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Definition Transition Article
Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Article by Rob Fahey
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Published as part of our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz' widely-read weekly newsletter, the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial is a weekly dissection of one of the issues weighing on the minds of the people at the top of the games business. It appears on Eurogamer after it goes out to GI.biz newsletter subscribers.
The reshuffling of console offerings and price points by Sony and Microsoft in recent weeks has had a number of consequences - some more surprising than others. UK commentary has tended to focus on the unexpected price rise for the 360 Arcade model, which has actually raised the base level cost of entry to the current-gen console market, but another move which has raised eyebrows is the decision to bundle very basic AV cables with both the slim PS3 and the new Xbox 360 Elite model.
What this means is that, several years into the console generation which was meant to herald the glorious arrival of high definition, not a single console system is presently being sold with an HDMI cable in the box. Microsoft, at least, bundles a cable which can output component, which does enable some HD resolutions - the PS3 Slim simply doesn't come with any HD-capable cables at all.
Vocal consumers have voiced disbelief at the move, and many in the industry haven't been far behind. After all, years of visiting friends' houses to discover previous generations of console hardware plugged into perfectly decent TVs with dreadful composite cables or, worse, RF adapters, have taught us that most consumers will use whatever cable comes in the box and never bother buying a new one. Aren't Sony and Microsoft selling themselves - and this entire generation of hardware and software - short?
Perhaps not. From the perspectives of these companies, they want to include the cable which will be of most utility to the largest group of consumers possible, and it's clear that whatever research they have done suggests that the majority of consumers don't need - or rather, can't use - an HDMI cable. Neither firm wants to put an assortment of cables in the box "just in case" - each additional cable erodes millions from the firm's profitability, after all.
So something - and I'm going to assume that it's detailed research, rather than a cost-saving hunch - leads Sony and Microsoft to believe that the lion's share of their consumers aren't going to be plugging their consoles into HD-ready, HDMI-equipped TVs. But this is late 2009 - hasn't the world gone HD yet, as we were all led to believe it would?
Supporting evidence that all is not well with the HD transition comes from Epic Games' Mark Rein, who told Eurogamer earlier this summer that "over half the users who played Gears of War 2 so far do not have HDTVs".
Gears of War is a core gamer franchise, beloved of early adopters and the soi disant hardcore. If less than half of those users are playing on HDTVs, what must the percentages be like for games like FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer - let alone Singstar and Buzz, or popular movie tie-in titles?
Listening to the vocal minority of upstream gamers who post on internet forums and make their voices heard, one would think that HD had reached a high degree of market penetration and that SD television remained only as a rapidly disappearing relic of the past. The reality, however, is that the landscape for HD television is still extremely fractured.
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Poster
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+7
The Xbox 360 and PS3 still have a huge advantage over the Wii even displaying in 'SD'.
And sorry, for the price paid for both the 360 Elite and PS3, a HDMI cable should not be an extra cost. The ONLY thing that is a positive is the fact that both consoles can use any generic HDMI cable, which is a step in the right direction. It should also be noted that using HDMI makes it much harder (on the 360 atleast) to be playing SD on a HDTV. Edit: I do realise this is about the transition to HD not being as quick as expected by some. Still, shame on MS and Sony for lack of HDMI in the box.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 03:53
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KrissAkabusi
05/09/09 @ 03:01
+17
@pickster and ybfelix
You both sound like spoilt brats. This is an excellent article, it's a very accurate portrayal of where the market is at. |
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-1
@ KrissAkabusi
"You both sound like spoilt brats" I feel certain that your one of the devils advocates around here... but either way, how does saying MS and Sony should stick a HDMI cable in the box with their console make anyone sound spoilt? Would really like to see what you can whip up in response |
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KrissAkabusi
05/09/09 @ 03:28
+8
The article perfectly details why an HDMI cable is likely not in the box Pickster.
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+12
My point is, the 360 Elite (Not arcade) is a premium console, as is the PS3. Sony even went to great lengths to add wifi and blu ray and marketed it as a premium console which is super value compaired to the 360 and Wii.
