of course, is less sharp than new TVs, but to me - more pleasing to my eye.

Are people over 50 (like me), with an eye trained to years of low-def TV viewing, going to switch back to vintage TVs as we get older, just like many of us now prefer the analog sound of records compared to digital ?

You need to drop by for a few beers some day and watch a properly adjusted Sharp Aquos...

[drh4683]

I also agree with the picture being to "powerful" and too sharp. I also agree with the idea that it appears that the controls are all the way up. This is not biased because I like my vintage color Tv sets. I personally cannot watch those sets without some kind of side effect. The picture is outstanding, but it strains the eye and i almost get a vertigo effect. Im only 24 so Im not going to factor the age thing here. Im glad this was brought up because I felt like the only one who felt this way about viewing those sets. Vintage tv or not, I like NTSC on a CRT set.