Why on earth should it be wrong for anyone to expect these two consoles to come with a HDMI cable. Also you will note at no point did I say a HDMI cable should replce the composite cable.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 04:37
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PapaSmurf630
05/09/09 @ 04:35
+5
I didn't realise there was anything wrong with composite cables up until reading this article :S Aren't they better then a scart lead? (non HDTV type person)
To much money for something I don't really really need. |
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donnie080208
05/09/09 @ 04:49
+1
even with the "HDREADY" logo on tvs in the uk,which gurantees a hdmi and 720p, i think its still way too complicated for lots of people. if all you did was plug something in with say a scart lead and the tvs turned everything into HDEF there would be no problems as the digital switchover has shown. with HD though there is a bewildering amount of leads and different boxes needed. i think untill SD tvs/DVD/ TV programs are fazed out totally then this confusion will pursist. anyway i think the slow HD adoption rates will force msoft and sony to make a long console lifecycle, as what would be the point of new machines that run as standard 1080p etc.., if half your current install base hasnt even moved from standard def yet
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+14
"I didn't realise there was anything wrong with composite cables up until reading this article :S Aren't they better then a scart lead? (non HDTV type person) "
Composite is the worst connection available today, one step up from RF cables that you needed to tune the TV to use. A RGB scart cable offers a far better picture. It has to be a proper RGB one though, not just one of those adapters that comes in the box, that just does composite through the scart socket. Another common mistake is people often say they using composite when actually they are using component and vice versa(not saying you are). Component is better than scart and is the best connection available for SD sources, it is also capable of HD although VGA or HDMI are better for that in most cases. As for them taking the cables out of the box, its stupid. Had they never included them then fair enough, buying an HDMI cable from ebay is easy and cheap. However it is more the perception that now you're getting less than they previously offered that could hurt them. The same applies to the arcade model, raising the price yet removing the arcade games means you're paying more and getting less than people who bought the same thing a month ago. That wont sit well with most people.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 07:03
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-3
i cant really sse the point in sony or ms leaving out hdmi cables in the consoles, after all you can get cheap ones for pennys, in terms of hdtv,s the general public are a little uneducated or simply dont really care, but i think as the likes of sky hd and bluray are increasingly thrust upon them then they will become more educated in these matters. Like the artical says the first 20m buyers are probably fairly tech savy but the next 20m will think they re playing in hd because it says so on the box even if young jonny's playing super stardust hd on a B&W 14" ferguson! either way sony and ms will sell conoles because they' re hd.
Still cone on guys.....is it that hard to chuck in a basic hdmi cable? |
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spidermanalf
05/09/09 @ 07:04
+17
And don't forget they will sell 'officially branded' HDMI cables for about 20quid! And people will buy them instead of buying a cheapo one for about 2-3 quid!
Also I have family and friends who have HDTVs and not done any research and say they look rubbish, and when I go round I have to faff with all their settings and get them to buy new cables to get it looking decent. If you are on this forum, you have a certain level of 'geekness', you have to remember all those people like your parents and siblings out there, you know, the ones that ask you to fix their computers etc, that have no idea about technology and will buy the el cheapo flat screen TVs from Asda as they are on sale, and they cannot buy their old CRT TVs anymore and have no idea about resolutions/refresh rates etc. Sometimes I think people on here forget that not everyone in the world is techsavvy! |
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+12
A very good and focused article, maybe MS and Sony missed the point and have been too worried about providing something that most of their customer base can't use... In any case I believe that a HDMI cable should be included on all Xbox 360 and PS3 systems, even only one in ten were going to use them, because HD is the defining feature of the generation! Although everybody knows by now that not including them is just a trick to have stores happy to sell HDMI cables for 30€.
Let's just hope that the industry gets its ideas clear and we just get rid of the hustle (RF, composite, scart, component... and all those HDMI 1.x), HDMI needs to be the only option available for the next decade at least of people will just start banging their heads into the nearest wall. By the way, how are people expected to understand if even the basic advertising is so wrong? I understand that "720p" and "1080p" are good and meaningful names for techy people but are horrible to advertise to normal people, but who thought that calling them "HD Ready" and "Full HD" was any better? It's misleading! HD-Ready? Ready for what? Ready for HD but not Full? If not Full, is it half? How can something that is not Full-HD be HD at all? A cat is only a cat if it is a full cat! Can it become Full with an upgrade? They are so unclear that some people think that they are the same (HD is HD) but from different brands... that IS bad! |
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AaronTurner
05/09/09 @ 07:32
+18
The amount of people I know that have their sky / freeview box feeding a 4:3 ratio to a widescreen TV is unbelievable. If people can't even set-up a menu correctly, what hope do they have of selecting the right cable?
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Emmit_Assassin
05/09/09 @ 07:40
+9
@ybfelix
It's not that people are stupid, its just that the true idiots are the ones selling the HDTV's. All they are bothered about is convincing people that once they buy their tv, they are viewing everything in HD. It's all about the money. A local shop to me had an advert on the radio stating that they would take people's tv's away for them when they bought a new HDTV from them. The tag line was 'We will take your tv, even though it will be useless after the digital switchover!' This blatent lie therefore makes them a predator on peoples misconceptions of the digital switchover. Companies don't care if you understand what you are supposed to do with your spanking new HDTV, they have their money, so who gives a flying squirrel s**t? There were many other companies telling people you need a new TV for the switch. It's the same with Xbox 360, PS3 and HDTV. The salesman doesn't need to tell you exactly how to hook everything up, they just need to mention the magic word HDTV, or Full HD, and it's sold. And the, IMO, is the reason the switch to HD has been so slow. No one seems to know what the hell is going on. They just buy the HDTV and then sit and watch SD TV, and play SD games. But it's because it's not been properly explained to them, not because they are stupid. |
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Stormflood
05/09/09 @ 07:40
-9
If people want to spend big money on devices without learning about what they can do, or how they work, let them. The rest of us can enjoy HD in its full glory.
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+26
Pretty decent article. I can't believe people thought the transition to HD would only take a couple of years.
Between 720p, 1080i and 1080p, DVD and Blu Ray, Sky+, Sky HD, Cable, Freesat and Freeview, it's no wonder it all confuses many people. And people don't want to learn about it. Like many people here who prefer the simplicity of console gaming over the perceived difficulties of PC gaming, people just want to go in, buy a TV, plug in and watch it. And who can blame them? None of us are experts in everything. I bet there a lot of people here who put little thought into buying a car other than what it looks like and how it feels during a test drive. There are several problems that have caused a slow transition. 1. Most people are not going to rush out and spend several hundred quid on a TV as soon as new technology is released. Especially when you go into a shop where the TV's are poorly setup and often have terrible images. 2. Many can't see the difference. It doesn't matter how obvious it looks to you, a lot of people just can't tell the difference of a higher resolution image 3. It's expensive, you don't just need a new TV. You need a BluRay player, Sky HD or whatever. More than most are prepared are to pay. The 360 and PS3 can't handle HD anyway, it's a lot of PR bollocks. Many games are upscaled. Until all games are native 720p AT THE VERY LEAST, and running at a smooth and solid 60fps it's not HD. the 360 and PS3 is NOT HD in full glory. Finally, my HDMI cables cost a few pounds. Buying in huge bulk this would probably cost MS/Sony pennies to include in their £299 consoles. No excuse.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 08:50
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Emmit_Assassin
05/09/09 @ 07:46
-5
@Errol
I agree. My Panasonic SD TV has the best picture of any SD I've seen, although I'm guessing yours will be a little better, even. The only reason I do not have an HDTV as yet, is that the only thing I'd need one for is my Xbox360 to have a slightly better picture. When mine breaks, I'll get one, but untill then, I'm quite happy with SD. I think MS and Fony were too quick to advertise the 'new way'. The transition to HD is still a while off whilst companies are more interested in selling HDTV's for no reason, and not telling people how to get the best out of them. And, as this excellent article states, they are already touting 3D TV. I thought HD was the next best thing? Does that mean that the machines they are trying to sell us are already about to be outdated? |
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insane_cobra
05/09/09 @ 07:53
+3
Frankly, I don't care if HDMI cables are included or not (using a slightly older LCD monitor, I need a VGA cable or a converter anyway), but the fact that you need an HD cable for displaying HD signal should be prominently featured on packaging and in instruction manuals. I own neither HD console yet so I'm not sure whether that's the case, but I somehow doubt Sony and Microsoft would be trumpeting the fact when neither of them includes proper cables in the box.
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CreepinJesus
05/09/09 @ 07:57
+4
"...can output component, which does enable some HD resolutions" - you mean like... the same HD resolutions HDMI can output?
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Emmit_Assassin
05/09/09 @ 07:59
+9
@spidermanalf
I completely agree! All the youg-un's on here seem to think that if someone isn't tech savvy, they shouldn't exist and deserve everything they get. What a childish thing to think. Most people don't want to know how it works, they just want to know that it WORKS. They just want to be told what to do. The amount of peoples laptops and Pc's I've fixed lately, I've given out advice to three work friends on how to set up their Xbox Live, why their router won't let them connect, why their HDTV picture is shite (forgive the latin) why Norton is the biggest rip off this century, why they need an HDTV ( most don't), what TV to buy, when the digital switchover is happening, why it's happening, why his mum moans a bit sometimes at night, (oh, no, sorry that's my son). There are so many people who just don't care enough about new tech to read up on it, but yet they don't want to be left out of any new fangled machine their next door neighbour has. Which is why so many people have a Wii, but haven't played it for the last few months. And this is what all companies are preying on at the moment, including MS and Fony. |
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dominalien
05/09/09 @ 08:04
+2
Component is better than scart
This is actually not true, because SCART has a lot of pins and CAN include composite, s-video and component video, if the cable has all the necessary pins connected. Heck, it even includes a pin that tells a 4:3 TV to switch to 16:9 mode if the device on the other end requests it. Component (RGB or YCbCr or YPbPr or whatever else there is) has three signals which contain image information and is arguably better than S-Video which has two (although I see no difference - but haven't made any direct comparisons or measurements) and Composite which has only one (and offers decidedly inferior picture to S-Video or Component). I am currently visiting my Mum for a couple of weeks and brought my PS3 with me to connect to her 29" CRT TV (first time I'm connecting it to a 4:3 device) and I must say I'm very positively impressed! First, image quality is very good (S-Video cable), although the drop in resolution to 576i hasn't made Tomb Raider Underworld any smoother - it still regularly drops frames just like it did in 720p. Second, TRU and any other game I put on it are especially tailored to fill the entire screen in 4:3 (although of course I can't say if all games are like this). I fully expected to get a 16:9 picture with black bars on the top and the bottom. A nice surprise and, if anything, shows that a lot of care is given to how the games look in SD and on 4:3 screens (which confirms what the article says). All in all, it's been a very positive SD-PS3 experience for me :-) |
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sarcasmoidosis
05/09/09 @ 08:07
0
Cables in general are hard to handle on a console. I got a HDMI with my Elite, but since I only had a LCD, I went shopping for a VGA cable... I could only find one 200 miles away.
So I bought a HDTV :) |
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dominalien
05/09/09 @ 08:11
+2
I completely agree! All the youg-un's on here seem to think that if someone isn't tech savvy, they shouldn't exist and deserve everything they get. What a childish thing to think.
I don't think that. If everyone were tech savvy, I'd be out of work. Oh, and on topic: I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the lack of HDMI cables with the consoles is due to retailer pressure, where they can tell the consumer "ah, but to get the full experience you need this here 30 € cable". A bit similar to printer makers not including a USB cable.
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most recently on 05/09/09 @ 09:14
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+5
"Component (RGB or YCbCr or YPbPr or whatever else there is) has three signals which contain image information and is arguably better than S-Video"
What do you mean "arguably better" there's no argument about it. Component supports 1080p with no issues, SCART and S-video can't support a HD feed at all without significant losses in quality, as any quick look at wiki will tell you. |
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dominalien
05/09/09 @ 08:32
0
What do you mean "arguably better" there's no argument about it. Component supports 1080p with no issues, SCART and S-video can't support a HD feed at all without significant losses in quality, as any quick look at wiki will tell you.
You're right, of course. What I meant was "arguably better on an SD CRT screen". My bad. |
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nickthegun
05/09/09 @ 08:34
+1
An old, but relevant, example being the uproar when Dead Rising stuck two fingers up at people with SD TVs.
I dont think anyone made that mistake again. Except, maybe capcom again for lost planet... |
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+3
I'm sure most of the people on here are the "tech person" in their families and even, perhaps in their social circle too. If they can be arsed ;)
Some people I know are perfect example of tech ludditeness; eg being their widescreen TV being fed a 4x3 signal from their Sky box, and their little portable kitchen TV being fed a widescreen signal from a Freeview box. Honestly, they couldn't have set it all up worse if they'd tried. Oh, when I sat down I noticed their widescreen TV was set to 'Cinemarama', thus ensuring that no matter what, NOTHING WAS EVER, EVER IN THE CORRECT ASPECT RATIO. /Bursts into tears |
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captain_monk
05/09/09 @ 08:40
+2
"It makes talk of a transition to 3D seem even more premature. Let's try and get the last transition finished before we worry about the next one."
Rubbish! I have not gone to HD yet as my current SD TV is still fine for what I do and is working with very few problems. When the time comes for me to upgrade, if 3D TV's are not stupidly more expensive then a comparable HD TV with no 3D then I'll go for the 3D version. Why wouldn't I? People do not need to upgrade their equipment 1 step at a time you know. Also, to me the transition to TV's having depth (going 3D), is a much bigger, more obvious transition and bigger selling point than getting a few extra pixels (going HD). |
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+9
Why don't Microsoft/Sony put a voucher in the box which entitles owners of new machines to claim a free HDMI cable? This way, they will not waste money on the people who don't need it but the people who do will more likely start playing in HD. Also i'm very confused by the lack of people with an HDTV. When was the last time you walked into Curry's and saw a CRT or SD only TV for sale? Apart from the tiny portables used by lorry drivers ect they are all HD. Maybe in the USA they may still buy SD tv's but not most countries in Europe.
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0
Exactly, most of the none-tech people I know have 'gone HD' accidentally, really, as all they wanted was one of them new-fangled flat TVs to replace their ageing CRTs. There are quite a few 32" LCDs on sale in supermarkets and the like which're around the price people are used to paying for TVs.
Of course, most won't have anything HD plugged into them, but the display is there. That's why it's so annoying to me that HD cables now aren't included; most people don't know, they'll just think the cables in the box are good enough. Even though I've always had to point out (and someone has beaten me to it on these comments) that composite is just about the worst quality connection a modern system can use. :( |
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+2
The Xbox 360 looks lovely using the component output. So they've actually done the right thing there. If you have HD, it works out of the box, if not, the composite cable has that covered aswell. The best of both worlds.
And remember the 360 diden't have HDMI output at all untill recently. But the fact that they have removed the HDMI cable from the Elite box is still a little strange. I mean this is supposed to be the Premium, high end package. You pay extra for a reason, it would be nice if they did give you all the right cables from the start. I don't know how true that "people can't tell the difference"' argument is. A friend of my mom dropped by a while ago, she's well into her 60s and absolutly not a techy person but Open Season was on the TV, running of blu-ray in full HD. She was amazed at the quality. And came to me for advice when their TV broke to get an HD tv. I gave her a clear list of the requirments and what to look for. It could verry well have to do with what the article points out: many HD TVs are set up the wrong way, so obivously people aren't seeing the difference if there is no proper HD image being displayed. That's could be a verry big problem with HD in general.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 09:51
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LilithsCurves
05/09/09 @ 08:51
+1
I think it's not only about people not knowing how to hook up an HD device to an HD Tv properly. (if i get a Blu Ray Player with a HDMI cable i will plug one end where it fits on the player and the other end where it fits in the TV). one could argue that the missing HDMI cable in the Xbox360 and PS3 (both currently) will drive people to hook up their HD Tv with a scart cable but i am very sure that the lack of HD experience is the lack of HD television sets in the households. that's the reason why MS and Sony decided to leave out the HDMI cable and use a model that works on both (older and newer televisions). if they had 3 possibilities hdmi cable or sd cable or both cables. and if they didn't want to spend money on both cables, the logical way is to include the sd cable. it is far more likely that a "geek" (said with full respect) will buy a hdmi cable (admitted, he will be cranky but also happy to have now better resolution) then the average citizen buying a scart cable or adapter. he will just be frustrated and return the product. i thought the article was well on spot.
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dr_zoidthrob
05/09/09 @ 09:02
+1
With the SD TV's still being used, why are more developers/ publishers sticking with HD fonts?
Trails HD, I'm looking squarely at you - I own a perfectly good SD TV and Trials' font is incredibly hard to read, specifically the times. I have to guess what times my friends have done due to the similarity of the 1, 7, 6, 8, 9 & 0. Saying 'well get an HD TV' isn't a viable option, it should've been noticed at the playtesting stage. |
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0
There's a problem even with MS' solution of a combined composite & component cable: some people just didn't notice the big switch on the cable and used the composite mode.
I mean, hell, let's face it: some people will always need someone to set things up for them, whether through daftness of 'tech terror' they just want it hooked up as quickly as possible and never to have to look at the back of their hardware ever, ever again. |
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+3
The big problem with HD adoption (that many gamers seem to forget when they're being derisive of people without HDTVs) is that an HDTV doesn't do anything new. If you want to play the latest games, you have to buy a new console or keep your PC relatively current. An HDTV just gives you a better picture. For someone like me, who already has a couple of decent SDTVs and a very limited budget, forking out the cost of two 360s (at least) to get an HDTV of the same size as my existing TVs just isn't going to happen.
I'd love to upgrade, but I rarely have that kind of money available and when I do, there is always going to be something my family needs or wants more. |
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+3
To anyone playing games on SD TV: for the love of god, please make sure you're using a proper RGB SCART cable (NOT a composite cable plugged into a SCART adaptor) - and that it's plugged into the main AV input on your TV. On a lot of SD TVs, the only AV SCART input that takes RGB is the first one. The rest just display the composite signal.
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ParanoidZombie
05/09/09 @ 09:19
0
Not sure about this, HD ready TVs have reached the "good" price, if you wanna buy a new TV now you're bound to buy something HD, it's just about the same price as a big 4/3 SD. Which means the transition shall be done sooner than later.
But it's so true that people just don't know how to use their HDTVs, it's like they can't read a fucking manual, went to a friend's house to see his new HDTV and his x360 was set to 4/3 and 480p. Wattafuck??? |
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makeamazing
05/09/09 @ 09:41
0
HD is where Widescreen TV's were a few years ago (albeit a few years on from that).... its the same situation. Early adopters buying it, price descreases, then anyone who needs a TV gets HD as standard. HD TV are cheap as chips now so its unlikely thats a problem. I also find it strange that Sony and MS are not including the right cables, but then its not a surprise because its not an actual requirement, so it is extra cost.
Gears of War is a core gamer franchise, beloved of early adopters and the soi disant hardcore. If less than half of those users are playing on HDTVs, what must the percentages be like for games like FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer - let alone Singstar and Buzz, or popular movie tie-in titles Well i dont have GOW but i have Singstar :) , I think in TVs case there might actually be a larger amount of HD tv users from those that wanted stuff like Sky HD etc.. I didnt have a HD TV downstairs, but the TV that was in Warrenty broke we replaced it with a flatscreen HD TV... i suspect that more people get into HD without actually going out and replacing the current TV for the tech. I think HD TV has got alot to thank Sky, Blu Ray format and TV manufacturers for rather than any particular AAA games. |
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+3
For me its simple ..... i wont go HD so long as i have to pay those fascist cunts the Murdochs at SKY for the privelge of watching a decent amount of HD content.
Freesat dosent (yet) have enough on it to justify the expense, when it does, i'll buy an HD set. Buying an HD set 'just' for a console isnt justified in my world. |
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+7
What HD needs is a single mouthpiece to extoll its virtues and explain in clear, simple language how to get HD - in a similar vein as the Digital TV Switchover group. Because for some, the information on going HD is just bewildering.
It has been difficult explaining to some friends and family the benefits of HD. Not only how to get it and set it up but also its benefits. People have already been told that DVD is better quality than video and that digital TV is better quality than analogue - and now there is another even better quality??? I remember my mum saying 'why would I want to see every bit of detail on a person's face?' Also - when I was a newcomer to HD, I Googled the subject and the amount of information bewildered me. All the different resolutions, the connections, the refresh speeds, the contrast settings. It took me a good while to trawl and filter all the info and opinions to decide upon which TV to get - and in the end that was dictated mainly by price, not the features. At the moment, for most people it just isn't easy to go HD. You go to the TV shop and say you are interested in a new TV and you would like to 'go' HD. You pick a TV and ask the assistant, 'so if I buy this I can watch HD TV.' 'No,' is the reply. 'It depends what HD you want. If you want to watch movies or play games then you need to get an HD console or bluray - like a PS3.' Say the person doesn't want a PS3, they want a 360. 'Then if you want to watch blu-rays then you need to get a dedicated player as well. Unless you want to download HD movies through Xbox, which they charge for and you need a decent internet connection.' So that is more expense, so the person says, no I just want to watch HD TV, like BBC, movies and sport etc, I can do that with that TV yes?' 'No,' is the reply. 'You need to get an HD box.' 'I have freeview...' 'You need a proper HD box, either FreeSat, where you get a dish put up - its free, but you only get 2 HD channels. Or you can subscribe to Sky HD. Its an extra £10 on the basic sub and then you pay for extra HD channels.' You can't just go into a shop, buy an HD TV and go home laughing. There is layer and layer of ifs, buts and potential expense. I'm really glad I took the trouble as I could never give up my PS3, TV and surround set up now - but for most people it just isn't worth the expense and hassle. |
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0
Having played GoW 2, Fable 2, Wipeout HD, SF IV, UFC, Fight Night 4, Motor Storm, the excellent Shadow Complex(This is my fav game) all on HD, then, playing on SD due to curiosity to compare to HD; I have to say HD has a fairly big advantage in quality in detail and disply...I did find standard def games downloaded on Xbox360 & PS3 did look more pixelated compared to SD when played on HD : Guro Mark Of The Wolves, King Of Fighters 98, Street fighter Alpha, Castlevainia etc.
As for HD movies I honestly believe this has been fairly over hyped!!!!...Yes the films look sharper, but, not to a standard how advertisements for HD is the ultimate experinece. Batman The Dark Nights (probably the best HD example) looks great in HD as well as SD - with SD with not so much loss in picture quality compared to HD. In gaming HD has made an improvement... In movies - not so much when compared to SD. |
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Also i'm very confused by the lack of people with an HDTV. When was the last time you walked into Curry's and saw a CRT or SD only TV for sale? Apart from the tiny portables used by lorry drivers ect they are all HD.
I bet most people only by a new TV every 8 - 10 years. Shops only got rid of all SDTV's within the last couple of years. Bagpuss For me its simple ..... i wont go HD so long as i have to pay those fascist cunts the Murdochs at SKY for the privelge of watching a decent amount of HD content. +1. My TV can display an SD picture pretty damn well when set correctly. Well enough that I refuse to pay another tenner on top of the £45 I already pay Sky just to watch a FEW of the SAME channels in high resolution. Scamming Fucks.
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 05/09/09 @ 11:21
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What this means is that, several years into the console generation which was meant to herald the glorious arrival of high definition, not a single console system is presently being sold with an HDMI cable in the box. Microsoft, at least, bundles a cable which can output component, which does enable some HD resolutions - the PS3 Slim simply doesn't come with any HD-capable cables at all.
If Microsoft is still bundling component cables, then it is providing perfectly good 720p out of the box in every console. It may not be as trendy as HDMI but in my experience 720p is every pixel just as pretty in component as it is in HDMI, and it works with every HDTV there is. You make it sound like that's just barely a step above composite but that's not quite right: it allows any 360 game in existence to look as well as it possibly can.. |
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